Dear Comrades,
With the end of the Kosovo 'big' war much re-thinking
about US-EU relations is going on amongst ruling elites. Below are some
useful facts and consideratons from the right-wing Radio FreeEurope/Radio
Liberty.
in solidarity - Steve Myers
Kosovo Brings Shift In Attitudes Toward European Security
By Roland Eggleston
German political analysts believe the Kosovo conflict may be a turning point
in efforts to forge a common European defense policy more independent of the
United States. But the role of Russia in such a pan-European policy remains
uncertain.
In a television debate this week, several analysts argued that a key factor
in this developing policy is the emergence of Germany as a full participant
in the Kosovo conflict. Germany contributed reconnaissance aircraft to the
NATO bombing operation and has provided about 8,000 troops to the
peacekeeping force. As the analysts stressed, it is the first time since
World War Two that Germany has played more than a peripheral role in a
military action and many experts believe it is now prepared to be more active
in seeking a leadership role.
A prominent German foreign affairs expert, Karl Kaiser, says: "until now it
was France which took the lead in pressing for a pan-European military force
which could be an equal partner with the United States in NATO and which
could deal with European interests without having always to call on the U.S.
for assistance." He argues that Germany is now moving toward playing a
leading role in the initiative.
Kaiser and other experts expect Germany to play a bigger role with France and
Britain in creating a pan-European rapid reaction force which can respond to
some crises without direct American involvement. The force is expected to be
created toward the end of next year, although many of the details about its
possible operations remain unclear.
Going beyond troops and weapons, some analysts believe Germany will assume a
bigger role in efforts to create a pan-European security system for all
Europe, including Russia. Negotiations on such a security charter are
underway at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
but those involved in the closed-door talks say a number of obstacles remain
to be resolved. Government officials in Bonn say the Kosovo crisis has
demonstrated that there can be no real security system in Europe without the
full participation of Russia. However, they believe Kosovo has also deepened
the concerns of those in the Russian political and military apparatus who are
suspicious of NATO and its goals in Europe. Germany sees itself as the
European nation best-placed to try to ease these concerns.
For Germany, Kosovo has been a turning point. The previous conservative
government, led by Helmut Kohl, believed Germany should not assume a
prominent military role because of its responsibility for World War Two and
the atrocities committed by its forces. Germany did participate in some
international operations, such as the one in Somalia, but mostly limited its
share to providing medical units. It did not contribute troops to
international operations such as the Gulf war. The Bosnian war was considered
particularly sensitive because of the atrocities committed by German troops
in the Balkans in World War II. Only after the conflict was over did it
contribute 4,000 men to the international peacekeeping force and that came
after a heated national debate.
The new German leader, the Social Democrat Gerhard Schroeder, argues it is
time the country put the ghosts of World War Two behind it and moved into a
full leadership role in the emerging united Europe. Kosovo provided an
opportunity to demonstrate this new approach.
There was little opposition inside the country when Germany provided 14
military aircraft to fly daily missions over Kosovo. And opinion polls
indicate there is general support for its sizeable contribution to the
peacekeeping force. Germany's contingent of 8,000 troops is second only to
Britain's 13,000 men and ahead of France and the U.S.
The German contingent has taken an active role in enforcing NATO's
responsibilities in the Prizren area, where most of them are deployed. It has
shown determination in a number of incidents with withdrawing Serb forces.
Overall, the German media has shown pride in the country's soldiers. One
newspaper carried a front page report that other NATO forces respected the
Germans as comrades and partners.
But most commentators believe the true test for a bigger international role
for Germany's armed forces will come when financial decisions have to be
taken. A new, more independent, role for Germany -- and for Europe ---
requires a bigger defense industry with less reliance on the power of the
United States.
To quote the foreign affairs expert Karl Kaiser again: "Europe is still
massively dependent on the United States for its defense needs. The United
States is prepared to spend the money needed to develop new weapons systems.
Until now Europe has been reluctant to do so. Only time will tell whether the
new European force is genuinely independent or still dependent on America."
The United States spends about 3.2 per cent of its total output of goods and
services on defense -- compared with an average of about 2.1 per cent in
Europe. The result is that Europe lags far behind the U.S. not only in
creating new weapons systems but also in its holdings of aircraft needed to
carry troops and equipment on missions. It now depends on the U.S. for this.
France has long pushed for a pan-European defense industry, partly because
its own arms industry is among the most advanced in Europe and would benefit
if other European countries adopted a policy of "Europe first" when buying
weapons. At present, most of them rely on U.S. weaponry.
France is already pressing Germany to co-finance the development of military
satellites and an attack helicopter code-named "Tiger."
But, particularly in Germany, there still remains a large segment of
political opinion which would rather spend the money on social improvement
rather than weapons. The present German government is struggling to find the
funds to cover a huge budget deficit. So, for the time being at least, it
appears that Europe may still remain dependent on the U.S. for many of its
military needs.
Copyright (c) 1999. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio
FreeEurope/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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