A malaise is striking down Europe from within. Like doughty old women trying to turn back the clock, Europeans are battening down the hatches to keep out people, cheaper products and high-tech services from non-European nations, especially South Asia and Africa.
At the same time, the EU continues to expect Washington to act as nurturing mother and nursemaid regardless of now irresponsibly its leaders behave to the detriment of American foreign and economic policy goals. Despite President Barack Obama’s insistence, Europeans are dragging their feet on supplying more troops and other help in the Afghan and Iraq wars or putting pressure on Russia, China and Iran.
Washington wants more globalization and cooperation from Asia to handle problems like terrorism, open trade and climate change. But several key European leaders are turning inwards to keep globalization out of their lands. It is as if the growing prowess of China and India has sent Europeans into a fetal crouch.
The latest fruit of Europe’s drift is President Barack Obama’s refusal to attend a Summit called next May by Spain, the current EU president. His aides claim there is little to discuss with the EU and he is too busy dealing with China, South Asia and the Middle East. This is the first time in decades that a US President is refusing a Summit invitation, indicating Washington’s lesser interest in traditional European power centres, like London, Berlin and Paris.
European unsteadiness will not end soon. Britain holds bitter elections before June, Germany has important State elections that could weaken Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s poll ratings have slumped drastically half way through his mandate.
France, Germany, Spain and Italy are going through a belated identity crisis about what it means to be French, German etc. They are leading a “besieged fortress Europe” mentality. Britain is wobbling between open-mindedness and knee jerk reaction to more non-Europeans and their cheap products entering the “green and pleasant” land. Smaller nations like Switzerland and Greece are also showing open prejudice towards South Asians, Arabs and Africans. All are considering new intolerant laws to keep out Asian and African immigrants, including students.
Many Europeans, including academics and business, are acutely embarrassed by this anti-immigrant chauvinism tinged with intolerance. They are fighting hard in debates through the media, cafes and street corners to reverse these self-destructive trends. But populist politicians continue to gain influence.
The economic and socials costs to ordinary Europeans of anti-globalism are becoming clearer by the day. Shifting blame to America, China or India does not work anymore. The US annualized growth rate in last quarter 2009 was 5.7% compared with the 0.2% average for the 27 nation EU. The 16-nations that use the Euro currency grew at 0.1% and the forecast for 2010 is around 0.6%, compared with over 4% for the US.
The US recovery is bringing very slow job creation but Europe is still losing jobs with no end in sight. In comparison, China’s growth rate might touch 10% in 2010 and India might touch 8%. India, a software success, may start to emerge as a manufacturing giant while China might make large strides in hardware and software while modernizing at breakneck pace.
Europe seems to be hacking at its own legs at the worst possible time. While it fights the rise of Asians like a civilization under siege, other nations are forging ahead to take advantage of the 2.7 billion people living in the famished markets of China and India.
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