Dear American Observers

(Image taken from the Telegraph)

It has been some time since I last posted, I have been busy studying for my final exams of University and other assorted worries so my posting has been severely limited. That said I have been keeping up with blogs that I follow as well as looking further afield in the political and Catholic blogosphere and I have noticed something.

American bloggers are not only fascinated about the crisis in Europe, but are worried about it, and about how it will affect them, and even persons such as Bill Whittle from Pyjamas Media, (a New Media right wing news outlet), have been using the crisis in Europe as an allegory for how not to run a Union. Needless to say my reactions to these concerns from American observers have varied from incredulous to symnpathetic, so I felt the need to devote a post addressing some of the concerns Americans have with the crisis in Europe.


1, You cannot help us
While ordinary Americans are not guilty of it, they are unaware of the LUDICROUS political influence their government has had in Europe for most of the last century, the current political landscape in Europe is as much the result of American meddling as it is a reaction to it, (as well as giving account for European stupidity of course), we do not need American help. You wouldn't know how to help us anyway, we are not American, and cannot exist on an American mindset, however it is defined.


2, If the Euro is going down the drain, the Dollar is on fire
This is addressing primarily economic concerns of American observers. Yes, if the European markets crash it will be a disaster for the whole world, you are right to be concerned about that. Yes, Europe's fiscal irresponsibility is ultimately the cause of our economic downfall, the same as everywhere else. Yes the monetary Union and perhaps the entire European political experiment will fail before Christmas, and yes you can learn from Europe how NOT to run a multi-national Union. This is of no use because however boned the Euro is, the Dollar is worse off. The euro may die and the dollar may live for another few decades but it will never be worth what it once was and it will only continue to decrease in value, I draw my American readers' attention to their own deficit which has literally reached astronomical proportions. It will never get better, never. To believe it will get better is going beyond optimism or religious belief and straight into white knuckled, despair-fuelled denial.


3, If there is another continental war in Europe, American wont be able to intervene
Now we get into the meat of the worry for Americans. Many of whom are worried that if there is another conflagration in Europe in the wake of this crisis, and that is not an unlikely occurance when all is taken into account, Americans may once again be forced to intervene. This is an understandable and human worry but I am going to have to tell my American readers why they wont be able to intervene, the reasons are several-fold
- You won't know who to fight. If another war occurs it will definitely not be like WWI or WWII, it will not be a fluid battle between nations who are easily divided into two alliance blocs. A continental war in Europe at this stage will likely be a furious confusion of border skirmishes, civil unrest and various civil wars in places with no clear clue of who started what fight or which side being victorious would be in America's interests.
- You won't be able to fight a whole continent. With all due respect to America's phenomenal military might and force projection, you simply would not be able to go for broke and simply pacify the entire continent. Oh sure, you most definitely could do this if you were fighting the European Union as a unified entity, but that wouldn't be the case, you wouldn't be fighting the European Union, you'd be fighting Europe which is a different beast, in such a scenario as this, it would be as simple as driving a M1 Abrams tank through a thick, Jungle under-bush. It would be impractical in the extreme, not only would conquered territories not be willing to co-operate with you troops, but as soon as you find out intelligence about say, a French fortified position, it would not count for the sudden German incursion force which would totally blind-side your forces.
- You'll have your own problems to worry about. Putting Europe aside, America wouldn't intervene because in the wake of a European collapse would likely be an entire worldwide collapse. I would be very surprised in such a scenario that America would still be able to field and fortify its military positions all over the world. Indeed, it'd probably be forced to withdraw its worldwide forces not only because it would be nigh impossible to hold them where they are stationed, but because the disaster will likely result in civil unrest if not outright civil war in America itself.



All things considered, while the concern of our American friends is heartening, it is impractical and probably not in their best interests to be concerned. Europe's socio-political experiment will fail, and probably fail spectacularly, but America and Americans cannot do anything to help the situation.