U.S. President George W. Bush ended his tour of European countries, attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and European Union (EU) summits, holding talks with European government leaders. Practically no new agreements were made except one that NATO members will train security forces in Iraq. In varying degrees from country to country, the gap is still left between the United States and European countries over major international issues.
Europe irritated
President Bush said, "The major issue that irritate a lot of Europeans was Iraq" (at a press conference following the NATO conference).
The United States was lying when it said that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and invaded Iraq at the enormous cost of innocent lives, arousing strong criticism from European citizens as well as their governments. Bush's argument that "anti-terrorism" justifies preemptive attacks won't be supported in Europe.
Following talks with German Chancellor Schroeder, Bush said to reporters, "And obviously we've had differences on Kyoto."
The United States, which emits a quarter of the world's green-house gases, continues to refuse to take part in the Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions. It stands to reason that European countries show strong discontent and criticism.
On the question of Iran's nuclear development, President Bush said that he supports the proposal for negotiations with Iran made by France, Germany, and Britain, but at the same time stressed that the United States rules out no options.
It is logical for the international community not to support Iran's possession of nuclear weapons. The task now is to work to eliminate the huge nuclear arsenals held by the United States and other countries.
Bush in Brussels spoke about the postwar international order, stating, "In the Cold War, Europe saw the so-called stability of Yalta as a constant source of injustice and fear."
Bush was referring to the postwar international framework agreed on in post WWII settlements by the U.S., Britain, and Soviet leaders at Yalta in February 1945. As a requisite for Soviet participation in the war against Japan, these leaders at Yalta agreed to accept Stalin's demand that the Chishima Islands be "handed over" to the Soviet Union. This subsequently led to creating spheres of influence in violation of the principle of "territorial non-expansion." Both Stalin and the U.S. are to blame for this.
Today's world has no room for "spheres of influence" to exist. An equitable international order must be established by making utmost use of the principles of the U.N. Charter that include law and justice, peace and national-self determination, and fundamental human rights.
If Bush insists on breaking through the "Yalta regime," he should act in accordance with the principles of the U.N. Charter, including a correction of its position concerning the Chishima Islands.
However, Bush did not mention the U.N. Charter and even refused to address his dangerous unilateralism. This is the main reason for the cracks between the United States and European countries.
Extraordinary unilateralism
Bush's recent tour of Europe showed that the present-day world no longer allows the U.S. to be the dictator of world affairs. In this sense, the Koizumi government's subservience to the U.S. is extraordinary.
If Japan continues to act in the service of U.S. policy and helps implement its preemptive strike strategy, it will be isolated from the international community.
Japan must establish an independent diplomatic policy as the state with the war-renouncing Article 9 in its Constitution.
