While Europe has convinced itself it always was and always would be the “pet child” of its American caretaker, because:
- They think they obviously share the same values. (No, they don’t!)
- It has always been this way. (Actually, not always; just for the short time frame the average European can remember. And guess what, that wasn’t due to the US’s intrinsic love for Europe, but to bolster strategic allies and military bases during the Cold War.)
- They don’t say this one out loud, but they believe the US loves them for some sort of a shared genetic pool. Don’t they all have great-grandparents from Europe? Yes, they do, but who cares? After all, those grandparents left for a reason!
Let me expand on European values. In Germany and the Netherlands, they’ve legalized drugs and prostitution, and many men are addicted to pornography and don’t see anything wrong with it. They don’t follow a religion; instead, they believe in science, disregarding that quite a few so-called “scientific, unbiased” studies produce different results when repeated, and some outright fake the numbers. Surely there are many things wrong with religious institutions too, but to idolize science? Give me a break.
The US (at least large parts of it, which are often not the focus of mainstream media broadcast abroad) still has traditional values. They want to get married and raise a family. They know that porn is not only morally corrupting but also an awful industry. They fear God, or have some sense of not being the clever center of the universe, and they know that power matters—just like the Middle East. Dreamy Europeans disregard the concept of power because they believe every person and every country should be equal. Well, guess what: you don’t tend to change reality by saying wishful phrases. By ignoring reality, you won’t make much of a difference.
Middle Easterners get to feel the concept of power growing up, be it from their parents or the state.
So, wouldn’t the fact that the US keeps bombing Middle Eastern territories pose some sort of inconvenience for that alliance?Yes! US policy in the Middle East has caused mostly chaos and hatred. Iraq and Afghanistan (under Bush Jr.) and Libya (under Obama) remain more unstable and less safe than before US meddling. Egypt found itself a new dictator, and for some reason, the US backed al-Qaeda affiliated groups in Syria. (By the way, those guys were behind 9/11, which is why the US invaded Afghanistan, and most Americans still think the Iraq War had something to do with 9/11. It didn’t!) So now they help them govern in Syria?Oh well.
But suppose a more apt administration saw the potential in allied values, natural resources, and geographical conditions and wasn’t infiltrated by an image of Islam shaped by terrorists? Could President Trump be the one? He took on several everlasting conflicts and backed the hostage-release deal in Palestine, fostered a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and actually scolded the Israeli government. Sadly, the Middle Eastern population didn’t see how relocating Palestinians would put an end to endless suffering and preferred to have them starve under Israeli occupation, just so they can be unaffected, uncompromising moral heroes abroad…So far, President Trump only bombed Iran, whose government became a burden to most Iranians decades ago. I’d say, lift the sanctions, leave them alone, and Iranians will take care of it… but yes, an atomic bomb under the current administration would probably be no good.
Maybe Middle Eastern countries would be more successful in establishing democracy and justice, creating a democratic opposition that would approach the US as an ally, not a foe. Because, guess what? Power matters… and it’s in the US where people enjoy political freedom, yet still have values. What other options are there really?