A NATO Soldier's Thoughts

Dear Sir,

The governments of Germany and France are acting in accordance with the will of the people of said countries, just like the politicians of America do for their people. Germany, France, UK or any other European country does not fear USA, nor do they have any reason to do so. People in these countries actually like America, a lot more than you guys seem to think, too. At least they used to. But you see, when all we hear is bitching about how we don't like you anymore, well then we get tired of hearing about it and eventually stop liking you for it. Germany has not been to war since 1945, and I for one hope they'll stay out of this one too. The US soldiers in Germany are there to protect US interests and not German, make no mistake about that.

The US is part of NATO because it is good for the US to do so, not just because they want to help their European brothers. That too, is true, of course, but the US is there mainly because it serves its own interests. Nothing wrong with that, it is the same reason why any country is a member of that organization. Just don't make it out to be something it isn’t. Not that I think for a second that the government of USA would give serious consideration to leaving their bases in Germany behind, but if they were to consider it I am pretty sure they would find that the benefits of being there outweighs the costs. As for a left-wing German getting elected by campaigning against the foreign policy of the USA, well that's democracy for you. He's probably enjoying the company of right wing "politicians" (I use the term lightly) with equally little respect for America's foreign policies. It never ceases to amaze me how some Americans seem to be so pro-democracy, and still not respect the people's choices.

Democracy means that you have to respect the choice of the people, even if the votes are in favour of the "left-wing" (which btw. seems to be the category for anyone who isn't pro-USA). The French adored America in 1944, and they are still grateful for your sacrifices today. As are all Europeans. The world has moved on since though, and people today are much more aware of the world around them than they were in the 1940's. Don't mistake the French hesitation to go to war with cowardliness, for it is quite the opposite.

The cowardly thing to do would be to forget one's own convictions and follow the calling of the big brother. Instead, they chose to stand up for what they believe in. I may not agree, but that does not make them cowards. As for WWI, well it has about as much bearing on this as the American Revolution, Civil War or Indian Campaigns for that matter. It's not only history, but politically speaking (and in the minds of ordinary people) it is ancient history. "Our" Bosnian problem is no more "our" problem than the gangs in LA are Mexico's problem. When it comes to war there is no "Europe."

To expect a united Europe to go to war would be like asking USA, Canada and Mexico to "sort things out" in South America. I won't even say a word about America taking care of "its own" problems south of the border. It just doesn't work that way; I wish it did, but it doesn't. Besides, 50-odd years of cold war had made the already close ties between Serbia and Russia even tighter. Moreover, from my own personal experience, I can assure you that the Europeans there did not appreciate the UN mandate not to fire unless fired upon by hostile forces.

This policy certainly was not one the US didn't back; they wanted to keep a lid on this boiler for as long as they could, hoping it might somehow go away. Your kids are still there. As are Swedish kids, Danish kids, Dutch kids, French kids, Australian kids, Russian kids, Polish kids, Ukrainian kids and a whole bunch of other kids too. I hope they all stay there for a long time still, because the job isn't done yet. How about you go home a year after the job is done?

Just as a little side note here, the failure of the international community to protect the "safe haven" of Srebrenica on July 11th and forward 1995 probably did more to ensure the growth of fundamentalist Muslim forces in Europe than any other event. One can always find millions of good reasons why it shouldn't be so, but it is like that anyways, and I believe we will pay the price for our unwillingness to help for decades if not centuries to come.

South Korea. Hmm, 53 years after the Americans arrived they're still at war. For the most part, the war is being fought with words, but there are "agents" and others killed every year, and now the war looks like it might go nuclear. Explain to me please, how this would make them extra fond of Americans? Believe me, it is not because they want to bomb South Korea that the North has developed nukes. But Seoul may very well be just the target to let America know how the North feels about them. If I were South Korean, I’d just love you guys...

Again, many, if not most, Arabs/Muslims admire Americans. That does not mean they think everything you do is right for them though. I doubt this is news to you Sir, but Turkey is a member of NATO and has been a very close ally to the USA and the Europeans for a long time. However, many Arabs consider Israel to be their enemy because they occupy Arab (Palestine) land. You may not agree with their view on this, but as long as the USA continues to be Israel's primary ally they will be number two on these people's hate list. It is no different than it was for us when Afghanistan supported bin Laden. That made them a legitimate target, and we had no problem in attacking when the need arose. Just don't make the assumption that because we didn't mind killing Muslims in Afghanistan we won't mind killing them in Iraq too. It isn't a religious war you see, not for us anyways.

As for Senator Murray, I haven't the faintest clue who he is, probably no more than an average American would know any given politician in Germany, France or the UK. I will say this though: for someone with such a clear memory of how the Second World War was won, you don't seem to remember very clearly how the peace was won; Marshall Plan Aid. You cannot intimidate people into lasting peace. I would think that Americans would be the first to know this. Or have you forgotten already that you sent the world's mightiest Colonial power packing? Didn't think so...

We do worry about you. With the exception of a few lost souls, you had the whole world sharing your pain and grief after 9/11. And you had the whole world behind you in going after the attackers too. It is the nature of being big and visible; everybody in school knows who you are, even if you don't have a clue who they are. People around the world will continue to have an opinion about you whether you like it or not, unfortunately it is only interesting to publish the ones that have a negative result. People liking America is no news, you know.

I guess your Norwegian relative was sharing what he and his friends had been discussing while drinking coffee at Starbucks that day... You are right in putting him in his place of course, it was not only untrue but also very impolite and disrespectful to treat his guest that way. It's a good thing not all Europeans act like college students who have just discovered "the truth". The "funny" thing about this is that they are actually following up a tradition started at Berkley in the 60's. So much for fighting "the American Empire"

BTW Did you remember to thank your Norwegian relative for his country's efforts to keep America safe? After all, had it not been for the hard work and suffering of the Norwegian War Sailors of NORTRASHIP (the world's largest shipping company, consisting of all Norwegian Merchant ships not caught by the Germans, in all the world's 4th largest merchant fleet) it would have been pretty darn difficult to get supplies across the Atlantic in time to stop the Germans from developing the A-bomb and launching it from a sub off the coast of Maine. Not to mention the fact that they hampered the development of this bomb considerably by bombing and sabotaging factories and civilian ferries in order to stop the delivery of heavy water (H3O) to the German scientists.

Respectfully,

A NATO Soldier

PS:
I like you guys :-)