FISCHER: The Mediterranean Crucible

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The Mediterranean Crucible by Joschka Fischer - Project Syndicate SIGN IN Username: Password: Forgotten password
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Mattus 08:23 29 Jan 11

It seems to me that the writer has been lead, like the rest of the media herd, into believing something because it has been repeated many times. Let me remind you that repeating something many times doesn't make it true. There are many so called Northern European nations, such as France and Belgium that are in similar or worse economic predicaments than Portugal. The U.K, too, has a much larger deficit than Portugal and many other Northern European States aren’t too far behind, some far greater. The Netherlands, for example, are just under Portugal for both debt and deficit. And Irelands misadventures with shady housing boom/bust lingers to this day as its citizens have been lead down the path of economic misery. And let's not forget about the U.S. which if not for the dollar's special status as the world's default currency would this day no better than a third world nation.  An unbiased analyses of economic conditions of respective nations should always be one that takes all facts into perspective, it is one that does not jump to conclusion by building geographic or ethnographic boundaries on which all things are constant. It’s time to look at the picture again, with new eyes, then you may see something you’ve missed.

carlson73 06:27 30 Jan 11

While I believe there is significant overstatement in the prior post, I share the poster's concerns about the perspective of the author.

I did not perceive any specific actions offered for northern Europe to solve North Africa's problems, other than taking a strategic perspective. What might that be? The U.S, has proven pouring billions of dollars of aid into Muslim countries without strong democratic traditions does not promote peace, or even move the recipients towards democracy in a peaceful fashion. As an American, I accept completely the fact that we have historically caused actual harm to democracies in the region, but that harm is done. Our current efforts will not undo it. Acknowledging our guilt will not provide any help in solving the problem, and neither will more money from any source. If Switzwerland was the donor, it would make no difference.

There is no reason to believe that genuinely neutral sources pouring money into Iran would have done any more to make that country more reasonable in it's behavior, no matter the source or the conditions.

I find it hard to believe that Europe will support direct intervention, nor should they. So what besides being startegic is the author recommending? The costs of delivering solar energy to Europe are what? Seriously, Herr Fischer is talking about one country in Europe, Germany, that not only has to salvage the finances of the European Mediteranean democracies, but now is going to pay ridiculous costs for energy to support democracy in all of North Africa. Or is all of Europe, who has generally worse demographic issues than the U.S. going to solve not only their own long term budget problems, but those of countries with no obvious commitment to the democratic ideals of Europe?

Mr. Fischer is undoubtedly well-intentioned, but proposals as mindless as this are intellectual sophistry of the highest order.

As an American who has seen our country waste something more than a trillion dollars "nation building" in the Middle East in places that historically have at least as great history of democracy as North Africa, have at it if you have the stomach to fix their problems and your own. As for us, hopefully this is the end of American intervention in the Middle East. It is a financial trap with no way out once your politicians stake their ego on "fixing" these undemocratic countries. We will always be perceived as being a cause of the problem, no matter what we spend, just as European countries will be perceived that way in North Africa.

I think the correct answer is to let Mideast and North African countries solve their own problems. When they ask you for help, not just aid, but real help, then take the opportunity seriously.

AUTHOR INFO    Joschka Fischer Joschka Fischer, Germany’s foreign minister and vice-chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was a leader in the German Green Party for almost 20 years. MOST READ MOST RECOMMENDED MOST COMMENTED Did the Poor Cause the Crisis? Simon Johnson New Year’s Hope against Hope Joseph E. Stiglitz Global Risk and Reward in 2011 Nouriel Roubini Why is Rape Different? Naomi Wolf New Rules for the Global Economy Dani Rodrik A New World Architecture George Soros No Time for a Trade War Joseph E. Stiglitz Avatar and Empire Naomi Wolf America’s Political Class Struggle Jeffrey D. Sachs Did the Poor Cause the Crisis? Simon Johnson Did the Poor Cause the Crisis? Simon Johnson Life after Capitalism Robert Skidelsky The End of China’s Surplus Martin Feldstein A People’s Economics Robert J. Shiller Intelligent Economic Design J. Bradford DeLong ADVERTISEMENT PROJECT SYNDICATE

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