Commentary from Europe
A Continent Concerned
By Nicola Mitchell

May 22, 2001 -- LONDON (APJP) -- As a nation us Brits have never really been fond of change, so when we learned it was to be George W. Bush with his finger on the button, you can understand our concern.

For eight years we had been used to a President who claimed he could feel our pain, a sax playing southerner who greeted you with an infectious smile and a bear hug, but who was also a powerful and persuasive statesman.

Now we find ourselves faced with a new breed of President.

Gone are the fresh-faced, media savvy Clinton team, and in are old-school veterans, friends of Daddy who make up the remnants of the Bush, Reagan, Ford and even Nixon team, many of whom should have started collecting their pensions years ago.

Bush continues to claim to be a new kind of Republican, a compassionate conservative, but here in Europe we are left wondering if he understands what the term compassionate means. With his hard line team and even harder line policies, Bush’s actions have sent shock waves throughout Europe.

One of the most frightening aspects about the Bush administration is the fear of the unknown, and what we do know makes us feel even uneasier. Elected (however dubiously) to president is a man with little government experience, no interest in travel, and a questionable IQ -- a mixture which does not instil us with confidence in his ability to govern.

\While we are well aware that it takes a while for new Presidents to establish their own style, in just a few short months, Bush has driven fear into the hearts of most major European capitals. His decision to opt out of the Kyoto agreement, his plans for the National Missile Defence system and suggestions from the likes of Condoleezza Rice to pull America troops out of Kosovo have outraged most of Europe.

Although no one is saying anything, many European leaders are becoming increasingly agitated with Bush. His tax breaks for the top 1 per cent and the courting of big business give him an elitist air. The Clinton administration, on the surface at least, took on the likes of the Philip Morris Company, but as is demonstrated by Bush’s Health Secretary Tommy Thompson, who is known to have strong ties with the tobacco company, big business is an ally and not an enemy.

Europeans have also become used to a President who takes a deep interest in foreign conflicts such as Kosovo and Ireland, but such issues are just too taxing for Dubya.

Much of this disapproval may be borne out of panic. With many European parties operating from the centre left, the new air of politics in Washington is seen as a worrying sign, especially since American election results, however confused they may be, are considered somewhat of a trendsetter to the rest of the world.

Here in Britain we find ourselves in the midst of a general election with our politicians obviously taking a lesson from the theatrical American contest. Conservative opposition leader William Hague is attempting (thankfully with little success) to adopt the compassionate conservatism taken up by Bush, while the Deputy Prime Minister has resorted to brawling in the streets with egg-throwing protesters to keep the Labour party in the headlines.

For now Europe will have to wait and see what the future holds for its relations with America. Colin Powell may be Bush’s man on the world centre stage, but he is being given a run for his money. President Clinton continues to resist retirement as he undertakes a massive speaking tour of Europe – with massive fees to match. How the Bush administration will act when, if ever, it finally steps out of Clinton’s shadow in Europe is yet to be seen, but it is certain that things have got off to a very rocky start.

Nicola Mitchell is a recent graduate from the London College of Printing.  After working for a number of British publications and writing an in-depth thesis on American politics, she has come to understand the backstabbing and muckraking that goes on in Washington and felt compelled that Europe should have its say. 

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