Regis Debray on "Old Europe"

Wed Jan 21 04:48:22 2004

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Hey,

Just came across an essay from awhile back, elegantly written during the =
anti-Frenchy frenzy in 'murka.

Thought it might be an interesting read in the ahem light of what has =
since transpired in the Iraq theater of war.

The French Lesson
By R=C9GIS DeBRAY

ARIS - In the year 212, Emperor Caracalla granted citizenship to all =
free men in the Roman Empire. Emboldened by that precedent, a friend of =
mine, a former high French official, once asked a president of the =
United States to treat Europeans as compatriots. It was an agreeable =
fantasy; only vassals were wanted.=20

For the current trans-Atlantic crisis to be defused, the White House =
would do well to steer between those extremes and to treat its European =
allies as what they are - citizens of independent states, each with an =
idiosyncratic history and geography. That approach would spare us many a =
useless bout of hysteria as the Security Council this week considers =
Iraq. To each its own geopolitics.

Eight out of 10 Europeans on the street agree with the French-German =
position, and the governments of Britain, Spain, Italy, et al., have cut =
themselves off from public opinion. In confronting that awkwardness, the =
United States has chosen France as its scapegoat. Not having any =
training as a satellite state, unlike the countries of Eastern Europe, =
France has assumed the right to judge for itself (despite a number of =
elites firmly in the American camp).=20

The United States, of course, is free to decide that a cadaverous =
satrap, kept under close surveillance, affects its national (and =
familial) interests. If the American administration is intent on =
precipitating the war that is Osama bin Laden's fondest wish, if it =
wants to give fundamentalism, which is currently ebbing, a second =
chance, we can say only, so much the worse for you - while regretting =
that history's most constant law, the perverse effect, is not better =
known to the Pentagon. Provoking chaos in the name of order, and =
resentment instead of gratitude, is something to which all empires are =
accustomed. And thus it is that they coast, from military victory to =
victory, to their final decline.

"Old Europe," the Europe of Crusades and expeditionary forces, which =
long sought by sword and gun to subjugate Jerusalem, Algiers, Timbuktu =
and Beijing, has learned to distinguish between politics and religion. =
In 1965, one of its old champions, de Gaulle, loyally warned his =
American friends that their B-52's would not be able to do anything =
against Vietnamese nationalism - and that to devastate a country is not =
the same as winning hearts and minds. Europe no longer takes its =
civilization for civilization itself, no doubt because it is better =
acquainted with foreign cultures, notably Islam. Our suburbs, after all, =
pray to Allah.

Europe has learned modesty. A civilization that believes itself capable =
of making do without other civilizations tends to be headed toward its =
doom. To be sure, in defending its interests a great nation may end up =
promoting freedom. Such was the situation with the concentration camps. =
It will not be the case for the $15 barrel of crude.

The stakes are spiritual. Europe defends a secular vision of the world. =
It does not separate matters of urgency from long-term considerations. =
The United States compensates for its shortsightedness, its tendency to =
improvise, with an altogether biblical self-assurance in its =
transcendent destiny. Puritan America is hostage to a sacred morality; =
it regards itself as the predestined repository of Good, with a mission =
to strike down Evil. Trusting in Providence, it pursues a politics that =
is at bottom theological and as old as Pope Gregory VII.=20

Europe no longer possesses that euphoric arrogance. It is done mourning =
the Absolute and conducts its politics . . . politically. It is past the =
age of ultimatums, protectorates at the other end of the planet, and the =
white man's burden. Is that the age America is intent on entering? One =
can only wish it good luck.

"Old Europe" has already paid the price. It now knows that the planet is =
too complex, too definitively plural to suffer insertion into a =
monotheistic binary logic: white or black, good or evil, friend or =
enemy. When, one wants to ask, will Washington agree to count to three - =
and think not this or that, but this and that? A sober weighing of =
threats, without emotional obfuscation, is far more attuned to our =
current world, which Balkanizes minds even as it grows more unified in =
its implements, than an impatient divine investiture.

Whence this paradox: the new world of President Bush, postmodern in its =
technology, seems premodern in its values. In its principles of action, =
America is two or three centuries behind "old Europe." Since our =
countries did not enter history at the same time, the gap should not =
surprise us. But as to which of the two worlds, the secular or the =
fundamentalist, is the more archaic, it is surely not the one that =
Donald Rumsfeld had in mind.=20

R=E9gis Debray, a former adviser to President Francois Mitterrand of =
France, is editor of Cahiers de Mediologie and the author of the =
forthcoming ``The God That Prevailed.'' This was translated from the =
French by Jeffrey Mehlman.

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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Hey,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Just came across an essay from awhile =
back,=20
elegantly written during the anti-Frenchy frenzy in 'murka.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Thought it might be an interesting read =
in the ahem=20
light of what has since transpired in the Iraq theater of =
war.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<H2>The French Lesson</H2></NYT_HEADLINE><NYT_BYLINE type=3D" "=20
version=3D"1.0"><FONT size=3D-1><STRONG>By R=C9GIS=20
DeBRAY</STRONG></FONT><BR><BR></NYT_BYLINE><!--plsfield:TEXT--><NYT_TEXT>=

<IMG alt=3DP=20
src=3D"file:///C:/Lord%20Byron%20II/email%20scrapbook/The%20French%20Less=
on_files/p.gif"=20
align=3Dleft border=3D0>ARIS =97 In the year 212, Emperor Caracalla =
granted=20
citizenship to all free men in the Roman Empire. Emboldened by that =
precedent, a=20
friend of mine, a former high French official, once asked a president of =
the=20
United States to treat Europeans as compatriots. It was an agreeable =
fantasy;=20
only vassals were wanted. 
For the current trans-Atlantic crisis to be defused, the White House =
would do=20
well to steer between those extremes and to treat its European allies as =
what=20
they are =97 citizens of independent states, each with an idiosyncratic =
history=20
and geography. That approach would spare us many a useless bout of =
hysteria as=20
the Security Council this week considers Iraq. To each its own =
geopolitics.
Eight out of 10 Europeans on the street agree with the French-German=20
position, and the governments of Britain, Spain, Italy, et al., have cut =

themselves off from public opinion. In confronting that awkwardness, the =
United=20
States has chosen France as its scapegoat. Not having any training as a=20
satellite state, unlike the countries of Eastern Europe, France has =
assumed the=20
right to judge for itself (despite a number of elites firmly in the =
American=20
camp). 
The United States, of course, is free to decide that a cadaverous =
satrap,=20
kept under close surveillance, affects its national (and familial) =
interests. If=20
the American administration is intent on precipitating the war that is =
Osama bin=20
Laden's fondest wish, if it wants to give fundamentalism, which is =
currently=20
ebbing, a second chance, we can say only, so much the worse for you =97 =
while=20
regretting that history's most constant law, the perverse effect, is not =
better=20
known to the Pentagon. Provoking chaos in the name of order, and =
resentment=20
instead of gratitude, is something to which all empires are accustomed. =
And thus=20
it is that they coast, from military victory to victory, to their final=20
decline.
"Old Europe," the Europe of Crusades and expeditionary forces, which =
long=20
sought by sword and gun to subjugate Jerusalem, Algiers, Timbuktu and =
Beijing,=20
has learned to distinguish between politics and religion. In 1965, one =
of its=20
old champions, de Gaulle, loyally warned his American friends that their =
B-52's=20
would not be able to do anything against Vietnamese nationalism =97 and =
that to=20
devastate a country is not the same as winning hearts and minds. Europe =
no=20
longer takes its civilization for civilization itself, no doubt because =
it is=20
better acquainted with foreign cultures, notably Islam. Our suburbs, =
after all,=20
pray to Allah.
Europe has learned modesty. A civilization that believes itself =
capable of=20
making do without other civilizations tends to be headed toward its =
doom. To be=20
sure, in defending its interests a great nation may end up promoting =
freedom.=20
Such was the situation with the concentration camps. It will not be the =
case for=20
the $15 barrel of crude.
 The stakes are spiritual. Europe defends a secular vision of the =
world.=20
It does not separate matters of urgency from long-term considerations. =
The=20
United States compensates for its shortsightedness, its tendency to =
improvise,=20
with an altogether biblical self-assurance in its transcendent destiny. =
Puritan=20
America is hostage to a sacred morality; it regards itself as the =
predestined=20
repository of Good, with a mission to strike down Evil. Trusting in =
Providence,=20
it pursues a politics that is at bottom theological and as old as Pope =
Gregory=20
VII. 
Europe no longer possesses that euphoric arrogance. It is done =
mourning the=20
Absolute and conducts its politics . . . politically. It is past the age =
of=20
ultimatums, protectorates at the other end of the planet, and the white =
man's=20
burden. Is that the age America is intent on entering? One can only wish =
it good=20
luck.
"Old Europe" has already paid the price. It now knows that the planet =
is too=20
complex, too definitively plural to suffer insertion into a monotheistic =
binary=20
logic: white or black, good or evil, friend or enemy. When, one wants to =
ask,=20
will Washington agree to count to three =97 and think not this or that, =
but this=20
and that? A sober weighing of threats, without emotional obfuscation, is =
far=20
more attuned to our current world, which Balkanizes minds even as it =
grows more=20
unified in its implements, than an impatient divine investiture.
Whence this paradox: the new world of President Bush, postmodern in =
its=20
technology, seems premodern in its values. In its principles of action, =
America=20
is two or three centuries behind "old Europe." Since our countries did =
not enter=20
history at the same time, the gap should not surprise us. But as to =
which of the=20
two worlds, the secular or the fundamentalist, is the more archaic, it =
is surely=20
not the one that Donald Rumsfeld had in mind. 
R=E9gis Debray, a former adviser to President Francois Mitterrand =
of=20
France, is editor of Cahiers de Mediologie and the author of the =
forthcoming=20
``The God That Prevailed.'' This was translated from the French by =
Jeffrey=20
Mehlman.</NYT_TEXT></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
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