Posted by aogWednesday, 30 May 2007 at 10:44 TrackBack Ping URL

Lack of sufficient strength isn't solved by adding dead weight

In this interview Brent Scowcroft serves as an excellent bad example of a common logical fallacy. He that the USA will become more accomodating to Europe because “you can’t solve your problems unilaterally”. The logical fallacy is taking that as evidence in favor of treating the EU and its consituents as allies. That doesn’t follow at all — there’s no fundamental reason that even if the USA can’t handle something by itself, that involving Europe would be useful. It’s quite possible (and in many cases, likely) that European involvement will make things worse, not better. The 1991 Gulf War comes to mind as an example. Or the break up of Yugoslavia. Or action in any former French colony in Africa. What’s really stunning is how Scowcroft can say that France saw the invasion of Iraq primarily as a pretext to drive the USA out of Europe and think that was a helpful contribution to the international order. Perhaps he, as he advices Europe to do, should look at the situation “coldly and dispassionately”.