The European Connection

Although it has not been properly covered by US media outlets, the situation in Greece has been quite chaotic in the last few days. Since the death of a teenager on Sunday, riots have spread from city to city, from suburb to suburb, leading many analysts to draw comparisons with les banlieues some years ago.

According to a Greek Socialist leader, these troubles symbolize people’s lack of trust in their government. It is hard to understand what the riots actually mean. Is it like France some years ago or more like Paris in 1968? Or is it a reaction against a police force that has been associated with authoritarianism in the past? Or something else?

The answer may yet elude us… but it is hard not to be surprised to see such a developed country like Greece descend into anarchy and see its politicians rendered almost useless facing the crisis. Modernity is fragile indeed.

On the Crimson today, I wrote a column on the Somali pirates terrorizing trade and tourism in the Gulf of Aden, in east Africa. For the European Union, this has become a very important issue, and not because of the crimes themselves. In order to quell the attacks, seven EU nations have decided to form a multinational naval force. This may be the first step toward making the EU a military power in itself. 

Such developments usually come from crises, just like when the United States decided to form an army during the Revolutionary Wars. When it comes to Europe, the focus on terrorism earlier in the decade led to the creation of a EU Rapid Reaction Force. Operation Atalanta, however, will take it to the next level; it will bring together Britain, France, Germany, Spain, and three other European countries under what may just be a European flag. It will be a good development for security in the Aden Gulf, and an even better precedent for future European humanitarian missions, like the one that the developed world must send to stabilize Somalia itself.

Despite the ongoing economic crisis, or perhaps because of it, the FT has an interesting video in its online edition featuring a French ambassador calling, of all things, for more European defense spending. In these days of economic downturn, many people are likely to reject such calls; in economic theory, after all, military spending is considered unproductive and useless. And yet, as most developed countries wake up to the ‘official reality’ of recession, it is important to see further European spending not only furthering the cause of European integration in security spheres, but also helping individual economies through a classic fiscal boost.

Furthermore, military spending in Europe these days does not mean aggressive foreign policy; neither Europe generally nor France specifically could be accused of that as of late. Rather, it would be key to strengthening ineffective efforts for state-building around the world, particularly in places like Afghanistan, where Europe and the US have responsibilities in the long run, if we are to uphold the values that led NATO to take up the task in the first place.