Germany and France Flunked On Bush`s Loyalty Test

The relationship between the United States and its European allies is undergoing a dramatic change pending the US-led attack on Iraq.

The New York Times reported yesterday that US President George W. Bush is drawing a new map of allies. Berlin and Paris are being given a cold shoulder from the Bush administration due to their failure on the loyalty test, reported the newspaper.

On the other hand, Britain has become the center of the universe conceived by President Bush, and new groups of countries such as Poland, Spain and Italy have been emerging as the closed allies of the United States. Polish President, for example, has said, "Bush`s visions is mine." In the meanwhile, it is Spanish Prime Minister who talks to Bush over the phone most frequently.

On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld bluntly dismissed Germany and France as part of "old Europe" and as "problems" in handling the crisis over Iraq. Rumsfeld`s statement reflects the change. He added, "If you look at the entire NATO Europe today, the center of gravity is shifting to the east and there are a lot of new members." His statement is in substance a declaration that Germany and France are not important allies, reported the paper. In response, France has accused the United States severely. A French member of the European Parliament said, "[The way of thinking shown by US officials] is a silly dichotomy classifying people into only two categories: friends and enemies." A French national parliamentarian also said, "It is the arrogance of the United States, which is trying to dominate the world without any rules at all." French government`s spokesperson criticized on Thursday, "The old continent of history, culture and economic tradition has the wisdom. Friends should respect each other`s merits and virtues to reach a right conclusion."

The relationship between Germany and the United States has been soured since Germany`s Attorney General compared President Bush to Hitler last September. For that reason, Germany seems to "welcome" the simultaneous criticism by the United States both of Germany and France. The German weekly Der Spiegel reported, "So far, Germany alone has cast doubt on the US-led war on Iraq. The suppression by the United States insulted a great nation, and, in response, the Frenchmen have shown sharp reactions to the insult." Rumfeld`s statement has relieved the burden of Germany and France in their opposition to the war on Iraq, said Spiegel.

Eun-Taek Hong euntack@donga.com