Der 11. September 2001 und danach: Unilateralismus der Hegemonialmacht USA als Herausforderung auch fur europaische Politik. Ein Pladoyer fur europaischen Multilateralismus auf der Basis gemeinsamer Erfahrungen, konvergierender Interessen und gleicher Werte

In: Peripherie: Politik, Ökonomie, Kultur, Volume 22, Issue 88, p. 433-462

Abstract

As a response to September 11 (2001), the US government under President George W. Bush has pursued a policy of hegemonic unilateralism, which signals a new & paradoxical attitude of political leadership in the post-Cold War world. While the US needs the international support for its fight against global terrorism, its insistence on a unilateral proceeding (without consultation of its NATO partners & with only little respect toward the UN Security Council resolutions) in its effort to bring down the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq seems to be counterproductive. All the previous principles of concerted actions of Western countries against the "enemies of liberty" & international terrorism seem to be devaluated by this new attitude of arrogance of the only superpower. Therefore, it is prudent when European countries, & especially the German Schroeder-Fischer government, continue with the policy of cooperative multilateralism & try to find a diplomatic solution to the Iraq question. A high-tech war of the US against Iraq would not be justified by international law; it would intensify anti-Americanism in the Muslim world & would also cause a lot of negative economic & political consequences for all European countries. The long-term effect of the Near East policy of the Bush administration, its fatal support of the Sharon government in Israel included, may result in some kind of "clash of civilizations," which all Western countries up to now wanted to prevent. 42 References. Adapted from the source document.