Bush's Historic Opportunity in Europe: The Middle East Connection

By Paul Findley

Hundreds of thousands of people bravely take to the streets of ancient capitals from Poland to Bulgaria, shouting for democracy and freedom. And instead of crushing the protestors, the communist rulers of these states themselves capitulate. Walls literally come tumbling down. Why now?

Personalities have a lot to do with historic change, and Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union's remarkable and charismatic leader, clearly encouraged the tide in Eastern Europe with his calls for openness and change at home. In admitting the failure of the Soviet system, he invited revolution within the Soviet empire and may have inadvertently inspired tumult even in China.

And an early, major catalyst for all of this may have been the Palestinian uprising in the Israelioccupied West Bank and Gaza. The Palestinian intifada began Dec. 9, 1987 and, despite the toll in human life—more than 600 Palestinians have been killed and tens of thousands injured by Israeli troops—the protest continues unabated.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, many of them children, have taken to the streets, shouting for freedom and democracy, throwing rocks, burning tires, establishing roadblocks, conducting boycotts demanding an end to Israel's military control over the lives and property of nearly two million people.

The Poles, Czechs, East Germans, Hungarians, Bulgarians and Soviets surely watched day by day with admiration and envy the relentless Palestinian movement for freedom. And perhaps these people, yearning like the Palestinians for democracy and control over their own destinies, said to themselves, "If the Palestinians are brave enough to take to the streets and demand democracy and freedom, why not us?"

One may argue over "Why now? " but the fact of revolutionary change is unchallenged.

And, suddenly, instead of rejoicing with East Germans liberated by the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, and other nationalities no longer confined by the Iron Curtain, some people worry about the consequences if the nations once restrained by the Warsaw Pact become integrated freely into a new Europe and the two Germanys become one.

Instead of wringing our hands, we should rejoice at having such challenges before us.

I have no crystal ball, but I see a tide of inevitable events. Palestinian statehood is inevitable. The only leaders who seem not to have grasped that certainty are Israel's Prime Minister Shamir and President Bush. The dernise of the Warsaw Pact is also inevitable.

We are witnessing greatness on the part of oppressed people in Europe, as well as in the Middle East.

So is the reunification of Germany. It will happen just as rapidly as the German people themselves wish it to happen. Efforts by foreign governments to prevent union will create problems, not solve them.

Another certainty: When union occurs, the new Germany will become the superpower of Europe, in all aspects—economic, monetary, political and military. It can no longer be expected to follow the political lead of France and England.

It is well to remember that NATO was originally created for two main purposes: It was to be an alliance against the Soviet Union, as well as an alliance against the Federal Republic of Germany. The sponsors of NATO, with the enthusiastic backing of most Germans, saw NATO as a system which would allay any external fears that the Federal Republic would raise again the specter of German nationalism.

In the future, NATO will be hard pressed to justify its existence as an alliance agains the Soviets. Can it continue its role as an alliance against the new Germany? That could be a troublesome challenge.

The reaction of the United States to all of this is critically important. While Europe is anything but happy with some of the foreign adventures of the United States, particularly its role in the Middle East, it must look to the United States for leadership in the superpower club, which will soon include the new Germany.

Will the United States stand aside and let events roll?

If we fail to take the initiative to create a new order in international affairs, the prospect of European peace and stability may be bleak and our own problems intensified.

A variety of factors will put new strains on the European Community. The emergence of a new Germany may weaken, if not destroy, the movement which is now transforming the community into a political union. And, in the new atmosphere, NATO itself may have difficulty surviving.

A Time to Seize the Initiative

President Bush, in my view, should seize the initiative. He should speak up for freedom and a grand new design for peaceful cooperation and integration. He should first clear the air by announcing American support of self-determination for the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. This would reassure Europeans, who strongly support Palestinian sovereignty, about the character of his leadership.

Then he should recommend that the European Community, scheduled to become a strong monetary and economic union in 1992, be transformed by stages into a trans-Atlantic community, in which all nations of Europe, including the new Germany, plus the United States and Canada, be brought together in a single great system. That transformation would quiet concerns, in Moscow and elsewhere, about resurgent German nationalism, retain many of the security systems now provided by NATO and open brilliant prospects for prosperity in an enormous new barrier-free market.

The transformation, of course, could not be accomplished overnight. Many Europeans will at first be nervous about welcoming the United States into their system Oust as small states in 1789 at first worried about living with big states in the American union). Discussion, debate, negotiation will be needed. But the setting of goals, the raising of a new standard, and the prospect of a peaceful new order in which democracies will be bound together for common needs will make the transition easy to bear.

We are witnessing greatness on the part of oppressed people in Europe, as well as in the Middle East, and we should respond in kind. Fate has placed George Bush in the presidency at a time which demands resolute action. Most of his advisers will likely recommend small, cautious steps. I hope he will rise to the occasion with vision and skill.

Paul Findley (RIL) was a member of the House of Representatives from 1961 to 1983, and served for 18 years on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He is the author of They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby, of which more than 100,000 copies have been sold. He is chairman of a newly organized advocacy organization: Council for the National Interest (CNI), P. 0. Box 53048, Washington, DC 20009; (202) 265-4530. Congressman Findley's book is available through the AET Book Club.