John McCain a Danger for Europe

John McCain has been busy speaking with European leaders to assure them that he will look to rebuild the transatlantic relationships that have been severely damaged in the Bush era.  No more "Old Europe" scorn and sarcasm.  No, McCain has been positively effusive in his praise of our European partners.  Last month he had only glowing compliments for Germany in his interview in Der Spiegel:

McCain: "Germany does play a very influential role around the
world, and I value the relationship that we have shared for many, many
generations. I believe Germany will continue to play a very influential
and important role in the world."

Last week McCain visited London and Paris where he impressed his hosts with his commitment to action on climate change. He promised a new era of mulitlateralism, of commitment to the rule of law: he would shut down the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay and end the practice of torturing detainees at CIA "Black Sites" in Romania. He even praised NATO’s actions in Afghanistan; no bashing the Europeans for avoiding the combat theater in southern Afghanistan.  Sure, there was the minor irritation of the Iraq War – which may continue "for the next 100 years", and which has destabilized the Middle East for many years to come – but reasonable people can disagree about this.  All of this was music to European ears: McCain would be a welcome change.

But not everyone buys this image of a softer, gentler McCain who would nurture America’s relations with Europe.  Anatol Lieven, professor at Kings College in London, warned in the Financial Times, that Europe "should fear a McCain Presidency":

"Mr McCain’s promises,
during last week’s visit to London, to listen more to America’s
European allies, need to be taken with a giant pinch of salt. There is,
in fact, no evidence that he would be prepared to alter any important
US policy at Europe’s request.

Reflecting the neo-conservative
programme of spreading democracy by force, Mr McCain declared in 2000:
“I’d institute a policy that I call ‘rogue state rollback’. I would
arm, train, equip, both from without and from within, forces that would
eventually overthrow the governments and install free and
democratically elected governments.” Mr McCain advocates attacking Iran
if necessary in order to prevent it developing nuclear weapons, and
last year was filmed singing “Bomb, bomb Iran” to the tune of the Beach
Boys’ “Barbara Ann”."

Indeed, McCain’s hatred of Russia and his strong commitment to the eastward expansion of NATO poses a specific risk to Germany.  Yesterday, in a major speech on foreign policy, McCain once again brought up his favorite idea of a League of Democracies, from which he explicitly excludes Russia. In fact, McCain would expel Russia from the Group of 8.  Lieven is concerned that McCain’s approach could embroil Europe in a dangerous conflict with Russia:

"Mr McCain suffers from more than the usual degree of US establishment
hatred of Russia, coupled with a particular degree of sympathy for
Georgia and the restoration of Georgian rule over Abkhazia and South
Ossetia. He advocates the expulsion of Russia from the Group of Eight
leading industrialised nations and, like Mr Scheunemann, is a strong
supporter of early Nato membership for Georgia and Ukraine. Mr
Scheunemann has accused even Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state, of
“appeasement” of Russia. Nato expansion exemplifies the potential of a
McCain presidency. Apart from the threat of Russian reprisals, if the
Georgians thought that in a war they could rely on US support, they
might be tempted to start one. A McCain presidency would give them good
reason to have faith in US support."

What we have in John McCain is a neo-conservative in sheep’s clothing.  Obviously, Europe cannot influence the election in the US. But it should not welcome a McCain victory in November.

See also Der Spiegelfechter: The Manchurian Candidate