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Volume CXXXII, Number 19 |
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Munching on arrogance fries
JAMES BAUMBERGER
COLUMNIST
Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives restaurants changed the name of their French fries to "Freedom fries." The name switch, an effort to admonish France for its vocal opposition to the Iraq war, was unveiled in a ceremony organized by two Republican congressmen.
Let us, for the purposes of this article, set aside the fact that French fries actually originated in Belgium.
This action is shocking if for no other reason than the idea of congressmen who make $154,700 a year are spending their time tinkering with menu items.
In a similar move, it was recently reported that the breakfast menu onboard Air Force One included "Stuffed Freedom Toast."
There is precedent for this type of action. Well, sort of.
In defiance of the Germans during World War I, frankfurters and sauerkraut became hot dogs and liberty cabbage. But if the parallels between France 2003 and Germany 1917 are abundantly clear to you, than you are probably not thinking too clearly.
The French-bashing has gone well beyond the realm of good natured ribbing. Several congressmen are calling for the United States to boycott the Paris Air Show. French-owned companies are now facing resistance in pursuing American government contracts. Many Americans are even boycotting French products.
This is nothing more than arrogant pettiness.
My purpose is not to defend the French position on Iraq. I understand that the French position is just as much based on politics and economics as it is on principle. Nevertheless, we can't seriously hold this against them. Don't think for a moment that we're not at least partly guilty of the same.
But this schoolyard diplomacy of name-calling, name-changing, and spite is indicative of a larger, more troubling, attitude of American arrogance.
This mindset is propagated by none other than our current administration. President Bush's philosophy of "You're either with us or against us" not only ignores the nuance and complexity of international relations, but smacks of American superiority and egotism. Somehow we think that every nation should blindly submit to our demands.
It is time for us to stop pretending that as long as we are the most powerful nation the world our allies will always be behind us.
Anti-American sentiment in Europe is at an all-time high as a direct result of the arrogant rhetoric and policies of the Bush administration. We have seen a post-9/11 solidarity evaporate into a disdain for America and its objectives. This attitude is beginning to have a tangible affect on U.S. foreign policy.
Public opinion in France, Germany, Russia, and to some extent even in Britain is becoming increasingly more anti-American. It is no surprise we failed to pass a second resolution on Iraq in the U.N. Security Council.
After all, diplomacy is not just dealing with leaders. It is dealing with leaders who are chosen by and responsible to an electorate. If the European electorate sours on America, so will its leaders.
There is no better example of public opinion influencing policy towards the US than Germany's staunch resistance to military action in Iraq. Last fall, Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder won reelection in large part due to his opposition to the proposed US war. His position played right into the public's growing anti-Americanism.
Our tendency is to shrug off these foreign attitudes and say the Europeans are just jealous of the American way of life. But in reality it's a little more complex. It has to do with how we act and how we speak. It has to do with showing a little respect for ideas other than our own.
And if we can't do for the sake of being respectful, we should at least do it to avoid further alienation.
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