Did the Bush administration misjudge "Old Europe"?

The Associated Press

Lest anyone forget, Europe is fighting the terror war, too.

Featured Topic | Posted 37 weeks 6 days ago

Did the Bush administration misjudge "Old Europe"?

Donald Rumsfeld, the former U.S. Secretary of Defense, in 2003 famously referred to Germany and France as "Old" Europe. "You look at vast numbers of other countries in Europe," Rumsfeld said. "They're not with France and Germany on this, they're with the United States."

A few things have changed in five years. France and Germany have pro-U.S. leaders. Europe's economy is strengthening. And several Old European nations are fighting the good fight on the war on terror. Swedish and Norwegian authorities cracked down on terror financing on Thursday, arresting six people and seizing computer equipment from Internet cafes in coordinated raids in Stockholm and Oslo.

Was the Bush administration wrong about Old Europe? Have America's allies and interests changed? Does the U.S. have something to learn from the Continent?

Ben likes: Look to Sweden?

Henry Olsen/The American

Americans might be surprised to learn that “Old” Europe is actually ahead of us in tackling many of the most vexing domestic policy challenges. Without much fanfare, Sweden, Holland, and other countries known for their social-democratic welfare states have adopted innovative, market-based reforms on issues such as pensions, transportation, and education. What’s more, while U.S. politics remains paralyzed by partisanship, European parties on the left and the right have teamed up to implement free-market policy ideas that are criticized by the American left as extreme.

Joel likes: 5 Myths About "Sick Old Europe"

Steven Hill/Huffington Post

In the global economy, today's winners can become tomorrow's losers in a twinkling, and vice versa. Not so long ago, American pundits and economic analysts were snidely touting U.S. economic superiority to the "sick old man" of Europe. What a difference a few months can make. Today, with the stock market jittery over Iraq, the mortgage crisis, huge budget and trade deficits, and declining growth in productivity, investors are questioning the strength of the U.S. economy. Meanwhile, analysts point to the roaring economies of China and India as the only bright spots on the global horizon.

But what about Europe? You may be surprised to learn how our estranged transatlantic partner has been faring during these roller-coaster times -- and how successfully it has been knocking down the Europessimist myths about it.