Basic HTML Version
~emUnity
(Continued from page 3)
protect them are in danger of being
"frozen" into disuse because of the
mushrooming nuclear freeze move–
ment in the United States. Particu–
larly alarming to Europeans is the
virtual pro-freeze position taken by
America's liberal Roman Catholic
bishops. West German and French
bishops, interestingly enough, have
publicly stated their opposition to
the thrust of the position taken by
their counterparts in America.
Centr al American Turmoll
Western Europeans are worried,
too, that the United States is
becoming mired in a "new Viet–
nam" in Central America. Mr.
Reagan confirmed their fears dur–
ing the summit when he removed
two key officials from bis Cent ral
American policy structure, replac–
ing them with individuals consid–
ered to be more hard line.
According to Mr. Moodie, Cen–
tral America, along with perhaps
the nuclear freeze question, prom–
ises to be the most critica! foreign
policy issue of the 1984 U .S. presi–
dential campaign. "Over the next
18 months," he said, "Central
America has the potential to rip us
apart again ."
Logically, said fellow CS IS
member William Perry, the United
States should seriously consider
42
sending its own troops in. It would
take probably no more than 25,000
to do the job, to eliminate the small
number of guerrillas in El Salva–
dor. However, in the wake of Viet–
nam, U.S. public opinion simply
will not permit such action at this
time. "The real battleground is this
country," Dr. Perry said.
There is a definite domino effect
possible in Central America, noted
Dr. Perry, but it doesn't necessarily
include Mexico. Mexico would cer–
tainly become more vulnerable
should every country below it suc–
cumb to Marxist revolution. But he
felt that "to go after Mexico," as he
put it, would require a deliberate
and unlikely decision on the part of
Moscow and Havana.
"Feet Peop le" Comlng North
One wonders whether North
Americans have any inkling of the
likely consequences of political tur–
moil in the unstable region imme–
diately to their south.
The fall of South Vietnam led to
a few hundred thousand boat
people coming to America's shores.
Since trouble has erupted in Cen–
tral America about a million "feet
people" have traveled north from
Nicaragua and El Salvador. Al–
ready one tenth of El Salvador 's
population- roughly 500,000-is
in tbe United States.
Millions upon millions more feet
people are destined for the refugee
trail- tens of millions if Mexico
were involved- if U .S. policy in
the region collapses. The strains
upon U .S. society would be se–
vere.
The Eu ropean Tle-in
The controve rsy over Cen tral
America, Mr. Moodie add ed,
"feeds into European relations"–
and from two opposite angles.
Many younger generation Euro–
peans, feeling more sympathy for
leftist causes, believe that the U .S.
approach to the spreading crisis in
Central America is dead wrong.
This adds to the impression the
majority of young Europeans have
about America; namely, that the
United States represents a greater
threat to world peace th.an does the
Soviet Union.
Conservative Europeans, on the
other hand, wonder whether the
United States any longer has the
wil/
to stand up to a threat from
Moscow, this time right in Ameri–
ca's "front yard." If America can't
defend its own interests close to
home, reason these Europeans, how
can the United States be depended
upon to continue to defend West–
ern Europe thousands of miles
across the Atlantic?
Mr. Moodie recounted a confer–
ence in Washington, D.C. , dealing
with the future of the Atlantic
Alliance, at which sorne European
delegates argued very strongly for
The PLAIN TRUTH