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DISASTER
(Continued from page 6)
the United States and its main
Free World allies, Japan and the
countries of the European Com–
mon Market. Under intense pres–
sure from Washington, the Com–
mon Market countries bad
agreed to step up economic sanc–
tions against Iran, with an eye to
a full embargo by May 17, unless
'the hostages were released. Tbey
insist, however, that they under–
took this policy in order to fore–
stall U.S. milita ry action.
lf
the U .S. raid had been suc–
cessful-Washington had not
told its allies anything about it
beforehand-the Europeans and
Japanese would nevertheless have
cheered. Now, however, the ef–
fectiveness of their economic sup–
port is cloudier than ever. They
stand to · lose, in oil and other
trade, far more from an Iranian
embargo than the United States
does.
Loas of Faith in Amerlca
America's uncertainties, hesita–
tions and now military setback in
lran as well as indecisiveness over
the Soviet move into Afghanis–
tan, are producing the greatest
strains in the 31-year history of
the NATO alliance.
During the 1950s and '60s, no
one doubted American power.
The United States was a nation
with a clearly perceived foreign
policy, backed up witb all the
resources necessary to carry it
out--diplomatic, military and in–
telligence gathering.
Now more than ever, Wash–
ington's diplomacy is befuddled,
its intelligence agency is crippled
and its military competence–
dramatized by the collapse of
Vietnam and the dismal failure in
Jran- highly suspect.
"The fiasco in lran," notes
foreign affairs expert William
Pfaff, "has simply illuminated in
a dreadful instant- a flash of
lightning-how grave [Ameri–
ca's] condition has become...."
The effect is profoundly disturb-
June/July 1980
ing, said Mr. Pfaff, "to a world
which relies much more tban it
wants to admit on the United
States." America's allies, he ad–
ded, "fe.el betrayed, not by Amer–
ican secrecy, but by American
foolishness and incompetence."
This feeling of distrust and
betrayal is not new.
It
has been
steadily building for sorne time.
Arthur Schlesinger Jr., aide to
the late President John F. Kenne–
dy, recently returned from a 20-
day trip around the world. He
returned with an " impression so
strong," he summarized it in the
March-13,
Wal/ Street Journal
as
"a consistent. deep, dispiriting and
a lmost unqualified lack of belief in
American foreign policy."
European leaders especially,
he said, "do not trust a leadership
that swings wildly from credulity
to hysteria." Furthermore, Mr.
Schlesinger said, the leaders of
West Germany, France and else–
where on the Continent "have no
illusion about the Soviet Union,
but they have no faith in Mr.
Carter's steadfastness or pur–
pose."
In the wake of the world crisis
over Afghanistan, Mr. Carter
declared, January 23, the Persian
Gulf to be of vital interest to the
United States and off limits to
Moscow. Yet, only six days later,
Mr. Carter admitted U.S. impo–
tence, stating that, at the mo–
ment at least, the U.S. didn't
have "enough military strength"
to defend the Gulf by itself. But
no a llies were consulted before–
hand tbat their help might be
needed.
Since this time U.S. diplomats
have scurried about, seeking
friends in the Gulf and elsewhere
in the region to patch together
sorne sort of defensive arrange–
ment to add sinews to the so–
called "Carter Doctrine" skele–
ton. Little has come of it.
"We are going around the
l ndian Ocean with a begging
bowl," reported columnist Irving
Kristol, "humbly asking for per–
mission to establish naval and ai r
bases in the area. How pathetic."
Read in your Bible-Ezekiel
16:33-for a very unflattering
description of America's foreign
policy!
Fra nce and the EEC Move In
Little wonder that America's
European allies are showing
much more willingness to make
their own policies independent of
Washington's lead. This is espe–
cially true of France.
On March 1, French President
Val~y
Giscard d'Estaing set out
on a whirlwind tour of five Gulf
states (Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar,
Abu Dbabi, Saudi Arabia) plus
Jordan. ThoJ:lgh it had been
planned beforehand, President
Giscard's trip could not have
been better timed.
Mr. Carter had just been
embarrassed over renouncing an
American vote in the United
Nations concerning Israelí settle–
ments in tbe occupied territories.
The French president, reported
The Daily Te/egraph
of London ,
"believes the t ime is ripe for a
strong French push, to catch on
the rebound sheiks and emirs
whose trust in Washington has
been underinined."
President Giscard, in his very
first stop in Kuwait, signed a
joint communiqué witb the Ku–
waiti emir, calling for Palestinia n
right of self-determination- in
effect, backing a Palestine Liber–
ation Organization (PLO) state
in the West Bank. The U.S.–
engineered Camp David accord
between Israel and Egypt is-in
the eyes of many Europeans–
doomed to failure.
Bonn in the Mlddle
The French-led Common Market
Mideast drive follows on the
heels of widespread mistrust in
Europe over U.S. demands for
strong action against the Soviets
in the wake of Afghanistan. The
Frencb for their part, have not
attempted to hide their dispute
with Washington over this crisis.
West Germany, however, is
the nation that is caught in the
most exposed position of all.
Bonn is being torn between
Washington a nd París. Chancel-
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