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advance
news
in the wake of today's WORLD EVENTS
•
Coming - A European Nuclear Force
A single centralized government for Europe's Com–
mon Market? A European nuclear military force? A
European peace-keeping force for the Middle East, in–
cluding elements of the West German army?
Such "calls to action" are resounding through Eu–
ropean capitals these days, stimulated by the remark–
able events of the past three months.
Europeans stood by helplessly as the two super–
powers, the United States and the Soviet Union,
brought the world to the brink of a nuclear war during
the fourth Mideast war - right on Europe's doorstep.
Particularly alarming to Europeans were two factors:
(1) The United States did not, for whatever reason,
inform its European allies of its worldwide nuclear alert
call-up until hours after it went into effect, and (2) the
Soviet Union, according to top intelligence reports, ac–
tually shipped
20
nuclear-tipped "Scud" missiles into
Egypt during the war. The weapons, which put any
Israelí city within range, are still believed to be in
Egypt, though undoubtedly under strict Soviet control.
French Foreign Minister Michel Jobert accused
both Washington and Moscow of "brutally brushing
aside Europe" during the crisis and treating it "like a
non-person."
West German Chancellor Willy Brandt went one
major step further in his November
13
speech before
the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The Middle
East crisis, Brandt said, had clearly shown up the weak–
ness of the European nations to act on their own. Only
the creation of a single
Common Market government,
not sorne undefined "European Union," would do the
trick. Member nations, asserted Brandt, must relinquish
individual sovereignty to such a government in the key
areas of "foreign policy and, with compelling logic one
da
y,
security questions."
Eight days later, as if to pick up Brandt's call for a
Europe of real substance and authority, members of
parliament from seven Western European nations, in
París for a session of the Western European Union,
urged their governments to take the first steps toward
the creation of a European nuclear force. Such a force,
they said, has now become necessary in view of the
14
growing Russian power and diminishing American nu–
clear superiority.
The parliamentarians called for the setting up of a
Western European nuclear committee. Such a move
would hopefully initiate action toward pooling British
and French nuclear weapons in a new concept of de–
fense within the Atlantic alliance. Addressing the WEU
members, France's Jobert, while stressing bis nation's
continuing allegiance to the Atlantic alliance, never–
theless emphasized the "need for Europe to ensure the
responsibility for a defense which becomes daily more
specific."
The concepts of a centralized, authoritative Euro–
pean Community government together with the mili–
tary force necessary for Europe's own defense are
virtually inseparable.
"I
cannot imagine," said Chancel–
lor Brandt in July, "that one could create a European
nuclear force without having a European government to
control it" ("Advance News," November
1973).
Europe cannot forever act as a mere spectator in
the Middle East or in any other area vital to its own
survival. In a recent meeting of the West German cabi–
net regarding the Middle East crisis, Foreign Minister
Walter Scheel put forth the suggestion that a "Euro–
pean peace-keeping force" that would include the Bun–
deswehr (West German army) might eventually be
needed to police the Arab- lsraeli border areas. Bonn, he
asserted, should be prepared to set aside troops for such
a "European desert corps."
Chancellor Brandt, according to reports of the cab–
inet session appearing in the German news weekly
der
Spiegel,
quickly put an end to the discussion. Obviously,
even a "neutral" European peace-keeping force in–
cluding West German soldiers could have extremely
sensitive political overtones. Nevertheless, both the
public speeches and prívate thoughts of Europe's top
leaders reflect the Continent's growing concern over its
future role in world affairs.
Por the past three decades the editors of
The
PLAlN
TRUTH
magazine have forecast the eventual deep
in–
volvement of Western Europe in the tumultuous
Middle East. The groundwork for such involvement has
now been laid.
- Gene H. Hogberg
PLAIN TRUTH
January
1974