Devil's Advocate?

TDR reader and (more to the point) author Chris Fox was gracious enough to send me a copy of his latest novel, The Devil's Halo.

Chris has read my various posts on the potential for an EU that becomes hostile to America and so thought I'd be interested. When I read his book I'll write up my reaction, but it is already intriguing at first glance.

I've long gone back and forth between optimism that enough European states can be our friends if we fight for their friendship rather than turn our backs in frustration and an opposite pessimism that the entity "Europe" can never be our friend. Having noted that it has been our policy for a century to resist any hostile power taking control of Europe's industrial, scientific, and human power, it seemed logical that a hostile EU would become a potential enemy.

I remember immediately after the Cold War telling my American History 101 students in a community college that the split between the Colonies and Britain after the French and Indian War (Seven Years War) was natural given that the Colonists no longer felt a threat from the French and Indians and resented paying for defense by Britain in absence of any threat. I also predicted that Europe would pull away from us one day since the Soviet threat was gone and the Europeans would no longer feel it necessary to pay for a common defense.

Given the threats from Europe we have faced--Spain in 1898, Germany in 1917-1918 and 1941-1945, and the Soviet Union in the Cold War--it is unfortunately not far-fetched that another threat to us could arise. And given our clear policy of fighting any threat that seeks to control the continent, a new conflict with Europe one day is not out of the question. Chris Fox outlines one fictional future of conflict.

I hope The Devil's Halo is just a good read and doesn't push me into pessimism over the future of Europe-American relations.