Even as I've castigated Europe--and France in particular--for failing to stand fully with us in defense of the West against barbarian jihadis, I've on occasion tempered by disgust with disclaimers that I don't assume all Europeans--or even all French--think that way. I've always held that we must not abandon Europe and rely solely on ourselves as Victor Hanson seems to advocate. We must fight for their soul and their allegiance. Europeans are part of the West even if they seem rather wayward for the moment. We belong side-by-side on the ramparts defending our broadly shared beliefs despite specific differences.
Well,
the French could be coming around:
French foreign policy--which has become noticeably less anti-American since the Iraq war and tougher toward Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons--suggests that France may already be recovering from its déclinisme. A more pro-American France--a surreal idea for many foreign-affairs practitioners in Washington--may not be that far off.
Never give in to defeatism regardless of the front. And if true, it will really outrage the more nuanced among us!
If we can make it in Paris, we can make it anywhere.
