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America Attacked
Europe's Reaction
With T.R. Reid
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, Oct. 5, 2001; Noon EDT
Tuesday morning, Sept. 11, in a horrific series of events two hijacked planes hit and destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center, one plane crashed into the Pentagon and another in Somerset County, Pa. The FBI and authorities across the country continue to track down those responsible for the crimes as the Bush administration attempts to rally the nations of the world against terrorism.
T.R. Reid, The Washington Post's London correspondent, was online to talk about reaction in Europe to the attacks on America and the global fight against terrorism.
Based in London, Reid covers the United Kingdom, Ireland and Scandinavia. A Post writer for nearly 20 years, he covered politics for the national desk before becoming heading abroad to cover Japan.
The transcript follows.
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Washington, D.C.:
Having read many British and European newspapers since Sept. 11, it seems to me that we have ignored or underestimated the anti-Americanism of our "allies" across the Atlantic. The vehemence with which many have made the assertion that the United States itself is to blame for the attacks has startled me. Do you think that Americans have not fully understood how anti-American Europeans have become?
T.R. Reid: Greetings, everybody, from London, where the rain has stopped, at least momentarily.
I think it is important for Americans to understand that there is actual hatred of our country in parts of the world. It's hard for us to understand this -- I sure don't -- but it is real. It motivates people to launch suicide missions and kill thousands of Americans. It may be too soon for the U.S. media to report on this -- the stories would stir anger rather than understanding -- but at some point we have to address the reasons for it.
I think there is less of this feeling in Europe. But you're right, there is anti-Americanism in Europe. Partly its due to resentment of our wealth, a cultural hegemony, our power. But there are also fair-minded people here who tell me over and over that US foreign policy has inflicted pain all over the planet.
Bethesda, Md.:
It looks from here like there are deep divisions in Britain, at least among the chattering classes, about the current situation. I realize that politics in Britain is a game played with sharp rhetorical instruments, but do you think there will be permanent consequences in British politics?
T.R. Reid: I'm going to answer this question and the next one together, so pls. jump to the next answer.
Washington, D.C.:
I've been really distressed to see British newspapers, especially The Guardian, opining that the United States "had it coming" regarding the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Do you think many British people support this interpretation of events, or is it only an extreme fringe on the political Left? If many do support this interpretation, should the United States reassess its "special relationship" with the U.K.?
T.R. Reid: Distressed? I find myself shouting and kicking the furniture almost every day when I open the Guardian. There is a strong sense in that paper (and in a couple of other liberal papers) that the U.S. got what it deserved. George Galloway, a member of the British Parliament, wrote that the U.S. "finally got a dose of its own medicine." This made me so mad I blasted this MP on national television here.
HOwever, it's important to remember that these voices reflect a tiny sliver of British public opinion. Most British people have been totally supportive of the U.S. through this travail. Tony Blair offered a message to the U.S. Tuesday: "We were with you at the beginning. We will stay with you to the end." And the whole room full of Labor Party members cheered like made.
Washington, D.C.:
Words are inadequate to express the gratitude and admiration I have for Prime Minister Blair's speeches, actions, etc. on behalf of America. What a loyal friend! (And I've read he's not crazy about President Bush) While I've always admired him, now I LOVE the guy. Tell the Brits, if they don't want him as "President," many of us here do. Thanks for your even greater coverage in the past month. Is there a Web site I can send my thanks to Mr. Blair?
T.R. Reid: Thanks for reading my coverage. I, too, feel gratitude toward Blair. He's been eloquent and forthright from Day One.
There's a website for the PM's office, www.number-10.gov.uk, where you can send a message.
Washington, D.C.:
Was is better for Blair to be the first one to release detailed evidence linking Bin Laden to the terrorist attacks? Do you think this was a planned cooperative effort with U.S. and Britain?
T.R. Reid: Twice this week Blair has been out ahead of George W. Bush. Tuesday he made it clear that the Taliban is a target. Thursday he laid out the case for the prosecution.
From what I can garner from Brit. and American diplomats, this is a coordinated approach agreed to by Washington. Blair wants to help, he wants to play a leading role, and Washington thinks for certain tasks it is smarter for London to go first. This conveys the point that the war on Bin Laden is not a one-nation operation.
New York:
How is NATO holding up? Do you think the strong rhetoric we have been hearing will erode?
T.R. Reid: NATO's support for the U.S. looks strong so far. That vote to invoke Clause 5, the one that says "an attack on one is an attack on all," did not get as much attention in the U.S. as it should have. This is the first time NATO ever used that clause.
Yesterday NATO agreed that the case against Bin Laden appears to be proven, which essentially means NATO will support us in a war against Al Qaeda.
I think a lot of this is due to George Robertson, a former British Defense (they would say, "Defence") Minister who is now the secretary-general of NATO. I knew him when he was in the Parliament here, and found him a smart, impressive, and decisive politician. He has been behind the U.S., and I think he has a lot of influence over the other NATO members. I would bet that Robertson will be able to keep NATO unified for a while, at least, and the rhetoric won't cool for months, if ever.
Washington, D.C.:
I understand that there is a lot of anti-American sentiment, but don't these people realize, attacking Americans causes US foreign policy to become more and more interventionist?
T.R. Reid: I would say these critics are not as logical about things as your question assumes. They complain at the same time, in the same sentence, that the U.S. is isolationist and that the U.S. is interventionist.
If you want to get a feel for the level of argument from the fringe left here, here's what the columnist John Pilger said in Thursday's Guardian:
"The blinkered [Americans] think the lives of millions of people extinguished as a result of American policies, be they Iraqis or Palestinians, Timorese or Congolese, belong not in our living memory."
I like the way he blames our country for the deaths in East Timor and the so-called Democratic Republic of the Congo. He doesn't want to put the blame on European colonial rulers, so of course the U.S. must be guilty. I know Indonesia pretty well, and I don't remember a time when the U.S. was killing people in East Timor.
Arlington, Va.:
The English have, as always been wonderful, but historically the French response to American crises has been more, shall we say, complicated. What has the reaction been from both the French government and people?
T.R. Reid: So far, the French are supportive. I don't know how long this will last. And of course the French won't do anything with NATO.
The fear that Bin Laden's people may have targeted a building in Paris (it was the U.S. Embassy, but it's in Paris) may influence the French to support some kind of action.
Alexandria, Va.:
It seems to me that the Europeans who hate Israel the most also hate America the most. In Europe, are anti-Americanism and hostility towards Israel correlated? The Guardian is the most anti-Israel and anti-American paper in the English speaking world.
T.R. Reid: Certainly in the Mid-East, our support of Israel is a key reason for hating America. I don't get the sense that's true in Europe. Europeans who are anti-American have a long list of US policies they don't like -- Kyoto, Iraq, the death penalty, etc. Israel may be a problem for some Europeans, but I don't think that's the big issue for them.
Italy:
I just returned from a trip around Italy, and people there seem very supportive of the US. There are American flags hung in many shop windows, and many people will test their english to say how sorry they are about New York City.
T.R. Reid: Yes, that has been true all over Europe. It's key to remember, no matter how shrill the anti-Americans are, they represent a marginal fringe of European opinion.
People I've met all over Europe in the past four years have written and called me just to say how sorry they feel about what happened to our country. The biggest paper in Britain, the Sun, printed an American flag across its center pages and said, "tape this in your window." And it was everywhere.
Maryland:
What are your general feelings on how the UK has responded in the aftermath of Sept. 11? Anything surprise you? Is there anything you think Americans need to be aware of that we are not?
T.R. Reid: As I just wrote, the response from most Brits has been generous, warm, and touching. I was surprised to see it. The British like America, but they also enjoy making fun of us. Now, though, they are tremendously supportive. It may be that it took a crisis for them to remember all the reasons they admire our country.
I think Americans should be aware of the undercurrent of feeling that the U.S.is an arrogant, dominating superpower. I was just on TV here with John Snow, the Brokaw of Britain. He lived in the U.S. and knows it well. He said, "I love America and the Americans when I'm in their country, but I often hate what America is doing around the world."
I don't think this line of thinking has gotten over to Americans, and we should know about it. Keep reading the WashPost. We are going to examine the critics of America around the world and tell our readers what they are saying.
Arlington, Va.:
How has Britain and the rest of Europe taken the close relationship America seems to be forming with Russia?
T.R. Reid: There's sort of a competition going on as to which country can be Russia's best friend in the West. Tony Blair has been working hard at a personal relationship with Putin; they met in Moscow yesterday. So the Brits won't have any problem with a Washington-Moscow rapprochement, since they're doing the same thing.
I think the rest of Europe will welcome a good U.S.-Russia relationship. It tends to bury the cold war even deeper.
Alexandria, Va.:
How did Europeans react to the sight of Moslems in Palestinian areas and in Pakistan cheering the suicide attackers?
T.R. Reid: Those pictures of people dancing in the streets on Sept. 11 were shocking here, as in the U.S.
Frankly, I'm not sure I trust what we saw in those pictures. Nobody could dance with joy over 6,000 murders. I think either the people cheering didn't know what had actually happened yet, or those we saw in the photo were a small group.
*********
Thanks, everyone, for the excellent conversation. I have to file for tomorrow's Post, so I will sign off here. As the wonderful Terry Thomas said in "Mad Mad World": "Really, old chap, I simply must be saying ta-ta."
--trr
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