Der 11. September 2001 und danach: Unilateralismus der Hegemonialmacht USA als Herausforderung auch für europäische Politik. Ein Plädoyer für europäischen Multilateralismus auf der Basis gemeinsamer Erfährungen, konvergierender Interessen und gleicher Werte

Abstract

Abstract

As a response to September, 11, the US-American Government under President George W. Bush pursues a policy of hegemonic unilateralism which signals a new and paradoxical attitude of political leadership in the post-cold-war-world. While the USA need the international support for her fight against the global terrorism, her insistence on an unilateral proceeding (without consultation of her NATO partners and with only little respect towards the UN-security council resolutions) in her effort to bring down the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq seems to be counter-productive. All the previous principles of concerted actions of Western countries against the „enemies of liberty“ and international terrorism seem to be devaluated by this new attitude of arrogance of the only super-power. Therefore it is prudent when European countries, and especially the German Schroeder-Fischer-government, continue with the policy of cooperative multilateralism and try to find a diplomatic solution of the Iraq-question. A high-tech-war of the USA against Iraq would not be justified by international law; it would intensify Anti-americanism in the Muslim world and wouldalso cause a lot of negative economic and political consequences for all European countries. The long-term effect of the Near-East-policy of the Bush-administration, its fatal support of the Scharon-government in Israel included, may result in some kind of „clash of civilisations“, what all Western countries up to now wanted to prevent.