by Eldad Beck
Even if it adheres to the nuclear deal, Iran is still pushing ahead with its plan to destabilize the Middle East. Yet many Europeans view Trump as the problem, which attests to their inability to face reality.
This
week's front page of Der Spiegel aptly illustrates the overriding mood
in the offices of French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor
Angela Merkel and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini: Underneath
the headline asking "Who will save the West?" U.S. President Donald
Trump is depicted as a menacing fireball facing a seemingly
panic-stricken Merkel and a smiling, winking Macron holding a fire
extinguisher with an EU sticker on it.
Trump is hosting the two leaders in
Washington this week. Macron was able to identify in time the need to
caress and embrace Trump, and he greeted the American president with a
king's welcome when he visited Paris last summer – while other Western
leaders treated him with contempt and revulsion. Macron, in turn, was
welcomed by the American president warmly, as a friend.
Merkel was unable to overcome her aversion
to Trump and forge a close relationship with him. It will be very
interesting to see how Trump greets the German chancellor for a "work
meeting" this weekend. Merkel would be wise not to get Trump "heated"
and galvanize him to do the opposite of what she wants. Macron and
Merkel's goal in Washington is to get "Hurricane Trump" under control,
particularly as it pertains to the future of the nuclear deal with Iran.
Yes, the American president's unpredictable
behavior does cause a fair degree of anxiety, especially among those
who grew accustomed to the affable yet destructive foreign policies of
his predecessor, Barack Obama. However, it's been over a year since
Trump entered office and the leaders of Europe should have adopted a
wiser approach to their new American ally by now: He hasn't triggered
any wars.
Even his recognition of Jerusalem as
Israel's capital and moving the U.S. Embassy there didn't spark the
violence and bloodshed that the European powers warned against. Quite
the opposite: His unconventional, frenetic management of American
foreign policy has substantially moved things forward that seemed stuck
and intractable.
Such as the nuclear deal with Iran: The EU
and European powers fully endorsed Iran's demand not to change the
nuclear deal at all; but Trump's threats to reimpose sanctions, which
would almost certainly "kill" the accord, prodded the Europeans to agree
to a "complementary addendum" to partially iron out its most
problematic wrinkles.
European and American representatives have
met five times to discuss the matter. These meetings have produced a
memorandum of understandings about the "core faults" of the nuclear
deal: What happens after its 10-year expiration date? How can oversight
of Iran's nuclear facilities be enhanced? What are the deadlines for
punishing Iran if it continues developing ballistic missiles and
pursuing its aggressive policies beyond its own borders across the
Middle East?
In their meetings, Macron and Merkel will
ask Trump to finalize this addendum to preserve the nuclear deal. The
Europeans are now willing to admit the deal has significant holes. This
is in large part due to the immense pressure applied by Trump via
threats, tweets and special envoys. Even if Trump looks like the "bad
guy" breaking the rules of the game, this approach will almost certainly
lead to an improved nuclear deal.
The "bad guy" in this story continues to be
Iran. Even if it completely adheres to implementing the nuclear deal,
the Islamic republic is still pushing ahead with its plans to
destabilize the Middle East and grow as a leading military power in the
region. The menacing fireball is Tehran, not Trump. The fact that many
Europeans struggle to recognize this attests to their inability or lack
of desire to face reality.
Eldad Beck
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/good-morning-europe/
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Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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