Foreign-policy wisdom and folly

摘要

Here are three pieces of conventional wisdom that trigger head-nodding and murmured assent wherever Brussels grandees gather. The first is that, as economic and political clout flows away from the West, Europe can be a driving force only if it learns to speak with one voice and to defend common European interests. As the European Union's new foreign-policy chief, Baroness Ashton, told members of the European Parliament, "if we pull together, we can safeguard our interests. If not, others will make decisions for us."