Emmanuel Macron, the French President, recently urged Europeans to regain their “desire for risk, ambition and power.” It would be interesting to ask passersby in London, Berlin, or Paris who made this call. Many would likely attribute it to Vladimir Putin, but in reality, it was Macron who spoke these words at a high-tech entrepreneurs’ forum in Lisbon on February 28.
Macron’s words took on a peculiar tone, especially given the current context, as he called on Europe to be “proud of what it is” and to preserve its “civilization process.” This language may be surprising, as the Western media often portray Putin as a ruthless aggressor, seeking to restore the Soviet Empire and disregarding international rules.
In contrast, European leaders are often depicted as modest in their pursuit of stability and peace, focusing on supporting the weak and the victims and trying to soothe the aggressive tendencies of the Kremlin, while creating a world based on just and fair rules.
Unfortunately, this peaceful description does not accurately reflect reality, regardless of whether one looks to the distant or more recent past. To avoid delving too far into the past, it is worth noting that the 19th century began with Napoleon’s numerous conquests, which were not exactly an example of humanity and self-restraint. The same century was also marked by colonial conquests – a prime example of the disregard for human rights, as people were subjugated and divided, with Great Britain and France as the main protagonists.
Are these events far enough in the past to be considered outdated? In fact, the colonial era persisted until the 1950s and 1960s. Algeria, for instance, only gained its independence in 1962 after a war fought by the French authorities, which, as is well known, was also marked by great humanity.
Perhaps it is also worth remembering the European expeditionary corps that were sent until the early 1920s to attempt to strangle the young Soviet Union in its cradle.
Old history? Then it is worth taking a look at the decades following World War II, a time when Uncle Sam rose to the status of leader of the self-proclaimed “free world” – a term that has recently made a comeback. Between 1945 and 1990, the United States and its European allies fought or supported dozens of wars and aggressions, openly or covertly.
Some of the most notable include the Korean War (1950-1953) and the Vietnam War (1964-1975, following a French war). Due to the number of casualties – millions – and the extent of the destruction, these conflicts remain uncontestable markers of the “civilized” West.
It is also worth mentioning the planning of the coup against the Iranian government of Mohammad Mossadegh (1953), the coup against the Guatemalan premier the following year, the bombing of Indonesia (1958) and the subsequent suppression (with millions of victims) of the democracy movement in that country (1965); the contribution to the coup that overthrew the Brazilian democracy and established a dictatorship (1964); the intervention in Panama in the same year, as well as in the Congo crisis; the occupation of the Dominican Republic (1965); the expansion of the war to Cambodia (1970); the active support of the Chilean coup general Augusto Pinochet (1973) and then the Argentine junta (1976); the arming and backing of the Afghan mujahideen (from 1979); the direct help for the Salvadoran “death squads” (1980-1990); the help for the Nicaraguan “Contras” (1981-1988); the invasion of Grenada (1983); the bombing of Libya (1986); the (already) invasion of Panama (1989); and the direct interference in the Philippines the same year. The list is by no means complete.
This list will only grow longer and more extensive after the collapse of the Soviet Union (1991). In this year, the United States and its European allies launched the first Gulf War. They also intervened in Somalia (1992). And they multiplied the bombings of Iraq in this decade. Moreover, they bombed and destroyed a large pharmaceutical factory in Sudan (1998).
The 1990s were also the years of the Yugoslav wars: in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1992-1995) and then in Serbia (1999). NATO took the lead, with the United States in a military leadership role, but with Berlin taking the political initiative. The goal was to break up the federal and neutral Yugoslavia, to fragment the Balkans into smaller states that could be better controlled.
The 2000s are likely to be in fresher memory. In particular, the invasion of Iraq in 2003, preceded by a blockade that led to the death of hundreds of thousands of people (including between 500,000 and one million children) and was defended by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as “difficult, but worth it.” At the time, London, Madrid and Lisbon, as well as most Eastern European countries, participated in the war under George W. Bush. Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib (where torture was practiced on an industrial scale) will remain as perfect symbols of the Western engagement for human rights in memory.
Must it also be remembered that these heroic deeds were largely carried out in disregard of international law?