Does Europe — Subconsciously — Expect America to Save It Again?

Does Europe — Subconsciously — Expect America to Save It Again?

On the cruise I’ve been taking to six Baltic states, it suddenly struck me that Europe -- though perhaps only subconsciously -- expects America to save it once again in the end. 

That would explain, in part, the fecklessness with which many of the countries -- Sweden as a notable example, but almost all with the exception of the Eastern European states -- treat the Islamic terror threat across their continent, this even after numerous attacks on their soil. 

This is a threat that has already metastasized into a full invasion, a stealth jihad, as Robert Spencer would have it, with the nature of Old Europe changing beyond recognition. 

Indeed, it already has already gone a long way in that direction in many cities. But few seem to be doing anything about it. 

One seemingly unmentioned reason: If things get really bad, daddy (Uncle Sam) will come to the rescue again, just as he did in WWII with the Marshall Plan and in the Cold War. 

Now, you may have heard, in the spirit of “no good deed goes unpunished,” daddy is not particularly popular hereabouts, especially in the western European states. This dislike -- exacerbated, of course, by envy -- has only redoubled with the advent of the dreaded Trump. 

But just as in any family -- dysfunctional or otherwise -- daddy (should he exist) is almost always called upon in a pinch. The children may be embarrassed, even humiliated, to beg for help, but they’ll do it nevertheless. 

The problem this time, however, is that daddy may not be able to, or even want to, come to Europe’s defense.