Selmayr did not say, "Under the circumstances, we think it would be a bad idea to send in our storm troopers. Still, in any event, our military is prudently standing by." He said, "We can't send storm troopers."

He did not say, "We would rather not send them." He said, "We can't send them." This suggests a categorical impossibility: it cannot be done.

But why is it that the wealthy European Union, with its strong euro currency, its current 27 nations and its prosperous population of 500 million cannot send anybody? The answer is simple and straightforward: because the European Commission and the national leaderships of its member states continue in their pursuit of soft power and no longer take seriously the old-fashioned concept of "hard" military power.

Europe these days does not have much in terms of military muscle readily available. Simply stated, there are no "storm troopers" to be sent. And in the very term "storm troopers," Selmayr made a revealingly belittling comparison of modern special forces with the infamous combat troops of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich.

This lack of adequate special forces to respond to security crises outside the immediate territories of the European Union is certainly not because Europe is helpless and poor, just like Georgia. The European Union has an aggregate gross domestic product equal to if not greater than that of the United States.

The 27 nations of the European Union still have plenty of industrial resources. But, confronted with a significant crisis with a clear neo-imperial flavor at its doorstep, caused by unilateral use of military power by Russia, Europe's first assessment is, "We can only use diplomacy and economic bargaining, because we have nothing else. There are no other options."

Is the Russian government of President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin going to be impressed with the EU idea to force change on the ground in Georgia via economic bargaining with Russia? Probably not.

In fact, in the specific case of Russia, the EU nations' soft power based on economic pressures may not work well either. The European nations over the past quarter-century have developed an acute dependence on Russia's oil and gas exports, and this does not do much to improve their bargaining power.

Part 5: Why soft economic power cannot work when applied in isolation

(Paolo Liebl von Schirach is the editor of SchirachReport.com, a regular contributor to Swiss radio and an international economic-development expert.)

(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News