British Minister: Europe must stop relying on America
European nations must stop relying so heavily on the United States for global security and must take on more responsibility in their “own back yard”, theb British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/British-Ministe...
European countries must also be "prepared, if necessary, to take a bigger role in relation to North Africa and the Middle East", Mr Hammond said, in comments likely to be picked up with interest abroad, reported The Independent newspaper.
The minster's remarks were made to defence chiefs and military contractors at the Chief of the Air Staff's Air Power Conference 2012, organised by the Royal United Services Institute. Mr Hammond said that America's redeployment of many of its forces to the Pacific to counter the increasing Chinese military presence meant that Europe had to find the political will and funding "to take on more responsibility for our own backyard". which included the Balkans, the Mediterranean and 'if necessary" North Africa and the Middle East.
Britain's defence cuts have been so deep that defence chiefs have said that Britain would be unable to mount an operation on the scale of the Libyan intervention which otherthrew the Gaddafi regime.
Whether Europe and Nato can fulfill such a regional role remains to be seen.
Mahmoud Jibril the Libyan prime minister during much of the conflict in Libya said today to the Libya Herald that Nato forces pulled out too soon from the Libyan conflict and that had they stayed they could have ensured greater stability in Libya and perhaps staunched the flow of weapons from Gaddafi's arsenals. After the Iraq experience Nato wanted to avoid the danger of becoming embroilled in the conflict and the cost of the operation no doubt played a part. This illustrates the difficulties of military intervention and the potential consequences, as Europe braces itself for the probable conflict to come in Mali.
The minster's remarks were made to defence chiefs and military contractors at the Chief of the Air Staff's Air Power Conference 2012, organised by the Royal United Services Institute. Mr Hammond said that America's redeployment of many of its forces to the Pacific to counter the increasing Chinese military presence meant that Europe had to find the political will and funding "to take on more responsibility for our own backyard". which included the Balkans, the Mediterranean and 'if necessary" North Africa and the Middle East.
Britain's defence cuts have been so deep that defence chiefs have said that Britain would be unable to mount an operation on the scale of the Libyan intervention which otherthrew the Gaddafi regime.
Whether Europe and Nato can fulfill such a regional role remains to be seen.
Mahmoud Jibril the Libyan prime minister during much of the conflict in Libya said today to the Libya Herald that Nato forces pulled out too soon from the Libyan conflict and that had they stayed they could have ensured greater stability in Libya and perhaps staunched the flow of weapons from Gaddafi's arsenals. After the Iraq experience Nato wanted to avoid the danger of becoming embroilled in the conflict and the cost of the operation no doubt played a part. This illustrates the difficulties of military intervention and the potential consequences, as Europe braces itself for the probable conflict to come in Mali.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/British-Ministe...