Crawford invite means more than BBQ

Invitations to world leaders to kick the dirt and sample the barbecue of President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, are rare and always symbolic.

So when Spain's Prime Minister José María Aznar visits the Crawford spread this weekend, the host is saying two things: I appreciate this hombre who speaks my language on Iraq; and by inviting this leader of a mid-size, pro-NATO European country to my beloved ranch, I'm letting the world know I have a vision of a new Europe.

In the context of the ongoing tug-of-war between the US and Europe's traditional powerhouses, France and Germany, over Iraq and the kind of Europe that should emerge in the post-cold war era, the Aznar visit carries all the more weight.

"Bush gives these [invitations to Crawford] only sparingly. They're precious things and they always mean something," says John Hulsman, an expert in US-Europe relations at the Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington. "Through Aznar, Bush is saying, 'We support a Europe where the long-dominated countries of both Western and Eastern Europe have a voice, especially those countries with which we share a common philosophy on security and the use of force.' "

Noting that French President Jacques Chirac only this week advised Eastern European countries hopeful of entering the European Union to "shut up" with their pro-US views of Iraq, Mr. Hulsman adds, "If [support for the Bush vision] strikes fear in the Gaullist mind with its vision of a centralized Europe, then [for Bush] that's an added bonus."

Spain's Aznar is one of eight European leaders who signed an open letter earlier this month supporting the US approach to Iraq. With Bush facing growing international resistance to the use of force, Aznar's willingness to go out on a limb - in the face of antiwar sentiment at home - is appreciated in the White House.

Spain is one of nine countries filling rotating positions on the United Nations Security Council, and one of the few council members clearly supportive of the US. But with Iraq showing little sign of increasing its cooperation with United Nations weapons inspectors - as a council majority has demanded - and with the US and Britain working on wording for a new resolution likely to be circulated to Security Council countries next week, US officials believe the influence of supportive countries like Spain will be crucial in coming days.

Still, the Aznar invitation to Crawford is about more than Iraq. It's a way of keeping the debate about Europe's future going.

"Bush is trying to heighten the rift between countries that support US policy, and those that don't," says Hurst Hannum, a Europe specialist at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Medford, Mass.

Page: 1 | 2