Can we learn from History?

The Smithsonian in Washington D.C. is one of the more famous museums of the world. Barely two weeks ago, I had the chance to visit this place of high culture, notably the exhibition on US Presidents through the ages.

In the wake of the mass bombing of Afghanistan, the pictures of 11th of September are now just a vague memory. But in the entry hall of the museum of American history I can still see the testament left by the attacks. On a Sunday afternoon, this cathedral of the past should be flooded with people, Washingtonians and tourists confounded. Today, as with most days in the last two months, the museum is sparsely frequented. The guard nods in agreement, "yes sir, these are tough times" he replies to my question as to whether museum traffic is down.

In the exhibition on the US Presidency, I notice that this is not the first time America has faced "tough times". A small snippet of text reminds me that the Mr Madison, the Third President, led the US into a war in which half of his own states refused to fight. The young Republic had made - in my perfectly unbiased opinion - the mistake of declaring war on Great Britain, but this was a war with which one of the two major parties (the Federalists) disagreed. Governors of that party refused to mobilise their soldiers and given that US army was almost totally made up of such state militia's, the President went to war with only half his army.

This sets me thinking. The war in Afghanistan has again proven the weakness of the European Union in foreign policy. The ignominious sight of European leaders clambering to have a seat at the dinner table of the US's leading ambassador - one Tony Blair (who also by coincidence happens to be the UK's Prime Minister) - has reinforced a sense in some circles that the EU is an irrelevant force. What counts is military force, the nation state, and how close one can get to the US (or, failing that, to the UK).

But Madison tells me something else. The US was not born overnight as a military superpower. It took centuries to develop that capacity. It too went through enormous tribulations. For goodness sake, the British even managed to burn down the White House in 1814!

I then look at a picture of George W. Bush, which concludes the rows of Presidents illustrated. No. I do not actually want the EU to become a military superpower like the US. If it does, all that it represents is actually lost. Anihilating a country is unlikely to be the solution to threats from terrorists. Terrorists operate across borders, just as do most of the problems that the EU faces. Just as the young Republic did in 1800, we have to use this challenge to build something new, a real multi-cultural entity, that ushers in a really new world…