Chapter- IV POLITICAL ISSUES

Chapter- IV POLITICAL ISSUES

It would be possible to assess the critical importance of the Europea Community's political relations with the United States only with the full appraisal of the external political relations with each other and in other areas of the world. Ra: Dahrendorf, former EC Commissioner for External relations, once said that it would b in the interests of the European Community countries if they defined their positio toward the United States in all matters. 1 Some students of European integration argu that the progress towards European integration would be uneven and critically decide by external events which would provide the shocks or pressures needed to speed up th process of European integration. 2 One source of external pressure might arise from fear of collusion between the United States and the Soviet Union over matters of interests t the European countries 3 such as the Middle-East, Poland, East-West relations, etc.

MIDDLE EAST

Soon after assuming office, Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State, asserted thai

'Ralf Dahrendorf, "Intemational Power: A European Perspective", Foreign Affairs (New York), vol,3t no.l, October 1977, p. 72. 2

Stanley Heilig, "From External Relations to Foreign Policy: An Introductory Note", Journal of Comma Market Studies (Oxford), vol.xii,no.l, 1973.p.5. ~G. L. Goodwin, "A European Community Fon:ign Policy?"

Journal of Common Market Studies, n. 2, p.l2

202 the Middle East was not only imrortant but rerhaps the "most dangerous area" .4

His prophecy came true soon with the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli war in 1973. This also resulted in the emergence of two major issues, energy and the Middle East which had not been at the core of post-war international relations but became closely entangled with the economic well-being and national security of the European countries.j In 1973 a coordinated Middle East policy, to complement a "harmonized" economic policy, appealed to Britain and France as integration provided a strong base to influence the Middle East. For Germany, the Middle East policy offered both safety and identity in an overall approach and for the smaller member countries of the European Community it provided an opportunity to be involved in a matter of unusual significance. 6

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The European position on matters rt.:lated to the Middle East situation was based on the 6 November 1973 Copenhagen declaration and this position was also proclaimed at the United Nations on 2 December 1975. 7 The evidence of a new pro-Arab tilt was seen in this resolution which it had maintained since the 1967 conflict. It made clear that

•walter Laquer,

"Kissinger and the Politics of Detente", Commentary (New York), vol. 56, no. 6, December

1973, p.52. jMiles Kahler, "United States and Western Europe: TI1e Diplomatic Consequences of Mr Reagan" in Kelllleth Oye and others, eds. Eagle Defiant: United States Foreign Policy in the 1980s (Boston, 1983), p.276. •Harvey Sichennan, "Europe's Role in the Middle