ambassador rudolf v. perina - Association for Diplomatic Studies and ...

PERINA: Relations with Europe were not good in this period. It was actually the worst
period in transatlantic relations that I saw during my entire career. Given the amount of
sympathy and support we received from the Europeans right after 9/11, the reversal in the
relationship was dramatic. The parting of ways, of course, came with Iraq. The Western
Europeans were angry at us for invading without a Security Council resolution, and the
Administration here was furious at the Western Europeans, and particularly France, for
frustrating efforts to get a resolution. This anger at France was picked up by the whole
country, with the Freedom Fries and so on. It was a real low point in our relations with
Europe. The exceptions were the UK and the new democracies of Central and Eastern
Europe—the Poles, Czechs, Hungarians, Romanians and so on, the New Europe as
opposed to the Old Europe in Donald Rumsfeld’s lexicon. The relationship with the UK
reflected the very close Bush-Blair relationship. There seemed to be a real personal
friendship between the two men. They spoke frequently on the telephone, often at length
and in great detail about Iraq and world developments. As for Eastern and Central
Europe, we were still popular there thanks to the legacy of the Cold War and our image
as the power that stood up against Soviet despotism. Even in those years, however, one
could see this goodwill toward America dissipating as these countries began to have their
own doubts about Iraq and started maneuvering for EU membership. The Policy Planning
Staff still had its established contacts and consultations with our European counterparts
but the broader relationship was very cold. Interestingly, this did not seem to bother many
in the Administration. Europe was seen as an economic partner but not a real political
force in the world. The analyses were all that it would become weaker and less relevant
to U.S. security interests. Russia sparked some concern, but it was also seen as weak and
non-threatening. Not a lot of attention seemed to be paid to it by senior Administration
officials. The real new power on the horizon was China. It received a good deal of
attention.
Q: How so?
PERINA: China was seen as the economic giant who was the main rival of the U.S. for
global resources and whose political development had not kept pace with its economic
development. There was a lot of concern for a certain period about Chinese-Taiwanese
relations. The Taiwanese were seen as unpredictable, and the Chinese were seen as
having a rather unrefined, undeveloped policy toward the island. The real nightmare
scenario was a conflict breaking out between them which would put pressure on the U.S.
to intervene.
Q: What about Iran? Was there any support for trying to open a dialogue with it?
PERINA: I was not aware of any during my time on the Planning Staff. I heard that there
had been some attempts through diplomatic channels during the Powell years but that the
Iranians had shown no interest. There was a feeling among the experts that the internal
political situation in Iran would make it very difficult for any leader to admit to a
dialogue with the United States. The Iranians were not ready for that. The Administration
also still held to a tough line on the axis of evil countries. Being tough was seen as the
127