European defence

The European allies are slowly joining the international air strikes against Islamic State in Syria. Britain and Germany have followed the French call for help. France, quite unusually after the attacks on Paris, called on European Union members rather NATO members for assistence. French president, Francois Hollande, expressly asked for Spanish military support. None has been forthcoming. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is believed to have said that Spain would naturally support France but would not provide any military aircraft for attacks on Islamic State in Syria. In some ways it is quite understandable because Spain is in a general election campaign, but on the other hand you would have thought that all European nations would be providing some sort of military support; after all France is a key Spanish ally. Spain does have a modern and well-equipped air force and it could help in the international battle against Islamic State. In fact, the Spanish Air Force has various squadrons of the US-built F18 fighter/bomber which is already being used by the US Air Force for attacks on Islamic State in Syria. So, are we seeing a divided Europe, with some countries joining an ally in its hour of need and others just sitting on the sidelines? Well the simple answer is yes. It doesn’t really say much for the dream of the European Union having its own European army. Europe is united, as they say, but not on some things such as defence.