Comments

The new Europe is free enterprise, career-aholic driven - I recall a 5am run in Prague in 1998 - witnessing 1,000's already heading for the trains to jumpstart their new careers.

Meanwhile the French and Germans "toil" max 35 hour weeks, August off, with 11% unemployment still - socialism REPRISE.

Posted by John at February 24, 2005 12:58 PM

Tom, it´s too much to think that GWB represents democracy for europeans.

What you call cynicism of old Europe is not so but simple reject of policies considered as totallitarian by most european citizens.

Posted by felix gerena at February 24, 2005 1:08 PM

Are you referring to "Old Europe" in the Donald Rumsfeld manner, Tom?

Posted by Tim Almond at February 24, 2005 2:39 PM

As a German this comment makes me feel "misunderestimated".
However, thats fine with me, as it seems to help winning a "second term" ( - of great brand leadership, innovation, top-line growth, global export leadership etc).
And as Germany's ultra-costly reunification 1990 might have failed in many aspects of it's execution, draging down the whole economy today, it was certainly BOLD, WOW!, [BIG WORD] in those early nineties.

Posted by Mattias Huber at February 24, 2005 4:05 PM

Newer democracies love GWB because he has changed the power relation that has existed for a century. Old Europe and old America, and the UN lived off the detente of process and negotiation, allowing friendly tyrannies to exist as long as they were not a threat to the status quo. With 9/11, GWB responded by "acting" to force democratic rule where it has not been by attacking terrorism where it is born.

As a baby boomer, it is the most radical development in my lifetime. The hatred toward the President only validates the radical nature of his policies. I can understand the hatred that Cold War liberals have toward him. He has changed the game of diplomacy, probably forever. As long as the Bush doctrine holds, relations between nations will never go back to what we all knew since the end of WW2.

With the effect of technology, there is a possibility that democracy's spread could come far faster than any of us could have ever imagined. It is time to begin to watch for the Tipping Point. It won't take a generation for it to happen I suspect.

This doesn't mean that international conflict will recede. Only that people, organizations and nations that understand the opportunities that freedom and democracy bring will take advantage of them.

It truly is a remarkable time.

Posted by Ed Brenegar at February 24, 2005 4:06 PM

People newly experiencing the 'freedom' that we take for granted is wonderful to behold to be sure ....

New domocracies will make mistakes but the great news is they will be new mistakes .. not the same old mistakes we supposedly well informed democracies continure to make ...

Celebrate diversity and welcome new domocracies -there is plenty of room at the table

Trevor

Posted by Trevor Gay at February 25, 2005 11:27 AM

As a long-term Tom Peters addict and a firm GWB supporter, it warms my heart to see Democrat TP expressing understanding and appreciation of GWB's accomplishments. Thank you, Tom!!

Posted by Roy Sonne at February 28, 2005 7:35 PM

GWB is not building Democracy. GWB is building an empire under the guise of Democracy. How can killing between 16,000 - 18,000 Civilians be considered Democracy?

Posted by Wes Johnson at March 1, 2005 12:45 PM

Tom, I think you are right about the situation (that newly democratic nations are pro-US), but misinterpreting the cause. Coming from an ex-Soviet country, Estonia, I live in this reality. There are basically two reasons why USA is (on the official state level, quite less among people, especially young educated ones) supported in such countries:

- during the long decades of the Soviet Union, USA was its biggest adversary and was seen as the epitome of freedom, so there is residual sympathy for anything USA does

- it pays to be nice to USA

Posted by Erki at March 2, 2005 9:33 AM