Axis of Weasels Becomes official

The current meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels has featured undisguised conflict between Britain and France. Today, the Axis of Weasels was made official, as France, Germany and Belgium announced plans to more closely integrate their military forces–leaving out Great Britain. While the Post describes the new alliance as “apparently designed to isolate Britain,” it seems more apt to say that it will isolate France, Germany and Belgium.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, stood by his claim that France was responsible for the failure of diplomacy over Iraq because it vowed to veto any meaningful resolution. Interestingly, Italian Prime Minister Berusconi questioned the viability of the structure of the U.N. in a manner that is common among pundits, but until now, to my knowledge, has not been acknowledged by politicians: “I believe [the veto] is an obsolete mechanism that does not correspond any more to the post-[World War II] situation that set up the organization of the United Nations.” As World War II fades into history, the logic of the Security Council–comprised of the five “victors” of that war–is increasingly indefensible.