Why Europe is not a world leader is illustrated by this commentary.

"The high point of the Laeken summit may have come when Foreign Minister Michel announced that the vaunted European "Rapid Reaction Force" had now officially become "operational" and that the European Union planned to send 3,000 to 4,000 peacekeeping troops to Afghanistan. This was, Michel declared, "a turning point in the history of the European Union." Not so fast, euro-cowboy. A nanosecond later, the British, French and German governments publicly denied there had been any discussion of an "EU force" for Afghanistan. As a matter of fact, no such force exists."

-philw (great cheese & wine though)