The Europe Mitt Romney wants to visit is a figment of his imagination

In the Republican's view, the EU is packed with socialist boondoggles that Obama foolishly wants to emulate. Mitt is about to get a major wake-up call

Daniel Larison

Why is Mitt Romney reportedly going to Europe this summer? To counter criticism that candidate Romney has been ignoring foreign policy on the campaign trail. Team Romney reportedly plans to make potential stops in Germany, Poland, Britain and Israel, and Romney likely also wants to promote the idea that relations with major European allies have deteriorated under Obama. The Republican has made Obama's alleged mishandling of U.S. alliances a prominent part of his foreign policy critique, but when he arrives in Europe, he will find those relationships intact. And in some cases, he may find them improved from a few years ago.

The choice of European destinations is curious for several reasons, not least of which is Romney's aversion to "Europe" as a social and economic model. Anti-Europeanism has been one of the consistent themes of both of Romney's presidential bids, and one of his main complaints against the Obama administration is that the president is supposedly trying to impose a "European" model on America. Of course, Romney's attacks on Europe aren't meant to be descriptive, but they are intended to create a generic foil for his appeals to American exceptionalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us

Daniel Larison has a Ph.D. in history and is a contributing editor at The American Conservative. He also writes on the blog Eunomia.