No, I mean, that here on ET the Western press was bashed unreasonable hard. However, as Jerome has defined Germany and France not to be part of the West, this diary would be obsolete, but my understanding is very different on this. In the article the 'Iraq divide' is mentioned, although this is not really accurate, if Spain and Italy are on the same side as France and Germany. In my, and I think the opinion of many, the 'Iraq divide' was quite a split in the West.
George Bush senior offered Kohl to be the prime partner in Europe, very much to the annoyment of UK. Germany was the prime front line in the cold war. Brussels is the HQ of NATO. The general secretary of NATO is a Dutch, his precessor was a Spaniard. France may have a special status, as it was quite some time not a full member of NATO, but not to count Western Europe as West is really uncommon.

Der Amerikaner ist die Orchidee unter den Menschen
Volker Pispers