The rejection by the United States yesterday of a stronger agreement on the banning of germ warfare is perhaps the clearest indication yet of the extraordinary and dangerous self-absorption which sometimes appears to lie at the very heart of American policy. First Kyoto and missile defence – now, biological weapons. George Bush’s cavalier defiance of world opinion is sometimes little short of breathtaking.Everybody – including, bizarrely, President Bush himself – agrees that biological weapons are one of the most terrifying dangers facing the world today. Indeed, a report from the Ministry of Defence suggested that the threat from biological weapons “is now greater than that from nuclear weapons”. It is generally agreed that stricter controls would raise valuable barriers against the acquisition of such weapons by terrorist groups.Under the existing 1972 treaty, there is no provision for verification – not, to put it mildly, a satisfactory state of affairs.

The former Russian president Boris Yeltsin admitted that Moscow, one of the treaty’s main signatories, cheerfully continued with its biological weapons programme even after signing on the dotted line. Six years ago, talks began on how to strengthen the treaty, incorporating verification as a key element. After much to-ing and fro-ing, a draft protocol has now been agreed, which is accepted by all Or rather, almost all. The US is unhappy that foreign inspectors might now gain access to American installations. The chief negotiator, Donald Mahley, announced in Geneva yesterday that the draft protocol “would put national security and confidential business information at risk”.In other words: for six years, everybody talks of the importance of verification.

And then, America discovers that its facilities, too, would have to be verified. The shock! The horror! The brazen nerve! America might be treated as though it were just another country! The arrogance revealed is truly breathtaking. America is now the only one of 56 countries at the Geneva talks which opposes the 200-page draft protocol; the protocol was to form the basis of a new treaty, to be signed by the end of this year The American opposition has scuppered that hope. Sweetly and irrelevantly, they now say they will come up with some new proposals of their own.In short, Mr Bush and his colleagues just don’t seem to get it Diplomatic negotiations are about give and take All must lose something in order to gain. Mr Bush’s America seems in danger of convincing itself that it can force everybody to make concessions, while itself remaining impervious to change. It is unclear whether this is pure hypocrisy or mere stupidity – and unclear which possibility is worse.Certainly, the treaty would in any case have run into difficulties in Congress. But that is no reason for Mr Bush now, at such a sensitive moment in transatlantic relations, to treat all America’s partners in dialogue as though their views simply counted for nothing This bluntness is not charming, but offensive.

Mr Bush is badly advised if he does not understand that obvious point.Sometimes Mr Bush’s style is admirable. In Kosovo this week, his condemnation of Albanian violence was welcome. He can be personally engaging, and has usefully established a good relationship with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. At the end of the day, however, Mr Bush needs to understand that, if America finds itself in a minority of one, it might be at least worth considering – just considering, that is all that we ask – that America may itself be in the wrong Mr Bush likes others to listen But he must learn that he needs to listen, too.. Europe’s leader are rightly beginning to worry about the European Union’s unpopularity. The Commission President, Romano Prodi, published a white paper on reforming governance yesterday.