Politics A possible failure for Europe?

The problem with Europeans and Americans that wish they were is that they're all looking for an argument. "Enemy", "what the US considers to be an enemy"... I think my point was clear and someone's got to hang on my every word.
 
As a whole, the situation in northern Africa and the Arab world in general is a huge embarrassment for the EU, whose pundits have, as usual, not seen anything coming. As the champion of democracy and a close neighbour, the EU had to walk the walk about promoting democracy in helping "removing the tyran". That became an emergency after pictures showing rebels using belgian-made FN weapons, while the EU was supposedly neutral and not meddling into the affair. Some other things that have to be kept in mind: France was dying to go there, as north Africa is still to some extent into their influence zone (or so do they like to think in Paris), Lybia is a massive energy producer (that might help many EU members to cut on their Russian imports), London never forgot the Lockerbie massacre, and Gaddafi has been a massive problem across European governments for the last 20 years. Ask Switzerland and the Paris cops about his sons, you'll have very few people that will shed a tear over his corpse. Because his petromoney has been used to corrupt, sorry, to convince many European politicians from a wide array of parties to bend rules and sign contracts, it took a while for the EU to figure out how they would deal with The Leader. In panic, they decided to intervene within NATO rules of engagement when it was clear the US would not intervene until the dust would be settled. Another Kosovo was not tolerable. Is it a failure for the EU? My opinion is that the EU has been branded weak, old, balls-free and useless so many times that it had to step on at some stage, in order not to lose even more credibility. Time will tell if it was a good idea, but as the reconstruction contracts will normally be awarded to EU companies, along with a nice stretch of Mediterranean coast to develop, I am pretty confident the long-term benefits will be juicy for some. I am personally sad that Hermann did not take the opportunity to claim a more dynamic role for the EU politics to play in the matter. But that surely will reopen the delicate matter of a Pan-European intervention Force...
 
As a whole, the situation in northern Africa and the Arab world in general is a huge embarrassment for the EU, whose pundits have, as usual, not seen anything coming. As the champion of democracy and a close neighbour, the EU had to walk the walk about promoting democracy in helping "removing the tyran". That became an emergency after pictures showing rebels using belgian-made FN weapons, while the EU was supposedly neutral and not meddling into the affair. Some other things that have to be kept in mind: France was dying to go there, as north Africa is still to some extent into their influence zone (or so do they like to think in Paris), Lybia is a massive energy producer (that might help many EU members to cut on their Russian imports), London never forgot the Lockerbie massacre, and Gaddafi has been a massive problem across European governments for the last 20 years. Ask Switzerland and the Paris cops about his sons, you'll have very few people that will shed a tear over his corpse. Because his petromoney has been used to corrupt, sorry, to convince many European politicians from a wide array of parties to bend rules and sign contracts, it took a while for the EU to figure out how they would deal with The Leader. In panic, they decided to intervene within NATO rules of engagement when it was clear the US would not intervene until the dust would be settled. Another Kosovo was not tolerable. Is it a failure for the EU? My opinion is that the EU has been branded weak, old, balls-free and useless so many times that it had to step on at some stage, in order not to lose even more credibility. Time will tell if it was a good idea, but as the reconstruction contracts will normally be awarded to EU companies, along with a nice stretch of Mediterranean coast to develop, I am pretty confident the long-term benefits will be juicy for some. I am personally sad that Hermann did not take the opportunity to claim a more dynamic role for the EU politics to play in the matter. But that surely will reopen the delicate matter of a Pan-European intervention Force...


hmmm that means that EU is not a Union yet But a Confederation????
 
At this stage, it's just a big funfair with plenty of freebies for the politicians that are not suitable for a government job at home or about to retire...
 
Hmm.. What enemy did the USA defeat? I guess the last enemy the USA defeated were the Japanese. And that was back in 1945 after two "faul play" atomic bombs.

From then on, the foreign policy of the USA was always a disaster. Henry Kissinger was the Prince of Darkness all those years.


just a (y)

I am not an anti-USA
I am anti-Kissinger

McArthy and Kissinger just enslave the free world, and try to create the 2 class world, masters and servants.

the difference from the other story is that war are limited and not expand as WW2
 
And what do you believe,
European constitution above National? or opposite?
The referendums held in 2005 showed that the citizen is Eurosceptic, and voices his opposition at the first opportunity he/she has. A political union is a bad idea anyway, it's like having a 27 parties coalition government. Totally unmanageable. We see that on a daily basis, it lacks the speed and smoothness to deal with real issues in a sensible and effective manner. In my opinion, the EU should have regulations for justice, economics and a common frame for education. The rest should be national governments affairs. All we need at the end is a common currency, a basis for dealing with crime across the member states and a recognition of diplomas and professional standard requirements across the whole EU perimeter. Anything else is meddling into local or national issues and is not worth the taxpayer's money.
 
The referendums held in 2005 showed that the citizen is Eurosceptic, and voices his opposition at the first opportunity he/she has. A political union is a bad idea anyway, it's like having a 27 parties coalition government. Totally unmanageable. We see that on a daily basis, it lacks the speed and smoothness to deal with real issues in a sensible and effective manner. In my opinion, the EU should have regulations for justice, economics and a common frame for education. The rest should be national governments affairs. All we need at the end is a common currency, a basis for dealing with crime across the member states and a recognition of diplomas and professional standard requirements across the whole EU perimeter. Anything else is meddling into local or national issues and is not worth the taxpayer's money.

So you believe in referendums, and people choice, that is good,
Yes I agree with you that Europe must have a Charta an agenda on which countries must be stick, a kind of Justice simmilar etc,

now about 1 currency, as you seen, it is difficult today the 1 currency cause some want or need 1 E = 1 $ and some want 1 E = 1 $ as their local economy stands, so that is difficult, so you a drop of E about 15% could save Greece, but a 15% drop of E could be disaster for others,

Simply Europes failure if it is done could be due to non time of isolation,
when EKAX (in Greek) the Union of Coal and Steel by 6 in early 50's it was to create a common policy about 2-3 products,
where are we now? to blame each other for everything,
the only free capitals that move are expensive football players, Europe did not manage to create a system to absorve workers, but instead manage to make Europeans the Non Europeans,
an example is the today situation, countries that have low unemployment do not make announce to accept workers from EU, but mostly accept non EU immigrants to assimilate them with the idea of Europe.
it is another Europe the Europe before 2000 and another the EU after 2000.
maybe we should reconsider the case?
IN USA when it was born passed 100 years of isolation to create the feeling of USA nation, is the feeling of EU citizen so much strong among us the today Eu citizens?
to expand more, How many non EU work today in EU and how many EU are unemployed???
so solidarity of EU in working policy exist???

the europe that we build after 2000 must be reconsidered, and rebuild,
many countries think of EU as a cow where they can milk, many people also,
 
And indeed every passing day shows the situation going from bad to worse, it's going to be an epic failure...
 
germany rules the eu, they can do whatever they like. nothing is going to happen to they.

Not as long as UK is an EU member. I think that UK, Spain and Italy should form an entente to stop the French-German axis thirst for power and Europe domination.
 
according the last gallup in Greece 53% have started a negative opinion against Eu
remember that past years that was not more than 20 max 25 %
 
every euro country would vote no to use euro monies if they had a referndum.

Italian people have never liked the euro and will never like the euro.
 
according the last gallup in Greece 53% have started a negative opinion against Eu
remember that past years that was not more than 20 max 25 %

That is not surprising considering the current state of affairs.

But this crisis has become so very tiring, with the rest of Europe blaming Greece and Greece blaming the rest of Europe. It is well past time everyone (the EU and Greece) grew up, put aside their own political agendas and accepted their share of the responsibility for this mess, then maybe we can begin making some headway in sorting it out, instead of this ridiculous and infantile finger pointing.
 
I think that UK, Spain and Italy should form an entente to stop the French-German axis thirst for power and Europe domination.

David Cameron would rather cut his own arm off that have anything to do with Spanish or Italian governments, if he had his way southern Europe wouldn't be in the EU.
 
David Cameron would rather cut his own arm off that have anything to do with Spanish or Italian governments, if he had his way southern Europe wouldn't be in the EU.

If UK does not find allies to counter-balance France-Germany then I'm afraid the country that will leave the EU will not be Greece but UK . Sarkozy is pretty angry and told Cameron to shut his mouth up because UK always critizises the EU but won't join the Euro.
 
True, Merkozy rule the EU, but looking at the figures, they're the only viable governments able to find a solution to the crisis. The problem is that they don't get that less EU is what the street wants. Sarkozy is a bit nervous with an election coming in 2012 and he's eager to boast to have fixed the crisis. Merkel is losing more ground at each national election. It seems that two years from now, the EU leaders picture is going to be interesting... As for the UK, they've been doing their own thing since the Reformation, I just still don't get what got them to join.
 
In a poll published in September Angela Merkel came in at first place in the 50 People Who Matter 2011, http://www.newstatesman.com/subjects/50-people-who-matter

But it is the same old story between the UK, France and Germany. All jockeying for position to see who is going to rule the roost but (as Franco says above) unless the UK either finds an EU ally or learns to work with instead of against the France/Germany alliance they will be increasingly left out in the cold.

Blair made a mistake in placing US interests above those of the EU in his foreign policy and Cameron suffers from the "old boy" mentality where the Empire still rules. Both attitudes were/are bound to irritate equally arrogant leaders like Merkel and Sarkosy.
 

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