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December 12, 2003
They blinked
What's wrong with these Americans? Why can't they see the wool being pulled over their eyes by wool-puller-in-chief T Blair Esq? Having expressed their fury about French/German plans to give the proposed EU defence force separate planning HQ from NATO, the Americans have now apparently agreed to a compromise brokered by Blair. As the Guardian reports: 'UK officials describe the proposed EU military "planning cell" as having a skeleton staff that will be employed only as a "last resort". As a further concession to the US, the EU has agreed that Nato can have a permanent liaison office at EU military HQ in Brussels'. 'Last resort' my foot. Trojan horse, more like, for the undiminished purpose of this force which is to undermine NATO and eclipse US influence. On second thoughts, maybe the Americans can see this deal perfectly well for the sleight of hand that it is, but have already made their decision to scale down their commitment to NATO, having concluded the Europeans are a lost cause and Blair along with them. Whichever, it's bad news for the Atlantic alliance. Posted by melanie at December 12, 2003
Comments
"On second thoughts, maybe the Americans can see this deal perfectly well for the sleight of hand that it is, but have already made their decision to scale down their commitment to NATO, having concluded the Europeans are a lost cause and Blair along with them. Whichever, it's bad news for the Atlantic alliance." Melanie, you simply don't seem to understand that THIS administration does not want an atlantic alliance where the major carrier of the NATO defense burden is the US. They want Europe to go it alone, as independent partner, and pay for itself. The bottom line is that under the current US administration the US feels itself betrayed by fair-weather "friends" who have been only to happy to let the US do all the heavy lifting and often have taken advantage of us all these years, while their people lived better than ours. In our hour of need, the Europeans have refused to do their share. This administration refuses to forget that. I doubt that the American people will forget it either anytime soon. I agree with very little that this administration has done or is doing. However, getting, rich "old" Europe to pay for its own defense is a damned good idea! Regardless of whether Americans agree with the current administration or not, the hard feelings against what is seen as the betrayal of Europe, a Europe that would not exist without the US, is felt by the populace. Take a trip around the US and ask the man on the street how he feels about "old" Europe, specifically Germany and France. That truth is an eye opener. Lili Posted by: Lilith Paloma at December 12, 2003 02:46 PMIn the end, Lili, it may be just cheaper to stay in Europe and keep paying for NATO despite Europe's attitude toward us. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and all that. Of course it's galling to people like you and me who are fed up to here with Europe. If (when) their fractious little continent blows up again, it's going to cost the US a lot more than our annual outlays for NATO. Posted by: Susan at December 12, 2003 04:54 PMLilith are the NSA after you ? I mean Ziplip is really carrying paranoia to the limit. "If (when) their fractious little continent blows up again, it's going to cost the US a lot more than our annual outlays for NATO. "
Don't think these events are as plain as they look; there are shifting tectonic plates in Europe and they are not against the US; there is an order of battle being drawn into alignment in Europe which may...just may....lead to conflict 30-50 years down the road...... Chirac is playing a game to control Germany and using Britain as part of the game.....but it will end in tears. Posted by: Romulus at December 12, 2003 08:55 PMHi Rom, I was thinking more of a civil war between Islamists and indegenous Europeans rather than a Frankenreich attack on the UK/Poland. (Of course Frankenreich could be controlled by Islamists by that time anyways, so you could be right.) Now we've got German "peace activists" raising money to support Saddam Hussein's "resistance" fighters. How low can Frankenreich sink? But yes, I agee with you, an ugly war is brewing in Europe within 30-50 years. Much as I would like to think (and pay) differently, the US (and the UK) are stuck with trying to hold the asylum together no matter how much the Europeans hate us for doing so. Sigh. Posted by: Susan at December 13, 2003 03:16 AMThe worst thing Susan is this weird government in Berlin. That Schroeder could go to China and agree with them on Taiwan; and offer to lift the EU Arms Embargo; and agree to the sale of a plutonium manufacturing plant at Hanau for $50 m when it cost nearly $800 million to build is bizarre. It is whoredom the way Germany is prepared to sell anything to anyone and cut across security interests and discussion with other states. Under Schroeder Germany is unanchored as it was under Kaiser Wilhelm II.......the foreign policy disasters are reviving the image of the Ugly German and Poland for one is getting very antagonistic........now that EU polling shows support for it <50% for the first time, big problems lie ahead. As an American it would be wise to take a global view and see how much of the jigsaw is breaking up....noone knows where Russia is going, nor China, nor Europe.......this is a tough foreign policy situation for Foggy Bottom and they would be wise to hang onto key allies to try to have life-rafts.
"Lilith are the NSA after you ? I mean Ziplip is really carrying paranoia to the limit." HA!!! You don't even post an e-mail address, Romy. Send me an e-mail and I'll show you how this works. Get over yourself Romy and don't let your imagination work overtime. Some of us use encoding for business. As to a war in Europe. I'm with the folks who believe it will be with radical Islam, either that or ship them off to Islamia. If one looks at it from Mother Nature's side—there are too many people anyway. . . "It is whoredom the way Germany is prepared to sell anything to anyone and cut across security interests and discussion with other states." Now THAT is an interesting way of putting it. LOL Yup, the Germans are only waiting for their inheritance. There is no work ethic in modern Germany with their entitlement philosophy.
I wouldn't worry too much, Romy. After all, the biggest "owner" of WMD is the US. The crazy radicals had better watch it as long as GW is in charge. The Saudi sea of glass is looming, if they pull anything— which would probably suit the nutbags just fine. After that, it's flowers in the gun barrels with the Dems until the Islamofascists take over. :-) Lili How is greater European self-reliance militarily a threat to the NATO alliance? A threat to American hegemony perhaps. Oh, gees—"hegemony". You all spit that out as if it's such a terrible thing, this cultural hegemony that the US has at the moment. Let Europe make its own "hegemony" of culture. Oh—wait—you've already been there and done that. ;-) How many American "hegemony" items do you purchase or use daily? Don't like it? Don't do it! SIMPLE. I wonder if you all would prefer an Islamic "hegemony"? They've had one of those too all the way to the gates of Vienna. How about German or French? My dollar is on the Chinese, actually. LOL Below is good news—maybe. Hope it's him and not one of his "doubles". Oh, to have crimes against humanity trials. That would be good for the Iraqi people. Lili ============= "Saddam possibly caught - U.S." Sunday, December 14, 2003 Posted: 1013 GMT ( 6:13 PM HKT)
However the officials cautioned on Sunday that the identity of the individual was still being confirmed. The raid was based on intelligence that Saddam was at a particular location in the area, the officials said. The announcement comes on the same day that 20 people were killed and 32 wounded by a car bomb outside an Iraqi police station west of Baghdad, an Iraqi police officer told CNN. Sixteen policemen were among those killed in Sunday's explosion at Khaldiyah, 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Iraqi capital, the officer added. . . " http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/12/14/sprj.irq.main/
Rom, you are so right about Germany and the fruitcakes who are currently running it! Both France and Germany have returned to their historical roles as European trouble-makers par excellence. Would the history of Europe be so bleak without those two? Between them, in just the past 200 years, they were responsible for the Reign of Terror, the Napoleonic Wars, the Franco-Prussian War, and World Wars I and II. It's a pity you can't excise them both from the Continent :) and live in relative peace. Posted by: Susan at December 15, 2003 04:20 AMLilith - I know ZipLip very well - so does Menwith Hill Posted by: Romulus at December 15, 2003 08:17 AM“Oh, gees—"hegemony". You all spit that out as if it's such a terrible thing, this cultural hegemony that the US has at the moment. Let Europe make its own "hegemony" of culture. Oh—wait—you've already been there and done that. ;-)” I don’t think that American hegemony is bad. I prefer it to the alternatives, seeing as the only other realistic potential one-world-powers were the USSR, the Third Reich and (maybe still) Communist China. Oh, and I’m not European. I’m Australian. We have a convict culture. ;-) “How many American "hegemony" items do you purchase or use daily? Don't like it? Don't do it! SIMPLE.” I do like it. That’s why I do it. “I wonder if you all would prefer an Islamic "hegemony"? They've had one of those too all the way to the gates of Vienna. How about German or French? My dollar is on the Chinese, actually. LOL” None of the above please. "“I wonder if you all would prefer an Islamic "hegemony"? They've had one of those too all the way to the gates of Vienna. How about German or French? My dollar is on the Chinese, actually. LOL” Stopped at the Gates of Vienna by King Jan Sobieski of Poland.......and now Poland saves us from the alien hordes behind the European 'Constitution' I was thinking exactly the same thing Rom. Poland will be a tough nut to crack for the new Red/Green alliance. Posted by: Susan at December 17, 2003 02:32 AMThe function of the artist is to provide what life does not. Posted by: Butler Ron at January 25, 2004 10:03 AM |
