Axis of Weasel!

[Main_Brain]

Oh this Thread is still on? :=)

Saddam had 12 years to comply MB, how much longer does he need?

As much Time as the UN is willing to give?
C'mon as if Time would matter.. some weeks, months
There were no Illegal Weapons found you know? :=)

They have been "friends" for 40 years, now they sing the same tune, but again, that doesn't answer my question, should these powers remain allied?

Is US afraid of EU bringing some Sense in Situations like these?
Are you an enemy of the French-German Friendship which was difficult to achieve and is one of the Biggest Achievments of European Integration?

I'm concerned about US doing whatever it wants and thats my point.

[Bereta_Eder]

Frabnce and Germany cannot "force" their will to the rest of the EU. In most cases they express or set the trends. The multiple democratic (and not so democratic) safety valves of the EU guarantee that no one nation or two nations (even if they are the largest in the EU) will be in a position to pass their decisions on the rest.

i.e.an alliance of small states in the EU can succesfully outvote all 3: UK, Germany and France.

[Bereta_Eder]

Dont have thebook with me Chris sorry

[Chris 62]

Let us have some decorum in my little thread fellows.

Civil discourse is the road to understanding.

Paiktis says that the Franco/Prussians dominate the EU thought process, not I, go back and look if you dispute this.

Also, I don't recall asking if people believed in the correctness of military action in Iraq, but on whether the allies should remain allied in light of fundemental differnces in approach.

Some say the EU is the only future, but this isn't so, the flank powers don't seem to be inclined to tow the Paris/Berlin line, anymore then the southern powers do.
The two may find themselves out in the cold, so to speak, as a dual alliance.

[Main_Brain]

European parliament:
https:///wwwdb.europarl.eu.int/ep5/o...N&iorig=&imsg=

Belgium: 25
Denmark: 16
Gemany: 99 (If correct Population were used it were over 100 but teh Balance..)
Greek: 25
Spain: 64
France: 87
Ireland: 15
Italy: 87
Luxembourg: 6 (!!!)
the Netherlands: 31
Austria: 21
Portugal: 25
Finnland: 16
Sweden: 22
UK: 87

[Chris 62]

Originally posted by paiktis22
Dont have thebook with me Chris sorry

That's a shame.

Well, maybe you can expand on the ideas it presents, anyway.

[Main_Brain]

BTW: Prussia doesn't lie in Germany.. its more to the East

/xcept Brandenbourg

[Bereta_Eder]

Dont have much time
BTW I didnt say france-germany dominate the EU thought process but they are (and always have been) the main driving force behind further european integration.
It is fair to say that with out the berlin paris axis (a great achievement indeed for europe) the EU would maybe not have been able to exist.

[Chris 62]

But we have to ask whether the EU is a good thing for it's member states.

Is it?

[Pekka]

This is a difficult question. Depends who you ask from.
I think it's about 50/50 for us, but if it goes worse, then we need to get out of it.

[Bereta_Eder]

Opinions vary of course.

My humble personal estimate is that it is.
People tend to forget why the EU was created in the first place: to avert another intra-european war. (coal and steel treaty etc)
Of course it has moved on from that but those were its foundations.

It also greatly depends on which country you're in, what are your political convictions etc


The discussions continue as to what form the EU should take.

Would it last forever though? I dont want to play cassandra but I think it will need a huge effort (and not forgetting its basis and reason d'etre ) to do that. But it will certaintly be around for a good deal of time. I think this is a good thing but it also depends on where it willk be steered and in what it will trancend to.

There are no easy answers for that.
Decisions are made as we go along...

[chequita guevara]

This war has nothing to do with Iraq accept as a target.

[Main_Brain]

The Eastern Coutries will enjoy great economic Benefits.
The Western 'Agraric Subventional States' (Spain, Protugal, Greece etc.) will loose Priviliges but I dont care :P
EU is great!

[Richelieu]

Originally posted by Chris 62

However, France and Germany seem to have motivations outside of the scope of the UN and it's resloutions in reguards to Iraq, do you believe these motivations should not be mentioned, that France and Germany truley do believe in the inspection process, even when Hans Blix himself he could serch for years and find nothing.
Blix also says the Iraqis are hindering his teams at every turn, and certain areas of Iraq are off limits (military instellations this time, Palaces last time).

Could you tell me why the inspection teams should continue at a task that they themselves say is pointless?
Or why the Paris/Berlin axis also believes in these sham inspections?

It would be hard to argue that neither France nor Germany has motivations outside of the scope of this particular issue. I tend to agree with that argumentation and i agree with most of the reasons given here ( economic crisis, Chirac's prestige etc..).
That is one of the factor.

I still think that the inspections need to go full course because that's what we have said we would do. That's the way we said we were going to do it.

The US constant criticism of the process itself, and its posturing has not helped the case for war: it has weakened it. It has also given an excuse to France and Germany to distance themselves from the US - something that the public opinion cheers in both countries .

[Chris 62]

Hmm, that kind of thinking may lead to fractures in the EU structure.

In order to have a fair and balenced Union, ALL the member states must be taken into consideration.

Also, if things aern't fair, why would many states, like Portugual and Spain, want to part of such a union?

Why should Eastern Europe be favored over Southern Europe?