Category: European Politics

Richard Berstein from the NY Times has a good article in the IHT today. He talks about the river Danube, its history and the history associated with it.

I do see one small error in his piece. Well its actually a big error, and one I wouldn’t expect to see in the Herald Tribune.

After all, Romania, where the Danube empties into the Black Sea, not far from the border of Ukraine, is to become a full-fledged member of the European Union next year. The same is true of other countries along the eastern sections of the Danube: Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria. That may be of overriding importance to the future symbolism of the Danube.

In fact, Romania will not join the EU in 2004. More likely in 2007/8.

In this thought-provoking piece, Regis Debray, a former adviser to President Mitterand, essentially argues that the US has yet to mature as a political entity. I am inclined to agree about the religous zeal coming from the Bush administration. I am not sure however if you could apply that to the entire nation of America. But I have to agree with him on how Bush seems to perceive the world – in black and white.

“Old Europe” has already paid the price. It knows that the planet is too complex, too definitively plural to suffer insertion into a monotheistic binary logic: white or black, good or evil, friend or enemy.

A story from yesterday that I forgot to post. Interesting if not depressing.

Burkard Schmitt writes about the lack of consensus within Europe. He also argues in favour of a more powerful foreign and security policy, and more united European decision making. Worth a look.

Julian Lindley-French, a member of the faculty at the Geneva Center for Security Policy, argues that Europeans should stop their “security vacation“. He also argues that it is the job of European leaders to their people back to “strategic reality”.

I think Julian is mistaken – I think it is the job of European leaders to nip US unilateralism in the bud – and to secure Europe and the world with food – not arms.

My favourite writer on Sundays is Mr Gene Kerrgian. In this article he takes on the ‘cream’ of Irish society, our politicians.

You don’t have to be from Ireland to relate to this story, minister (secretary of state- lower level) Noel Treacy was in a rush to make a parliamentary speech, and told the driver he had to be there for 3.30, so the driver put the boot down; and was subsquently caught by the police – speeding.

This happens alot among Irish polticians, they tell us all to slow down as so many are killed on the roads in this country, but when it comes to their ‘important’ business, or even when its not business, they decide to break the speed limit.

Gene deals with the issue perfectly, great writing.

The ever learned Tom McGurk has an article today on the controversial question of Irish neutrality. Besides commenting on Rugby matters on Irish television, McGurk is a skillful writer – and I almost always agree with his views.

Here again he writes with clarity on the issue, my views with differ from his slightly though too. I like (or rather don’t like) the reply from a reader in New York who writes

YOU DONT STAND BACK AND LET OTHER NATIONS DO THE HARD WORK AND SIT BACK AND DECLARE ‘OH WE’RE NOT INVOLVED WE’RE IRISH, AND EVERYONE LOVES US – WE’RE NEUTRAL’You’re a joke as country believe me – nice scenery, good beer, great people but you think your’e some kind of great power – you ain’t, you are a small insignificant island off Europe – a techno banana republic.Ireland today – Czech republic/poland tomorrow – cheap labour – but you’re getting expensive.Think about it. Sorry for the reality trip but that’s the way it is.”

This is the typical argument, if only all countries were neutral and then we would not have replies as unreasonable, illogical and outright silly as this.

Top billing today is the story that 4 Romanian men were found guilty for commiting a crime they have yet to commit. Yes, in Ireland we are way ahead of the times, who needs Minority Report when you have the real thing here in Ireland. Because 4 Romanian guys were acting suspiciously in a Wicklow shop, they were arrested, charged and then jailed because it could be “reasonably inferred” that they would commit a crime.

This beggars belief, there has been practically no response to this in the Irish media, does this not set a dangerous precedent? Does this not demonstrate how racist a country Ireland is?

Let us be clear, 4 Romanians each got 6 months in jail. The judge admitted they stole nothing, but jailed them because they might have stolen something? I mean this means that I could be arrested and jailed for walking into a shop and acting ‘suspiciously’ – “we are arresting you Gavin because we believe you may commit a crime”. Straight out of science fiction.

The story is in Fridays Irish Times, subscription only, but may be on the news section of RTE too.

A writer for the IHT, Joe Fitchett, has an interesting story about some little known about goings on over at the EU summit in Copenhagen. Yet another step in the integration of NATO assets into an emerging European army. This follows on from previous stories I posted by Javier Solana (Dec 8) and Giles Merritt (Dec 11).