Many of the world’s foreign affairs initiatives are powered and propelled by stereotypes. “Freedom”, “evil axes” and the like. We tend to think such things are a product of folk wisdom handed down over generations. After all, didn’t the Sicilians have a saying back in the 17th century that “the French are wiser than they [...]

 
Dear Friend 
2007 has been another grim year.  The many problems with which the year began are still unresolved.  We end the year with serious troubles in Afghanistan, Congo, Iran, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Palestine and Sudan, to mention only the major ones.   We have to cope witb a Putinesque Russia and an increasingly assertive
China.  [...]

The Hague, NL (View on map)
I`m a few days ahead of schedule, inserting another `personal reflections` article into the Us Europeans archive. The reason is fairly simple and straightforward. I have been following the news in The Netherlands quite closely while travelling, and am quite worried about what`s happening. Politicians are messing around [...]

The Hague, NL (View on map)
Look up the word `Dutch` in an English dictionary and the explanation `inhabitant of The Netherlands` will be followed by a list of unflattering proverbs. Most of them refer to the Dutch being rude, which is a well-established stereotype about the Dutch in adjacent countries. The Dutch prefer [...]

The Hague, NL (View on map)
In many European countries, the celebration of Christmas is spread out over two days. Some countries choose to include Christmas Eve (24 December) or Boxing Day (26 December). The Netherlands has some midway alternative. Read on and learn more about this year`s Christmas trends in The Netherlands.
24 December [...]

The Hague, NL (View on map)
Many of the people I met during the past few months said they would impatiently wait for the reports about my home country. Well, I am back in The Netherlands, trying to find out what is going on at the moment.
The Netherlands is a small country with […]
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Antwerpen, BE (View on map)
Another border crossing is on the way. Even though The Netherlands and Belgium may have a lot in common, language and large parts of history included, there are distinct differences between the two countries. Belgians have very little difficulty recognising their neighbours from up north and this is why:
Stef […]
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Union européenne et la « question turque »
L’expérience des autres élargissements de l’Union européenne donnait à penser que l’avis de la Commission – essentiel dans le processus de décision communautaire – mettait fin au débat, et que l’on s’engagerait dans une négociation longue et difficile certes, mais où l’art du compromis des diplomates et des [...]

Antwerpen, BE (View on map)
Finland is one of the few European countries that stick to strict military conscription. Other countries struggle to find alternative constructions to force different layers of society to interact during at least one period in their lives. In Belgium, compulsory military service was abolished in 1994, but they have […]
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A two hour China-EU Summit in Beijing on 28 November was followed by a five day (and part night) negotiation between officials before the Joint Statement could be agreed.  Why a 47 paragraph statement has to be issued when very little of its contents were discussed at the summit is hard to comprehend.   
Neither the [...]

Career choices
Ghent, BE (View on map)
`Man bijt hond` (`Man bites dog`) is a typical Flemish TV program that brings a mixture of social documentaries and `non-news`. It sends out reporters to ordinary people, to see what they eat for dinner, how they spend the day and what kind of, sometimes strange, hobbies they […]
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Dear Minister 
You explained on 18 December why we must not take the pressure of Iran.  I too am totally opposed to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, but regret that you do not appear to be taking into account Iran’s experience of the West.  You say: 
            “Since 2002, the international community has striven to resolve our differences with
Iran [...]

A public workshop held in Ukraine on 12 December 2007 was aimed to discuss the issues regarding the regulation of the new online media. The workshop was organised by Internews Ukraine together with the Council of Europe and the National Commission on Freedom of Speech and Development of the Information […]
Original post by Bogdan

Greedy governments stifle innovation by reserving all the intellectual property of publicly funded research for their own use. The problem is that governments are not very good at knowing what to do next, and invariably tie up valuable innovation in bureaucratic process, without adding any social value at all.
The Eurocrats like US comparisons, so [...]

Brussels, BE (View on map)
Today is just another ordinary day for most Belgians. They may be looking forward to Christmas, but they have nothing to celebrate on this 19th of December. For the Muslim community in Belgium and across the world, today is `Eid al-Adha`: Sacrifice Day.
When the day starts, I notice an […]
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