Today I longed for the America of Mayberry NC, that imaginary Sixties town where even as brainless a citizen as the butt of the town’s ridicule “Gomer Pyle” could shout “Citizen’s Arrest!” at law breakers and hope that justice would be served. Even though the Andy Griffith Show is long over, apparently the notion of… » read more
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Mordant Glimpses of Ceausescu’s Romania
February 9, 2010
And the Conducator* said his was a “Golden Age…” Monty Python’s weaponized “killer joke” may have been used for offensive purposes, but under the Ceausescu regime humour was mainly in self-defense: Humour is what kept Romanians alive, and TALES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE aims to re-capture that mood, portraying the survival of a nation having… » read more
US, EU, and Mideast Cannot Afford a Time-out
February 2, 2010
When Israel-Palestine merits not a word from a president, you know the United States is turning inward. Roger Cohen, New York Times, 28 January 2010, “Exit America” The same Cohen op-ed indicates that only nine minutes were devoted to international affairs in President Obama’s first State of the Union message last month. And now we… » read more
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Common Foreign & Security Policy, English, EU Treaty & Institutions, Middle East, Security |
European Defence: Democratic Deficit?
January 13, 2010
Europeans interested in civilian control of the military and in democratic oversight of the EU’s foreign affairs (to include defence) would do well to consider the opinion of Jan Dirk Blaauw, former Netherlands MP and former President of the WEU Assembly. The Assembly of the WEU (an institution that many casual observers had thought long… » read more
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Common Foreign & Security Policy, English , Defence |
It’s 2010, and “Blasphemy” returns to Europe
January 4, 2010
When I was a kid going to Catholic school in Pennsylvania, we used to tell puerile religion jokes: Knock, knock. Who’s there? John. John who? John the Baptist. At which point you’d get a squirt from a real or imaginary water pistol. Get it? Clean, innocent fun, like the one about God’s phone number, which… » read more
Downwind of Copenhagen, Downstream from Brussels
December 21, 2009
Whatever just happened in Copenhagen – and I reserve judgment ’til I’ve read a comprehensive debrief – the underlying problem of carbon overproduction hasn’t gone away. One thing is for sure: this post and millions like it, and the millions of emails and spam mails sent daily, will add their share of greenhouse gases to… » read more
The Burgs Who Can Show Copenhagen The Way
December 9, 2009
We recently spent an extended weekend in beautiful bourgs within easy driving distance of Brussels: Freiburg, Germany; Strasbourg, France; and Luxembourg (capital and country of same name). For climate change negotiators in Copenhagen, a visit to these three cities near the Rhine and the Moselle rivers could help point the way to a post-carbon future.… » read more
Swiss Steeples, But No Minarets. Is Muslim Money Welcome?
November 30, 2009
Muslim communities say the decision will spread deep concern and worry. The Swiss government and businesses are worried too – about whether this controversial but democratic ballot will provoke an international backlash. Alan Fisher, Al Jazeera English, “Swiss brace for minaret backlash” What if that backlash were to include a disinvestment or divestment wave among… » read more
Copenhagen: Can Obama Deliver His Countrymen?
November 29, 2009
I certainly hope so, since I played a small part in helping the man get elected last year. But a recent trip to the US makes me pause. This appeared first in my other blog, Avuncular American. ————— Les culottes à l’air, or airing the Unmentionables Cheapskate that I am, I am milking the Financial… » read more
A Pledging Czar For Dead Beat Donors
November 25, 2009
Large sums promised to developing countries to help them tackle climate change cannot be accounted for, a BBC investigation has found. Rich countries pledged $410m (£247m) a year in a 2001 declaration – but it is now unclear whether the money was paid. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has accused industrialised countries of failing to… » read more