September 3, 2008
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
So, where are we after the EU’s summit on the Georgia crisis? Exactly where we were before the summit. A few vague tutting sounds in the general direction of Russia, a bit of hyperbole (Hans-Gert Pottering, who should know better, … Continue reading
August 29, 2008
by Nosemonkey
6 Comments
One of the major theories behind the formation of the EU – and one of the successes that has always been claimed – is that by intertwining European economies as closely as we can, future conflict will become impossible. All … Continue reading
August 22, 2008
by Nosemonkey
15 Comments
Two interesting – and thematically related – pieces look at past conflicts in relation the the Georgia / Russia spat over the last couple of days have prompted some thoughts along the old comparative history line (always an interesting intellectual … Continue reading
August 22, 2008
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Ah… The 2007 accession states of Bulgaria and Romania… What to make of them? At the time I was both optimistic and pessimistic all at once. A year and a half on…? After Bulgaria being told off last month (for, … Continue reading
August 19, 2008
by Nosemonkey
8 Comments
What way forward after the Georgia crisis? Continue reading
August 18, 2008
by Nosemonkey
6 Comments
Yesterday’s Observer was on really rather good form, with a decent long article amply demonstrating the human cost – easy to forget when trying to work out the wider geopolitical remifications: “They sifted out villagers with Georgian surnames, immediately executing … Continue reading
August 15, 2008
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
From the press conference held by Condoleezza Rice this afternoon on the South Ossetia situation: “the way that Russia has brutally pushed this military operation well beyond the bounds of anything that might have related to South Ossetia calls into … Continue reading
August 15, 2008
by Nosemonkey
12 Comments
As we all try to work out what Russia thought she was doing by invading Georgia, another question springs to mind: What is Russia for? Continue reading
August 13, 2008
by Nosemonkey
10 Comments
So, despite the apparent truce following Moscow’s insanely over-the-top response to Georgia’s silly South Ossetian venture, it sounds like Russia’s still “peacekeeping” in Georgian territory. This is otherwise known as “invading a sovereign nation just for the hell of it”. … Continue reading
August 11, 2008
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
So it seems that Georgia just doesn’t know when she’s beat – although quite what the real situation is there nobody seems to know, as there’s so much disinformation around. Who’s at fault here – Russia or Georgia? The answer’s … Continue reading
August 10, 2008
by Nosemonkey
19 Comments
So, now that Georgia seems to have withdrawn from South Ossetia in the face of the overwhelming force of Russia’s displeasure, the question has to be asked: how on earth did they think they were going to be able to … Continue reading
August 6, 2008
by Nosemonkey
6 Comments
So then, nutty eurosceptic types who blamed the so-called Metric Martyrs‘ persecution on the EU (rather than, erm… a combination of a pre-EEC British decision to simplify measurements and their own obstinacy in not maintaining legal scales) – what’s the … Continue reading
August 6, 2008
by Nosemonkey
7 Comments
This started off as a reply to comments on this post, but got a bit lengthy… The Convention on the Future of Europe (which drew up the failed EU Constitution) was, in its early stages, a step in the right … Continue reading
August 5, 2008
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
Bad news for Brussels, as the World Health Organisation slams the Common Agricultural Policy: The cardiovascular disease burden attributable to CAP appears substantial. Furthermore, these calculations were conservative estimates, and the true mortality burden may be higher. More here: Direct … Continue reading