Putin’s willy-waving shows his failure – Russia is not an attractive option. He can only win friends by force. This is a sign of weakness, not strength. Good piece, worth a read.
March 1, 2014
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
Category Archives: Rest of the World
March 1, 2014
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
If I were to write a post on the current Ukraine situation, this would be it
Good stuff. Only thing I’d add is a general attack on a whole load of journalists and news organisations who should have known better than to repeat unverified information and allegations from blatantly biased sources (on both sides) in an … Continue reading
June 12, 2012
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on An American view of Europe the UK would be sensible to note
An American view of Europe the UK would be sensible to note
Once again, no one knows what’s going to happen – yet everyone knows it’s going to be bad. This from The Atlantic makes some good points amidst the “eurogeddon” worst-case scenario act – but this time from an American perspective, … Continue reading
September 15, 2010
by Nosemonkey
20 Comments
France, the Roma, and the Divine Right of States
In the 17th century, Britain fought a civil war over the principle that no one – not even the King – should be above the law. This conflict resulted in the destruction of the concept of divine right in Britain … Continue reading
July 1, 2010
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
Britain’s new foreign policy approach
As regular readers of this blog will know, my single biggest worry about the Conservative party taking office in the UK was the prospect of arch-eurosceptic William Hague taking over the Foreign Office (the man who, as leader of the … Continue reading
January 17, 2010
by Nosemonkey
47 Comments
The libertarian case for European integration
Many eurosceptics profess to be libertarians. To me this makes no sense at all. Continue reading
December 16, 2009
by Nosemonkey
20 Comments
The US State Department on the Lisbon Treaty
We’ve seen all the intra-European arguments about Lisbon (now in force for a full fortnight) – what we really need is some expert extra-European opinion. So ta very much to Philip H Gordon, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian … Continue reading
October 27, 2009
by Nosemonkey
6 Comments
First Europe, then… the world?
A few vague thoughts towards predicting a new global geopolitics Continue reading
August 14, 2009
by Nosemonkey
20 Comments
The NHS under attack
There’s a big row going on about President Obama’s proposed healthcare reforms in the US at the moment. It’s US politics, so holds little interest for me. But then the Republicans – taking hyperbole and wilful disinformation to whole new … Continue reading
July 7, 2009
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
7/7 attacks, four years on
If you haven’t, read the liveblog from the day, have a look at the one year on post, much of which still stands (though, thankfully, this country seems to be rather less hysterical about terrorism these days), and flick through … Continue reading
February 12, 2009
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
The EU, UK and civil liberties
Via the Convention on Modern Liberty‘s Twitter feed and following yesterday’s post on German concerns about the EU being used as a democratic bypass comes news of a worrying development for the freedom of every EU citizen: People may be … Continue reading
February 3, 2009
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Russia to join Nabucco pipeline project?
Well, that could be one way of diffusing the ongoing EU/CIS standoff over EUropean energy supplies that recently saw death and destruction in Georgia and much of southern/eastern Europe lose gas supplies in the middle of winter. EurActiv reports that … Continue reading
January 1, 2009
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Welcome to 2009
Nothing changes, it seems. Just like 2008, 2009 promises to bring yet more Russian sabre-rattling and European fears about the continent’s long-term energy security. Also time to welcome in the Czech EU presidency. With the Czech Republic currently being run … Continue reading
December 8, 2008
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Intriguing European history initiative
Without an honest, open understanding of our pasts – both individual and collective – how can we possibly hope to build a better future? Continue reading