Hanson and Europe: a critique

Since the fall of the Roman Empire, Europeans have been driven by a deep desire to recapture those 2 centuries of felicitious peace. A peace people and goods could travel freely from one end of the Mediterreanan to the other, pay with a common currency, measure and weigh things with a common standard, rely on the Roman law to adjuicate their dispute, call upon the legions to defend the territory.
The subsequent history of Europe has always been a dispute of how to recapture that unity: by peaceful means or by force of arms. I share the vision of a reunited Europe but it must be carried out by peaceful means through a decentralized central authority that cherished its diversity, incorporates its religious heritiage and share the common values with the world.
Hence I particularly tire of articles like Davis Hanson's While I share some of his presecriptions that the Europeans need to be responsible for their own defense (though Matt Welch advocated it first) and pay for it, I'm particularly irritated with the view that a unified Europe is a threat to America. Davis Hanson advocates for America to adopt the British stategy that it could tolerate half a dozen competing powers but not one or tow on the continent. A unified Europe need not be a threat and while the present course taken by the present Eurocrats is one that must be opposed, current American attitudes merely reinforces the Eurocrats authouritarian bias. It ill serves American interests to split 'old' Europe from the 'new'. Isolating countries without purging the unaccountable authoritarianism resolves nothing. If Europe is to be a positive force for the world, then all must be engaged and not favour the 'new' over the 'old'

France, America and intelligence: Thanks International Herald Tribune!

The bloggers beat mainstream media. The International Hearld Tribune has published an article decrying the anti-French sentiment currently gripping the U.S. The newspaper's fear is that if the American isolate the French, the former will lose the latter's intelligence on Islamojihadist. Thank you IHT! I happen to have written something quite similar in various blog posts months ago. Obviously, I disagree with some of the article points but the general thesis that Americans will have to swallow their distaste and work with the French, especially in intelligence gathering, is one I fully concour with.  ¶ 22:00

 

Italy and Cuba: the end of the European fantasy?

Well well well is this article ever interesting. So the Italian lower house has passed a resolution threatening to cut off Italian aid and inventment to the island if the jailed dissidents aren't freed soon

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The resolution is significant because since the Cuban revolution the Europeans habve always stuck with Castro. Typical Third worldism.
I'm surprised that Spain- Cuba's biggest investor- hasn't done the same considering that the political party in power is diametrically opposite to Castro.
Be that as it may, I think the Italian action just might start a chain reaction. The Europeans are finally becoming disenchanted with Castro and his regime. The regime brazen execution of the 3 hijackers offended European sensibilities; the trial and stiff sentences of the dissidents have struck the Euroepans as particularly odious and the imprisonement as disproportionate.

Finally, I think 11 Sept has jolted some Europeans to quit the BS and denounce tyranies whereever they are.

Light blogging

Sorry for the light blogging. A major reason is that real life committments keep me away. Another reason is that I haven't found many topics that grab my attention. Also it's good to take a break time to time from blogging and recharge the batteries and replenish the muse's cup.

Un cri de coeur pour les Européen

Je salue Pr Raymond de Souza pour cet article émouvant Que des causes nobles, on puisse les battre de façon noble et qu'on doit combattre lorsque le mal apparaît est une formulation lapidaire voire élégante. Cette formulation inspirera les Européens qui se trovuve en conflit avec ce désir de vaincre le mal là où il se trouve par la sobriété de les mémoire de les deux guerres mondiales. Néanmoins, on doit respecter ceux, qui par conviction sincère s'ont opposés à la guerre en Irak tout comme ceux qui ont appui la guerre. Parfois l'applications de principes moraux et éthique amènent a un conflits entre partisans. Cependant ceci est dû à une différence raisonnable du discérnement mais au fond, les deux côtés desirent d'arrêter ce mal qui nuit.   ¶ 17:51

 

Iraq, North Korea and weapons of mass destruction: bring back Cocom

Cocom, for the younger reader, refers to the Coordinating committee. An entity that during the cold war was in charge of ensuring that senistive and advanced technologies didn't end up in the Soviet union and the Communist bloc. By an large it was successful but it fell into disuse during the euphoria of the Berlin Wall's fall.

I urge the Western countries to reactivate the Cocom. However, it's mandate should be upated to include the tracking down of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; technology transfers, movement of key scientists, etc. The purpose is to document the spread of the weapons and technology. Such dossiers would also assuage the leeriness that many Western country citizens feel about pre-emptive strikes

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To be sure there has to be both a secret dossier for the governments to have accurate information as well as a public dossier that doesn't obviosuly divulge the top secret means that gathered the intelligence (sources and methods in the spy jargon)

Given the growing controversy of France's alleged leakage of transtalantic communications with Iraq (I say alleged because I'm still skeptical that the French goverment could be perferdious; though I'll keep an open mind as more information become available) the other advanced industralized countries will have to lean heavily on France in order to ensure that Cocom's effectiveness isn't undercut by lack of cooperation by any member of the new Cocom.

Ma montre numérique: ou les anamolies de la tachnologie

J'ai une montre qui est très sophistiquée. Elle me donne les horaires dans deux zones différentes, elle a une chronomètre qui puisse compter ou décompter et faire les laps du temps. Elle est très utile mais je ne le put pas reculer ou avancer l'horologe un heure. C'est à la fois amusant et exaspérant que je doit avances le temps 24 heures pour l'avancer ou réculer un heure pendant chaque changement de saisdon. Pourquoi les programmeurs des montres numérique ne incorporent une option de changement d'horaires aux lieux qui l'ont pour le printemps et autome?
Voilà une belle anamolie de la technologie.   ¶ 15:18