In case it may have escaped your notice, for the present at least, the UK is a Member of the European Union, as are the Netherlands. You also de-colonised quite largely in the past, remember this lot Dutch Empire?

European Studies focuses on the EU institutions and the EU as organizations. It does not cover the history of every member state.

Also, yes, I could put the Netherlands between France and the UK as countries that would intervene in other countries if it suits them. But given our small size and tiny army the idea of us invading any country outside of a NATO or UN framework is laughable.

Also, we decolonized not because we wanted to, but because we were forced to do so by the US. We would lose our post war aid if we continued our little war in Indonesia. We would have lost anyways, but it would have taken us a bit longer to realize that.

And I might remind you that you still have

Aruba
Curaçao
Sint Maarten
Antilles

How much do you interfere in them then? So don't you even think about having a poke at me about the British Commonwealth laddie, else you will come off a very second best. Please go and finish this course of yours, then tell us what if anything you may have learned,. So far it isn't looking promising.

Sure, we basically run those places. Alright, technically we are equal partners, but given that those places are tiny and irrelevant, we do most of the work. Obviously, we designed it so that this would happen. Also, the Antilles aren't a country. Unless you mean Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius, which are special municipalities of the Netherlands, not even countries.

But what about the countries that have left us for good? Indonesia? Suriname? We'd love to interfere in those places, but we aren't big and powerful enough to do that. Just proves my point about countries acting in their own self interest really.

OK, I am beginning to understand you and Chris going 'at' each other like this,
Мишель.

Мишель, are you holding a grudge because the English took away your New Netherlands colony in North America from you in 1664 (renaming it New York)?

<wink/>

Question, do you tell the people in those places that they are irrelevant?

And you have the stones to call those of us from the UK and the USA imperialists???

Bwahahahah!!!

You are making a LOT more sense now.

Мишель, are you holding a grudge because the English took away your New Netherlands colony in North America from you in 1664 (renaming it New York)?

<wink/>

Ohh the opportunities we lost that day. Who knows, we might have been having this conversation in Dutch if we had kept it for ourselves ;)

Question, do you tell the people in those places that they are irrelevant?

I meant irrelevant in the sense that they have a combined population of a little less than 300 thousand people, their combined GDP is about 6 billion dollars and their political influence on the world stage is....well, saying its small would be a very generous way of putting it.

And compare that to the Netherlands (the country), which has 17 million citizens and a GDP of 800 billion dollars. See my point?

And you have the stones to call those of us from the UK and the USA imperialists???

Bwahahahah!!!

You are making a LOT more sense now.

You can call the Netherlands imperialist and I wouldn't disagree with you. Hell, you could easily fill a whole topic with things that are wrong with the Netherlands, and I would probably agree with most of it.

10 countries in Europe have now parties and movements that are pro-russian.
Many are also neo-nazis. How does that comply with Putins war against nazis and fascists in Ukraine?
The Kremlin allows a Russian bank give a loan of 90 million to the National Front.
The pattern has become increasingly clear in recent years. The Kremlin and Europe's populist parties flirts uncontrollably with each other. For the Russian part is party affiliation and ideological labels now uninteresting, more important is the common opposition to the EU and the US.
https://translate.google.se/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=sv&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dn.se%2Fnyheter%2Fvarlden%2Feuropas-populister-foljer-putin%2F&edit-text=

I'm gonna surprise Мишель by paying the Netherlands two compliments. First one is that the Dutch resistance movement in WWII was widely acclaimed as heroic and quite rightly too. And everybody loved Queen Juliana and her common touch with the people by cycling everywhere to meet the public. Not sure you could safely do that today :-((

It pains me to say that the first compliment is an undeserved one. At least, partly undeserved. The people that fought in the Dutch resistance were for the most part heroes and they have done some amazing work. But on the whole, the Dutch resistance was rather....minimal. Most people just stood on the sidelines and let everything happen. Worse still is the myth that we created right after the war that the Dutch resistance was this big thing almost everyone apparently participated in.

But yeah, our Royal family is great! :)

I wonder how the Kremlin thinks when these proposals are put forward in the Russian Duma.
Historical justice?

Russia should require several thousand billion euros in reparations from Germany - as compensation for World War II. Duma member Mikhail Degtiarjov has formed a working group to assess how much today's Germany should pay Russia for the deaths and destruction during the war 70 years ago.
http://izvestia.ru/news/582576

Sergei Narysjkin, Duma president and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin has ordered a working group to prepare a statement condemning German reunification in 1990 - or Duma president's words, "West Germany's annexation of the GDR".
http://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/news/38741981/naryshkin-podderzhal#

In 'Bad Times', most people are just trying to survive. Can't blame them. Just Human Nature.

Afterwards, everyone claims to be a hero. Can't blame them. Just Human Nature.

Well, I don't really blame them. The Germans treated the Netherlands a lot better than they did with other people of other countries. Our reluctance to resist is not a surprise.

But I do blame them for pretending like we did such a great job resisting the Germans. We deported the highest percentage of Jews in Western Europe, and when the few survivors returned from the camps, they were treated with indifference and their experiences where downplayed (you think you had it bad in Auschwitz, you know nothing of how bad the hungerwinter was). Then congratulating ourselves for saving so many Jews is just a very sick joke. I guess its human nature, but that doesn't make it any less sickening, and its certainly not worth applauding.

I wonder how the Kremlin thinks when these proposals are put forward in the Russian Duma.
Historical justice?

Russia should require several thousand billion euros in reparations from Germany - as compensation for World War II. Duma member Mikhail Degtiarjov has formed a working group to assess how much today's Germany should pay Russia for the deaths and destruction during the war 70 years ago.
http://izvestia.ru/news/582576

More of that lovely European idea of Corruption of Blood! Wonderful. Make Europe just like Palestine and Israel!

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I wonder how the Kremlin thinks when these proposals are put forward in the Russian Duma.
Historical justice?

Russia should require several thousand billion euros in reparations from Germany - as compensation for World War II. Duma member Mikhail Degtiarjov has formed a working group to assess how much today's Germany should pay Russia for the deaths and destruction during the war 70 years ago.
http://izvestia.ru/news/582576

More of that lovely European idea of Corruption of Blood! Wonderful. Make Europe just like Palestine and Israel!

Hmm. European idea. What is that?
Even EU member states cannot agree with each other.
Does Russia and Scandinavia share the same values?

Hmm. European idea. What is that?
Even EU member states cannot agree with each other.
Does Russia and Scandinavia share the same values?

Depends what you mean by Values, Morality, Political Thought, and Cultures.

The difference of Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern Europe: Is not as great, as their difference from other parts of The World.

There is much sharing between European Country's.

The question is, is Russia a part of Europe. And thats a discussion that has been going on for ages (literally).

Will it do to have the video?

Did He use the word domino? Yes he did! When was the last time that was used?

Was it worth watching?
Does it help address my previous questions?

Then, perhaps we can ask, was no one else thinking or saying the same thing, was no one listening to Glenn?
Remember, the Mujahadeen were in existence in the 1980s.
Remember that al Qaeda attakced the WTC with a car bomb (essentially?) in an interior parking lot in 1003.
IIRC, al Qaeda attacked American interests abroad in late summer of 1998.
No one else knew something was up until Glenn?
Hmmm.

Haven't read the article yet, but I'm surprised no one has posted about Putin and Aspberger's.

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

I'm surprised no one has posted about Putin and Aspberger's

I heard that one of the researchers had a last name
of Schicklgruber. Well I heard that!

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Britain leads the way as usual.

Nato defence ministers have gathered in Brussels to discuss the details of the "Very High Readiness Joint Task Force" (VJTF), which will form Nato's first response in the face of aggression.

It is expected to be made up of about 5,000 troops from Nato countries, with its lead units able to deploy at two days' notice. The UK will be the force's lead nation in 2017 and then on rotation thereafter, Mr Fallon said. He said the UK would contribute manpower to two regional headquarters in Poland and Romania, and to force integration units in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria.

The UK will also send four RAF Typhoon jets to support the Nato's Baltic air policing mission in 2015, he confirmed. The Typhoons will operate alongside Norwegian aircraft between May and August 2015, with the aim of securing Nato's airspace over Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, which do not have their own air defence fighters. They will operate at Nato's request from Amari Airbase in Estonia..

BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus said the move was aimed to reassure Nato countries in eastern Europe and deter what is perceived as a potential Russian threat to the Baltic republics or other Nato members.

So I repeat the title of this thread to Russia. Nobody in the world trusts your man Putin, he can't even keep a marriage together, let alone a country.

BBC News

And what does keeping a marriage going have anything to do with being a leader? Ive been divorced and widowed before I remarried a 3rd time. Sure I can guess why Putin got a divorce.
And No, I dont trust him at all. Hes the guy you dont give an inch to.

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[/quote]

Old James

Haven't read the article yet, but I'm surprised no one has posted about Putin and Aspberger's.

I'm very suspicious of that claim.

Why? The blurb I saw with the link to the article said this was the hypothesis of some group such as the CIA, so ... ?

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

Will it do to have the video?

Did He use the word domino? Yes he did! When was the last time that was used?

Was it worth watching?

If you want to see another rehash of the domino theory of Communism taking over the world....

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Haven't read the article yet, but I'm surprised no one has posted about Putin and Aspberger's.

I'm very suspicious of that claim.

I also doubt it. And if he has so what.
He is in good Company such as Thomas Jefferson, Isaac Newton...
http://www.asperger-syndrome.me.uk/people.htm

Haven't read the article yet, but I'm surprised no one has posted about Putin and Aspberger's.

I'm very suspicious of that claim.

Why? The blurb I saw with the link to the article said this was the hypothesis of some group such as the CIA, so ... ?

Associated, on the periphery, with these Agency's, when Attached to NATO, many decades ago.

Many reasons to release this type of 'information'.

Truth may not be one of the reasons.

EDIT: If true: Why release this information?

Looking at a USA Today article (in the middle of it):

1) I erred when I said CIA (but, I wasn't claiming I knew for sure which agency made the report). It was The Pentagon.
2) As for releasing the information, the article claims it was due to a Freedom of Information request.

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

Biden's message:
http://www.voanews.com/content/french-president-says-peace-deal-one-of-last-chances-to-end-ukraine-crisis/2632895.html wrote:

The United States wants a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine but will continue to provide Kyiv with "security assistance," not to encourage war but to allow it to defend itself against Russia, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Saturday.

Speaking at an international security conference in Munich, Biden said Russia's President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly vowed to work for peace but instead had delivered "tanks, troops and weapons" to the conflict. He said Russia should be judged by its deeds, rather than its words.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he had "no doubt" that the United States would send economic help and what he called aid of "other kinds" to Ukraine.

In an interview to be fully aired Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Kerry said the United States would be helping Ukraine with the understanding that there is no military solution.

"The solution is a political, diplomatic one," Kerry said. "But President Putin's got to make the decision to take an off-ramp" on support for the separatists. "And we have to make it clear to him that we are absolutely committed to the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine, no matter what."

NATO's top commander in Europe, U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove, said at the conference that the West should not rule out sending weapons to the Ukrainian military

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2) As for releasing the information, the article claims it was due to a Freedom of Information request.

Yea... Sure...

Just a suggestion to those in power (guess who).

Just because you apparently conduct Foreign Policy from 'Hurt Feelings', and Personal likes/dislikes (Very Amateurish):

Don't make this personal with Putin.

Putin is not Israel's Leader. Putin is REALLY dangerous.

Speaking of that, as I read further into the article, it reminded me of Israelis training the TSA to spot potential terrorists by physical cues given while waiting at the airport.

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

What we don't understand about Russia because we don't know their history is the satellite states or as I was taught buffer zone was Russia a thousand years ago.

And what about those who trace their roots there back to earlier than 862? How should they view this Scandinavia "invasion"?

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.