"Why Europe Gets No Respect"

https://www.hoover.org/research/why-europe-gets-no-respect

..."In most high-stakes diplomacy—denuclearizing North Korea, attempting to make China play by international norms of trade and commerce, keeping Vladimir Putin within his borders, destroying ISIS, isolating a theocratic and potentially nuclear Iran, and the perennial Israel and Palestinian problem—Europe is largely a spectator. Its once heralded “soft power” of the 1990s and early 21st century is more soft than powerful. The friends of Europe no longer count on it; its enemies do not fear it.

The high-tech revolution that birthed Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft passed Europe by. Judged by the great historical determinants of civilizational power—fuel, energy, education, demography, political stability, and military power—Europe is waning. It is spending a mere 1.4% of its collective GDP on defense. Most analysts conclude that even what Europe does spend on security does not translate directly into military readiness, at least in comparison with the U.S. military. And with a fertility rate of less than 1.6%, Europe is slowly shrinking and aging—hence the short-sighted immigration policy of Angela Merkel who apparently sees immigration also as a solution to the demography crisis and a shortcut to low-cost labor.".....

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"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>

The high-tech revolution that birthed Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft passed Europe by.

What?
You mean there are no high-tech revolution in countries like Finland, Sweden and Estonia.
Check your facts for heavens sake!

The high-tech revolution that birthed Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft passed Europe by.

What?
You mean there are no high-tech revolution in countries like Finland, Sweden and Estonia.
Check your facts for heavens sake!

Only through intentional ignorance can the right wing version of reality stand.

When will much of Western Europe take responsibly to ensure their future by making sure that:
#1 - They control (military power if need be) their energy needs.
#2 - They don't buy their energy from their enemies. Why would any sane Western European Country would give Putin control of much of their energy?

Wait a minut. What is a Western European Country?
To me Europe is divided in roughly 4 regions economically and political.
The Nordic, the Central, the South and the Eastern Europe.
Whatever. All countries need energy.
Germany is the country that now need a lot of energy from other countries because they decided to shut down all their nuclear plants after the Fukishima disaster.
There are also several other countries in Central Europe that need energy.
Now Merkel did a deal with Putin and now the construction of the Nord Stream II.
Sweden, Denmark and Finland doesn't like that at all.
But I say like Trump the Genius from Karlstad.
"What's wrong having a good relationship with Russia"

Russia is, and will always be - Russia. Just ask any of the countries on its borders. Be it past, present and of course, the future.

Blin. I have already have asked, eh, actually been told by countries on its borders like Finland and Estonia.
And here I can say that their portraying of Russia is somewhat different to what you have read in the media:)

Russia is, and will always be - Russia. Just ask any of the countries on its borders. Be it past, present and of course, the future.

Blin. I have already have asked, eh, actually been told by countries on its borders like Finland and Estonia.
And here I can say that their portraying of Russia is somewhat different to what you have read in the media:)

Putin, after Ukraine, has shown great patience in his and Russia's wish to recreate the Soviet Union's (Greater Russia) old borders. Let's add 'Buffer' Countries on Russia's western border.
BTW: Would you, as Germany has done. Place the future economy of your country in the hands of Putin, his Greater Russian successors, and the Russian Oligarchs?

"BTW"- What does this mean?

I think Clyde addressed the question to me.
Sweden doesn't have the need to import so much energy from other countries like Germany have to do.
Actually we already export energy to countries like Germany and Lithuania.
Instead of gas pipe lines they get energy with electrical cables.
And we are part of Nord Pool.
https://www.nordpoolgroup.com/
And I think that trading with Russia is much better than that Russia start to building buffer states again.
And that Kremlin stop the nonsense about historical and ethnical claims!

Does Alexander Dugin ring a bell?
And there are many other in Kremlin that think Russia has some kind of divine right of territories that perhaps was Russian in the history.
Well, Here we come from Sweden and annex Ingermanland again.

Saint Petersburg is the hometown of Putin:)
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BD%D0%B3%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%8F
How silly wouldn't that be?

Then Kaliningrad. More known as Königsberg. A very German city.
The home of the philosopher Immanuel Kant, the mathematician Leonhard Euler and also the influential mathematician David Hilbert.

Oh. Almost forgot Karelia!
Even more ridiculous now divided by Finland and Russia.
But the names of the villages have still Finnish names.
Voine, Voine:)

I want to know where Russia has specific claims on foreign territories?

Crimea?
Donbass?
Georgia?
Some other parts of Kaukasus that I don't remember ?
Transnistria?

Wrong thread to discuss this....

Back to America and the supposed differences in culture between the pond.
https://youtu.be/YLuZjpxmsZQ?t=577
It's the public that sucks:)

BTW means 'By The Way'. IE: In addition.

между прочим in Russian.
Förresten in Swedish:)
BTW. Isn't Slobbering Mouth a politician?

BTW means 'By The Way'. IE: In addition.

между прочим in Russian.
Förresten in Swedish:)
BTW. Isn't Slobbering Mouth a politician?

In Russian, the meaning is more suitable "Кстати"

Yes. Let's say my Russian isn't that very good.
https://russkiiyazyk.ru/orfografiya/pravopisanie/slovo-kstati-kak-pishetsya.html
извините:)

Judicial Watch: FBI Begins Releasing Strzok-Page Communications, DOJ Objects to Preservation Order

JULY 13, 2018

https://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-fbi-begins-releasing-strzok-page-communications-doj-objects-to-preservation-order/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=press%20release

" (Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it has received 87 pages of records from the Department of Justice revealing former top FBI official Peter Strzok and FBI attorney Lisa Page’s profanity-laced disdain for FBI hierarchy and policies. The DOJ, meanwhile, is resisting Judicial Watch’s request for a court order to preserve all responsive Page-Strzok communications.........

......Judicial Watch obtained the documents through a January 2018 Freedom of Information (FOIA) lawsuit filed after the DOJ failed to respond to a December 4, 2017, FOIA request (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:18-cv-00154)). The lawsuit is seeking:

* All records of communications, including but not limited to, emails, text messages and instant chats, between FBI official Peter Strzok and FBI attorney Lisa Page;

* All travel requests, travel authorizations, travel vouchers and expense reports of Peter Strzok;

* All travel requests, travel authorizations, travel vouchers and expense reports of Lisa Page. "

And down the rabbit hole we go........

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"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>

yawn

Theresa May: Trump told me to sue the EU
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44838028
Sigh... Trump the Genius again...

Much of Western Europe is living in the past and attempting to continue an Era that has ended, as all Era's have ended

Sigh. That is rubbish.
It is Trump who lives in past trying to convince the Americans to MAGA.
That was in 20th century when America was really great.
Won't happen again until the next world war.
And the winner is?

Much of Western Europe is living in the past and attempting to continue an Era that has ended, as all Era's have ended

Sigh. That is rubbish.
It is Trump who lives in past trying to convince the Americans to MAGA.
That was in 20th century when America was really great.
Won't happen again until the next world war.
And the winner is?

Clyde said something else.
Europe remained in the 20th century and is unable to move on. There is no person in Europe who can make decisive decisions.
  The problem is not in Trump, but in Europe, I understood Clyde.

First. Has Russia moved from Europe?
Please let us Europians know:)
Now. What problems do we have in Europe?
Which countries in Europe are still living in the 20th century?
Do we need assistance from other countries than European to solve problems?

There is a Russia thread to discuss all things Russian as well as a China thread to discuss all things Chinese.

There is a Russia thread to discuss all things Russian as well as a China thread to discuss all things Chinese.

Clyde and I are discussing issues of geopolitics, where the US and its President play an important role.

Still better discussed in the relevant threads. You've fallen for Clyde's favourite pastime, taking a thread off on a tangent whenever he loses an argument. :-)

So start your own thread where the both of you can discuss to your hearts content. : So simple. :-)

Can you recommend a related topic?

Just created a thread for you - Geopolitics. Have fun. :-)