CIA gives grim warning on European prospects

Scotsman ^ | 01/16/05 | NICHOLAS CHRISTIAN

[Andy from Beaverton]

We're not that far behind the Euro-peons.

[Dog Gone]

That's weird. A CIA assessment I agree with.

[starfish923]

Doesn't the CIA have anything better to do than to try to predict Europe's future?
Geez. How 'bout trying to find UBL, predict where the next terror attack will be...or something really creative about our own future?
That is JUST what Europeans need and want to hear...the CIA telling them what their problems are. Seems arrogant and misplaced. I wonder why he chose to do that. It's like telling India that they have a lot of problems....over population, under development. Why?
And why post this?
Just curious. Don't mean to start any trouble.

[ml1954]

It also predicts the end of Nato..

NATO is already just about dead. NATO's almost token help in Afghanistan and nonexistent help in Iraq have taken care of that. We may be pulling out of Bosnia and Kosovo in the next couple of years. After that, it's all over except for the funeral.

[America's Resolve]

Nothing here freepers haven't been saying for a LONG time.

[Phsstpok]

We're not that far behind the Euro-peons.

There was an earlier thread comparing the economies of EU countries to US state economies. The best countries of the EU would only beat out 4 or 5 US states if compared individually. (been searching, can't find the right key words yet, will post link if I can find it).

Our "peons" have a standard of living better than the middle or even upper middle class in European countries, when measured in terms of income, food, housing, possessions such as cars, TVs, microwaves, etc.

[Jimmy Valentine]

Next big CIA discovery.............STEAM!!

[Dog Gone]

It's more than predicting the future of Europe. This newspaper simply extracted some key points about Europe for its article.

It's actually fascinating reading.

Read it here.

[rightwinggoth]

Maybe once they drop the Euro I can afford to go back. ;)

[CFC__VRWC]

If the CIA says 15 years, it's probably more like three.

[oldplayer]

Not to start an argument, but a lot of the "reports" on these types of reports are politically biased. The conclusion often drawn by the "reporter" is that more immigration is the only way out of the "crisis."

I ask "what crisis?" Surely we can find a way for all us to survive with 350 million people in America and slightly more than that many in Europe? Some adjustments will be needed to both our views and our actions, but surely we can find a way to have a nice standard of living, space to camp and enjoy the outdoors and occasionally star-gaze without increasing immigration a jillion people a year.

Call me naive and retro, if you must.

tyson

[CFC__VRWC]

Geez. How 'bout trying to find UBL, predict where the next terror attack will be...or something really creative about our own future?

Now when would the CIA find time to do something that might enhance our national security? They've got much more important things to do, like trying to oust Porter Goss so they can go back to undermining President Bush full time, instead of only part time like they're forced to do now.

[Dog Gone]

Europe may not be in crisis, but in several european countries, including Russia, the birthrate is less than 2.0 per woman, which means the population, excluding immigration, is in decline. Moreover, life expectancy in many countries, including Russia, is actually in decline.

How europe deals with immigration is going to have a lot to do with how their economies perform, and what their national identities look like in the future.

[sergeantdave]

If European nations were admitted as states into the America union, they would be our poor, dependent cousins.

If the UK, France, or Italy became U.S. states, they would rank as the 5th poorest of the states, ahead only of Arkansas, Montana, West Virginia, and Mississippi. The richest EU country - Ireland - would be the 13th poorest. Sweden would be the 6th poorest.

“Good economic development, in other words, results in even poor people being relatively well off in the states,” wrote Dr. Fredrik Bergström, President of The Swedish Research Institute of Trade, Robert Gidehag in the book “Sweden versus the US.”

“Hence, the EU no longer is – or is seen as – the great economic liberator of Europe.”

In other words, a redneck driving a pick-up with a gun rack lives better than European gentry.

In the 1990s, U.S. growth was twice that of Europe’s, and three times that of Japan’s. The U.S. per capita income is now 55% higher than the EU-15 average, and 50% higher than Japan’s.

[Phsstpok]

Thank you. That's the info.

Was it in the full text of this CIA report? Where did you find it?

[Chgogal]

The EU shouldn't be too worried, the CIA doesn't have a good track record.