Posted on 04/17/2003 3:05:55 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
EU's party for new 10 crashed by war in Iraq
Frank Bruni/NYT The New York Times
Wednesday, April 16, 2003
ATHENS The road from the airport into the heart of this city is lined with the flags of the European Union: not only the 15 countries in the club, but also the 10 whose leaders will sign accession treaties here Wednesday.
The signing ceremony, at the foot of the Acropolis, represents a milestone in the Union's largest expansion, and the flags are a testament to that - the symbolic assertion of a stronger, more integrated Europe.
But at the end of the road, in the city's central square, hangs a different kind of banner.
"Not wanted: the butchers Blair, Aznar and company," reads the sign, which was raised by anti-war protesters and takes aim at the British and Spanish prime ministers and others in the union who supported the invasion of Iraq.
Greece, like France and Germany, opposed it. The placement of the banner, across the street from the Greek Parliament, evokes that schism and the degree to which it overshadows the convergence of European heads of state for the ceremony and a series of meetings here this week.
Intended as a showcase of unity, their gathering comes at a time of significant division.
"This was supposed to be a historic summit, showcasing Europe on the upswing," said Steven Everts, a Dutch researcher at the Center for European Reform, an independent group based in London. "That's what the stage managers planned."
"But that's not how it feels," Everts continued. "Europe is in a foul mood. Everybody's got grudges against everybody else."
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
I can't believe that after thousands of years being at one anothers throats, that they just can't throw their arms around one another and kiss and make up.
What a joke.
Who is going to be their fearless leader, Jock Strap the mouse that squeaks?
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
In the end, the UN will finish up as a freak show in deteriorating circumstances, relegated to sponsoring conferences for nongovernmental organizations and hosting dubious cultural presentations; like a low-rent beauty pageant with a boxing undercard.
Yes, and isn't the time ripe, to formalise and codify that natural gravitation? A Pacific Union; the US, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia. The United States, cutting the tired and ungrateful socialists of Europe loose, and forming a new bond with the democratic capitalist powerhouses of the Pacific rim.
..these Pacific Rim powerhouses will loosely gravitate around the United States...Yes, and isn't the time ripe, to formalise and codify that natural gravitation? A Pacific Union ...
It will soon be Anzac Day in Australia. How many realize that more Diggers have fought side by side with America during World War 2, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq than at the behest of the British Empire in South Africa, Gallipoli and Mesopotamia? That for the greatest part of its existence as an independent nation, Australia's primary defense ally and trading partner has been, not England, but the United States? That by any objective historical reckoning, there ought to be an ANZUS day as well?
Not Simon Creane and probably not Kim Beazly, but the day will come.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.