Mulling over LEE LOFASO to STEVE ASHER 06 Mar 2005

G'day Lee...

SA>EU aims to be military superpower
SA>Anthony Browne in Brussels
SA>March 03, 2005

SA>AMID a trans-Atlantic row over its determination to resume arms sales
SA>to China, the European Union has outlined plans to become a military
SA>superpower and close the defence technology gap on the US.

 LL> Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!  I love reading the comics, but this is
 LL> too much!  The United States is #1 in the world in weapons and
 LL> defense, having almost 50 percent of the entire world's armaments. 

I think it is fair to say that the USA has the bulk of the world's
weapons of mass destruction, or at least the means to effectively
deliver them.

 LL> Britain is #2 in the world, having almost 5% of the entire world's
 LL> armaments. Europe has always been divided against itself, the
 LL> Island of Britain vs. the Continent of Europe.  And the U.S. and
 LL> Britain are the best of friends, sharing much of their know-how and
 LL> technology with each other.

That may change - the "United" Europe will never form a perfect union
like the USA or Australia, but will be a mixture of "iron and clay"
that never truly unites. Some of the EU member states will be destroyed,
perhaps because the USA / Britain rejects them as "Old Europe" and
punishes them for failing to roll over and support the latest invasion.

SA>The EU would develop unmanned drones, new armoured vehicles and
SA>advanced communication systems, the British head of the newly created
SA>European Defence Agency said.

 LL> Ah.  Britain would not mind being King of Europe.  And Prince
 LL> Charles would much rather be King of Europe rather than King of
 LL> Britain.  Just look at his coat of arms, which says it all.

More likely that the EU would be Presidential, with a beefed-up version
of the current rotating presidency, which is not stable - it may go
straight to an Imperial system, complete with Emperor, but it is unlikely
(IMO) that a king could be found who would appeal to all europeans, whether
they have monarchs (Britain, Holland etc) or not (France, Germany etc).

SA>EDA chief executive Nick Witney said the 25-nation EU would establish
SA>a joint fighter-pilot training program and co-ordinate the testing of
SA>military equipment.

 LL> I can just see it now.  French, German, Italian, Spanish, and
 LL> British pilots taking flying lessons from Poles and Ukrainians. 
 LL> It's a disaster waiting to happen.

Would it be any different from NATO, except on a larger scale, & minus
the USA/Canada?

SA>The initiatives represent the EU's first step in military research and
SA>development.

 LL> Europe can dream, as it always has.  But for Europeans, making
 LL> dreams a reality usually turns out to be nightmares.  Recent
 LL> history proves that point.  Just look at Adolf Hitler and Nazi
 LL> Germany, creating a united Europe through conquest.

Conquest didn't work - stealth & cunning, even in response to a global
superpower, seems to be worth a try. Start out with a treaty of Rome,
form an economic community, then an economic union, then an economic
& political union, then Europa uber alles?

SA>They are aimed at transforming the EU from being a political power, in
SA>charge of policies such as agriculture and trade, to a military one,
SA>capable of sending troops around the world to enforce a foreign policy
SA>agreed by its member states.

 LL> Europeans love to go to war against each other.  Spain.  England.
 LL> France.  Germany.  Italy.  Doesn't really matter which country.
 LL> They all hate each other.  And none speak the same language. 

Many speak English, apart from the French. 

SA>The strategy is controversial. EU members such as Ireland and Sweden
SA>fear their traditional neutrality is being threatened, while in
SA>Britain there has been concern that the initiative will undermine NATO
SA>and its close military relationship with the US.

 LL> Europe does not have the same firepower that the US has.  Which is
 LL> probably a good thing, given Europe's history of fighting amongst
 LL> themselves.

Well, I don't know everything, and did never suspect that the wheels
would fall off the Soviet Union as quickly as they did (I assumed that
it would remain largely intact, & that the "cold war" would end in a
"hot war" without a transition phase where Russia & its satellites
would attempt to transform themselves into western style democracies).
I did see the reunification of Germany coming, but didn't expect the
Warsaw Pact to fall apart. The same fate could await the USA, and not
even its masses of WMD could stop it, if it should happen. I don't
expect it, but the collapse of the Soviet Union shows that it is unwise
not to expect the unexpected.

SA>Moves to turn Europe into a military superpower will also heighten
SA>concerns in Washington over the EU's plans to lift a 15-year-old arms
SA>embargo on China. US President George W.Bush and congressional leaders
SA>from both parties presented a united front yesterday in opposition to
SA>the plan for renewed arms sales.

 LL> China is not the least bit interested in invading Europe.  Nor is
 LL> China the least bit interested in invading the US.  Even though
 LL> historically the Chinese have kept to themselves, rather than being
 LL> an expansionist power, the Chinese have been developing a growing
 LL> navy.  And that could spell trouble for many Asian countries, such
 LL> as Indonesia and the Philippines.

Personally, I am more concerned about the rearming of Japan - they have
form for invading Asian countries.

SA>The US Congress has warned it will consider retaliatory trade action
SA>against European countries that start selling military technology to
SA>China, a move Washington fears would threaten Taiwan and US troops in
SA>the region.

 LL> No country in the world recognizes Taiwan as a separate,
 LL> independent state.  Not even the US.  Furthermore, the US does not
 LL> have troops in Taiwan, and it is doubtful there ever will be.  If
 LL> China decides to re-incorporate Taiwan through military force, the
 LL> US will not oppose. To the US, as far as foreign policy is
 LL> concerned, Taiwan is nothing more than a mite on a chessboard.  To
 LL> Europe, it is even less. 

There are, apparently, 25 countries that recognise Taiwan's sovereignty;
Tuvalu is one of them, but it might have gone unnoticed in the USA. It
didn't go unnoticed in mainland China, however.

Cheers, Steve..

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