...and 2 more makes 27!

January 1st 2007, Romania and Bulgaria have entered the European Union (EU). 40 million new specialized workers have flooded the European market and thus effectively lessened the chance of specialized immigration from anywhere else in the world. Visas for increasingly wealthy and attractive nations such as Ireland and Germany will be at a standstill as the Romanian and Bulgarian doctors, philosophers, engineers and pastry chefs complete the current vacancies in the job markets of Europe. I am not blaming these workers; they are simply taking advantage of the situation to cater to a new and more economically sound market.

The European Union now counts 27 countries and well over 500 million inhabitants. With a GDP of US$13.4 trillion, it has quickly become a dominating economic and political force on the contemporary risk map. Its predecessor, the European Economic Community (ECC) founded in Rome in 1957, was strictly an economic alliance. The new reality of the confederal EU confronts us with a prime example of “New Imperialism”, it has become a governing entity that establishes economic, domestic and foreign policies and soon perhaps a constitution. The individual gouvernments do retain autonomy (for now), but this situation is bound to create conflicts in fields of responsibility for the future.

Many such federations have existed in the past and the most appropriate for my demonstration is the Roman Empire. From the 3^rd century BC to the 3^rd century AD, the republic and empire incorporated most of the known western world. Most of the local gouvernments remained autonomous, although under the tutelage of Rome. This situation divided interests and popular support, the ultimate implosion of the empire in the 5^th century AD, was exacerbated by provincial administrations that had always remained loyal to Rome but even more so to their national identity.

It is my cynical opinion that the Roman Empire lasted almost 500 years due to its strong army and omnipresent show of power within its province, which the EU does not YET have. As we progress towards an all encompassed Europe (and beyond: Georgia), national identity and affiliation will reinforce racist and social Darwinist tendencies. Already, the cracks are beginning to show as a public opinion poll indicates: 70% of the Romanian population supported their inclusion into the EU although only 45% of the rest of the (much wealthier) EU wanted them. If I were the EU administrators, I would look for Visigoths over the seventh hill.

(Pictured: The Roman crest depicting Romulus and Remus - The current European Union)

End.

Death of a Dictator

Saturday December 30th 2006, Saddam Hussein is hanged after being sentenced to death by an Iraqi tribunal and after his appeal was rejected. He was executed according to properly established laws governing the country he presided over during almost 24 years. The sentence was applied in response to his accusation of crimes against humanity (148 murder counts); furthermore, the prosecution proved his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Despite the form and order of the legal proceedings, the sentence reached is widely controversial, especially in the Middle-East. Supporters scream corruption and injustice, pacifists deplore the death penalty (in its most valid application in a long time), and Saddam curses his betrayers to the minute before his hanging.

In history, the elimination of despots has only been accepted unanimously (or almost) when it was conducted without ANY direct international

pressure or help. Mussolini (Italy, 1922-1943) was shot, tied to the back of a car and driven around town in 1944 by the Italian people...Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos (Philippines, 1965-1986) were exiled without trial by the people and militia of Manila for their slovenly exploitation of the state treasury...Ceausescu (Romania, 1965-1989) was summarily (3 days) tried and executed (bullet through the head in front of the courthouse) by the Romanian people who wanted to free themselves of the yoke of communist oppression.

The «Allied» intervention to free Iraq of Saddam's tyranny aimed ultimately to train a new (properly Iraqi) administrative bureaucracy, peacekeeping police and army forces and penal system (without the former corruption of the Sunni gouvernment). Unfortunately, this initial «foreign» intervention has irreversibly fueled allegations of western influences and interests in the Hussein case.

It may be cynical, but in my opinion, a military or political coup in Iraq, without the «Allied» intervention (2003), would have resulted in the hasty execution of Saddam and his administration, as well as an absence of controversy regarding foreign influences. An intervention to revamp the administrative infrastructure by the «Allies» could have proceeded with an emblem of «restoring the peace» rather than the current «international meddling in internal affairs» if it had come after the internal change of gouvernment. This supposition includes the precept that the Iraqi people would have eventually risen to enact the coup (which is their prerogative and no one else's as stipulated in the autodetermination clause of the United Nations Charter).

When Mussolini finally lost Sicily and Southern Italy in 1941-1943, he moved north to establish his headquarters amongst a less than favourable social environment. The draconian measures employed by the new fascist regime that had ruined the economy of Italy as well as the military failures of Mussolini in the Balkans (and widely in Ethiopia) caused a massive national sentiment of unrest and dissatisfaction. The breaking point was eventually reached for the populace and the symbolic mutilation and killing of their leader was not contested. The Italian people removed the dictator «for the greater good» of the Italian people.

The «Allies» have missed their chance and no amount of media «spin» will be able to eliminate the stench of tampering and interference in Saddam's removal and disposal.

(Pictured: A photogenic Benito Mussolini - Saddam Hussein without that unsightly beard and noose.)

End.