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Dutch Government Collapses Over Its Stance on Troops for Afghanistan
“If the Dutch go, which is the implication of all this, that could open the floodgates for other Europeans to say, ‘The Dutch are going, we can go, too,’ ” said Julian Lindley-French, professor of defense strategy at the Netherlands Defense Academy in Breda. “The implications are that the U.S. and the British are going to take on more of the load.”
The collapse of the Dutch government comes as the Obama administration continues to struggle to get European allies to commit more troops to Afghanistan to bolster its attempts to win back the country from a resurgent Taliban. President Obama has made the Afghan war a cornerstone of his foreign policy and, after months of debate, committed tens of thousands more American troops to the effort.
Read more >> | The New York Times
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
- posted by DD @ 12:09 a.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Dutch government collapses over Afghanistan
After two days of intensive talks and a bitter parliamentary debate, it had become increasingly clear the gulf between prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende and deputy prime minister Wouter Bos was too great to bridge.
Labour leader Bos stated earlier this week that he wanted a decision on Nato's request to the Netherlands to stay in Afghanistan at Friday's cabinet meeting. And that decision would have to be a no, he said repeatedly.
Balkenende said he wanted to keep all options open and was sticking to the March 1 deadline.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Dutch government collapses over Afghanistan
See also >> | Dutch cabinet, Balkenende's fourth, collapses - NRC-Hamdelsblad
See also >> | Dutch government falls over Afghanistan mission
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
- posted by DD @ 11:07 p.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Emergency debate on Afghanistan today
The debate was called by Socialist Party leader Agnes Kant, who said she wanted to get to the bottom of the mixed messages being sent out by ministers.
Labour party leader Wouter Bos said on Wednesday he will categorically not support any extension to the Dutch mission in Afghanistan, despite the formal request by Nato. And he wants minister to say a final no to Nato after Friday's cabinet meeting.
But Balkenende wants Dutch soldiers to stay on past August to train local forces. 'All options are open,' the Christian Democratic party leader said.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Emergency debate on Afghanistan today
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
- posted by DD @ 7:09 p.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Cabinet in crisis over Afghanistan
Newspapers are united that the government is in trouble. 'The cabinet is in crisis, the collapse nears' is the headline in the Telegraaf following yesterday's ministerial meeting at which Bos restated his position.
'The last solider must have left Uruzgan at the end of the year. We are keeping our promise to the man in the street,' Bos told reporters after the meeting.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Cabinet in crisis over Afghanistan
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
- posted by DD @ 9:44 a.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Dutch PM survives motion of no confidence
For the first time in Dutch parliamentary history on Tuesday, a prime minister was confronted with a motion of no confidence that targeted him personally. Opposition members of parliament accused Jan Peter Balkenende of undermining public trust in the government.
The Christian democratic prime minister survived the motion though, as a majority of the lower house still supports him: the motion was rejected 96 to 40.
Tuesday's parliamentary debate over the findings of a special committee that investigated the reasoning behind the Dutch support for the US led invasion of Iraq in 2003 was special for another reason. The meeting closed the book on the issue after seven years, sixteen debates and ten motions that asked for an inquiry into the Dutch involvement and the Davids report that resulted from it.
Read more >> | NRC- Handelsblad International
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, Irak onderzoek, Iraq
- posted by DD @ 11:09 p.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
The Kingdom and the Afghan Chaos
So what diplomatic or financial gain was Karzai seeking? Why travel to Saudi Arabia at the very moment that US President Barack Obama’s military surge has become operational? Can Saudi Arabia play a serious role in resolving his country’s increasingly bloody conflict?
By Mai Yamani
Read more >> | The Kingdom and the Afghan Chaos - Project Syndicate
Labels: Afghanistan, Foreign Policy, islam, Taliban
- posted by DD @ 11:00 p.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Labour says final 'no' to Afghanistan
Nato has asked the Netherlands to stay past the August 2010 deadline in a training role. But, after a meeting with other ministers on Wednesday morning, Bos said Labour would definitely oppose an extension to the Dutch mission at Friday's cabinet meeting.
Bos said his no vote is keeping the Labour party's promise to voters. 'That means there must be a negative response to Nato's request. That decision can be taken on Friday,' he said.
Bos refused to say if the decision meant the cabinet was close to collapse.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Labour says final 'no' to Afghanistan
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
- posted by DD @ 3:15 p.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Speculation on the demise of the euro
Can the euro fall after all? Until recently, the scenario seemed unthinkable, but now that the European monetary union is falling apart at the seams, it suddenly seems realistic. Only 11 years after it was introduced to the financial markets, the currency has become the plaything of currency traders.
Read more >> | nrc.nl - International - Europe - Speculation on the demise of the euro
Labels: EU Policy, Euro zone, European Union, Financial Policy
- posted by DD @ 9:25 p.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
The Greek Crisis and Beyond
Let’s first dispense with a powerful emerging myth. Greece’s troubles have encouraged some to wonder aloud if the euro zone can survive its growing internal imbalances. But such doubts ignore the political and cultural factors that buttress a deep European commitment to preserve the monetary union.
By Ian Bremmer
Read more >> | The Greek Crisis and Beyond - Project Syndicate
See also >> | Q&A With Ian Bremmer on State Capitalism - Foreign Affairs
See also >> | The Guardian
Recommended >> |
Labels: Euro zone, European Union, Financial Policy
- posted by DD @ 9:54 a.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Climate Science or Climate Evangelism?
A similar shift in global public opinion is occurring with respect to climate change. The process picked up momentum late last year, after hackers leaked thousands of e-mails from a top British research facility showing that some of the world’s most influential climatologists had been trying to disguise flaws in their work, blocking scrutiny, and plotting together to enforce what amounts to a party line on climate change. More recently, the United Nations’ respected advisory group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has been deeply embarrassed by the revelation that some alarming predictions contained in an influential report that it released in 2007 have little or no scientific basis.
Although none of these lapses provides any reason to doubt that global warming is real, is man-made, and will create problems for us, these challenges to the IPCC are taking their toll. Indeed, recent surveys show that the public is growing steadily less trusting of the scientific consensus on global warming.
By Bjørn Lomborg
Read more >> | Climate Science or Climate Evangelism? - Project Syndicate
Labels: Climate Change, Climate research, Climategate, Copenhagen
- posted by DD @ 9:35 a.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Nato troop request sparks political row
The Dutch governing coalition partners, Christian democrat CDA and Labour, have always disagreed on the best approach for Afghanistan and the role of the Dutch military there. Following an official request by Nato to extend the Dutch deployment in the war-torn country, two ministers are now involved in a public quarrel. Finance minister Wouter Bos and foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen have accused each other of disregard for the cabinet’s position on the matter.
Read more >> | nrc.nl - International - Nato troop request sparks political row
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
- posted by DD @ 10:11 a.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
EU leaders unified in eurozone's defence
European Union leaders emerged from their summit in Brussels today asserting the unity of the eurozone, having told Greece that any future financial aid would be conditional on implementing budget cuts and economic reform.
The government leaders agreed to task their finance ministers with drawing up detailed plans of how financial support might be provided, in the event that Greece asks for it.
Read more >> | EU leaders unified in eurozone's defence | Policies | Economics | Management | European Voice
Labels: Euro zone, European Council, European Union
- posted by DD @ 2:43 p.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Scientists Respond to IPCC Backlash
In the letter, they explain how the IPCC works, and how the errors drawing so much attention "do not alter the key finding that human beings are very likely changing the climate, with far reaching impacts in the long run."
Read more >> | Solve Climate
See also >> The scientist letter pdf
Labels: Climate Change, Climate research, Climategate, Copenhagen
- posted by DD @ 12:42 p.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Ministers clash over Nato Afghanistan letter
Bos, who is leader of the Labour party, and the Christian Democrat Verhagen both outlined their position on different tv talk shows on Thursday night.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Ministers clash over Nato Afghanistan letter
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
- posted by DD @ 12:27 p.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Training Afghan soldiers can be a violent endeavour
Read more >> | nrc.nl - International - Features - Training Afghan soldiers can be a violent endeavour
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
- posted by DD @ 1:56 p.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Sick children stuck in bureaucacy
Labels: Haïti
- posted by DD @ 11:14 a.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Iraq and the fig-leaf of just war theory
I am growing old and grey waiting for John Humphrys or Jon Snow to show a spark of journalistic life and ask Nick Clegg, Philippe Sands and all the rest of them the simple question: "What do you mean by an 'illegal war'?"
Read more >> | openDemocracy
Labels: Irak onderzoek, Iraq, Iraq Inquiry Chilcot, Just War, United Kingdom
- posted by DD @ 11:02 a.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
U.S. Eyes Tougher Sanctions Over Iran Nuclear Program
Senior White House officials described what they said would be a “systematic” effort to drive a wedge between the Iranian population and the Revolutionary Guards, which the West says is responsible for running Iran’s nuclear program and has a record of supporting militant Islamist organizations and cracking down on antigovernment protesters.
Read more >> | The New York Times
Labels: Foreign Policy, Iran, Nuclear energy, Nuclear weapons, United States
- posted by DD @ 11:01 a.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Nato chief: Afghanistan is only the beginning
Nato secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen is the first to admit the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has problems. For years, the alliance has underestimated the complexity of war and now it is also facing financial issues.
Read more >> | nrc.nl - International - Features - Nato chief: Afghanistan is only the beginning
Labels: Afghanistan, Foreign Policy, NATO
- posted by DD @ 7:02 p.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Cabinet admits Iraq war mistakes
And, in their formal response to last month's highly critical Davids commission report, ministers say they should have been more open about the US request for assistance prior to the war.
The Netherlands supported the invasion politically on the grounds that Saddam Hussein was breaking UN resolutions but did not send troops.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Cabinet admits Iraq war mistakes
Labels: Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, Irak crisis, Iraq
- posted by DD @ 6:41 p.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Ex-Lehman trader says EU should crack down on big banks
Kapoor, whose think-tank Re-Define has been consulted by the European Parliament and the European Commission on financial regulation, says world leaders have so far shown a lack of vision in reshaping the post-crisis financial system, arguing that it will be up to the EU's competition authorities to clean up.
Outside Brussels, national leaders are missing the bigger picture, says Kapoor, though some have come up with "politically palatable" proposals.
Read more >> | EurActive
Labels: European Union, Financial Policy
- posted by DD @ 1:21 p.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Europe loses seat at top table
Read more >> | The Guardian
See also >> | Tough snub - ECFR
Labels: European Union, Foreign Policy, United States
- posted by DD @ 10:28 a.m. Perma Link/Print (0) comments
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