OT:US don't qualify for EU membership, don't spank children, WW2 history.

Arkcon · #1 July 25th, 2003, 08:25 PM

I don't want to get started on a rant here. (Or maybe I do, stay tuned kids). But I do think Geo's got it all sewn up -- geography/cultural norms, etc. preclude a tight organization.

What is the point of the EU? As I understand it, a major reason was to normalize tariffs and strengthen economic power by presenting a unified economic policy across the countries and that's a worthwhile goal.

But how could the US join in that regard? If it did who's currency would the Euro trade against so it can grow?

I think the US still conducts trade with Europe. And Russia, China, and African and Middle Eastern nations. How close do you have to be to be optimal.

[ July 25, 2003, 19:27: Message edited by: Arkcon ]

Ed Kolis · #2 July 25th, 2003, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by geoschmo:
Ok, well... quick look at a map of Europe... Nope, I don't see the US on here anywhere. So that alone probably disqualifies us.

[/QB]

Didn't Poland join NATO a few years ago?

geoschmo · #3 July 25th, 2003, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ed Kolis:
Didn't Poland join NATO a few years ago?

True, but technically the Baltic could be considered a branch of the North Atlantic. And for that matter West Germany and then Germany after reunification has always been a part of Nato and it's right next door to Poland. So it's not as much of a stretch as calling the US part of Europe.

Geoschmo

oleg · #4 July 25th, 2003, 08:50 PM

Unless I'm missing something some people think Europe ends on the est Germany border and including Baltic States into EU is as bizzare as US

Just for reference: Europe goes up to Ural

Edit: Oh, yes, I see - it was about Atlantic Ocean

[ July 25, 2003, 19:51: Message edited by: oleg ]

Phoenix-D · #5 July 25th, 2003, 08:54 PM

"There is quite a lot of talk about applying stiff tariffs to imports that originate from overseas companies that receive direct funding from their governments."

Which is only fair. Free trade also implies -fair- trade.

Thermodyne · #6 July 25th, 2003, 08:55 PM

IIR, The western parts of old Russia were considered part of Europe. When the USSR came on the scene, the demarcation began to move west. Then with almost fifty years of the iron curtain, it became the norm to partition the area based on form of government.

PS: Yep I just looked up Europe in a 1929 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. And I quote:

�Europe within the narrowest of physical limits (to the crest of the Urals and the Manych depression and the Caspian Sea,----)�.

About a 1000 words on the boundaries, but I�m not going to type them all.

oleg · #7 July 25th, 2003, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Thermodyne:
IIR, The western parts of old Russia were considered part of Europe. When the USSR came on the scene, the demarcation began to move west. Then with almost fifty years of the iron curtain, it became the norm to partition the area based on form of government.

PS: Yep I just looked up Europe in a 1929 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. And I quote:

�Europe within the narrowest of physical limits (to the crest of the Urals and the Manych depression and the Caspian Sea,----)�.

About a 1000 words on the boundaries, but I�m not going to type them all.

Then how about such common terms as Western Europe, Central Europe and Easter Europe

And how did you guys called for example Bulgaria before 1990 ? Asia ?

[ July 25, 2003, 20:01: Message edited by: oleg ]