Living with bad neighbours

Europe tries to forget decades of embarrassing realpolitik in the Middle East

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Readers' comments



@ sherryblack

Cutters talked of the 'Portugal plan' on the blog that has just closed to which you replied that the Italians were already members.
I would have called it the 'Italy plan'. Nobody can beat the Italians for euro-clonism: a wholehearted embrace of the euro idea, practically no debate on what it's all about, a meek acceptance for the last 50 years of everything that the French and Germans have decide in their name and paralysis in the face of crisis.
'The Economist' pointed out a long time ago that Berlusconi is a disgrace to Europe. Well, he's still there and likely to stay for a couple of years yet. Thet can't get rid of him. No matter what sort of 'government' set itself up in Brussels, the Italians would acquiesce.

Check the following: 'Charlemagne Notebook', 5 March, " Oh deer (sic)
it's Silvio again" and " Italy's Shame in Europe".


I will say this once again. The problem in the Eurozone is not so much to do about the countries which are encountering problems (e.g. PIIGS) however and more importantly its the German banks who have foolishly extended loans to them knowingly they would go under. Politicians are spinning this as a problem of the countries who reside in PIIGS however, these same politicians are being schliemered money to say these things vis-a-vie the German banking lobby. So, teh rescue money is going DIRECTLY to the vaults in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Munich and Hamburg. The people who are suffering the most are citizens of Ireland, Portugal, Greece, Spain and Italy who will default some tiem or later because you can only hold a finger in the dam (german bankls) so long. German banks are holding trillions of worthless liabilities and will go down. German taxpayers are going to pay a higher tax rate because of the recklessness of teh German banks. Germans will undergo a lower standard of living. The export base of Germany is alos under duress due to China's now and coming weakness as well as 66% of German exports going to PIIGS who no longer can afford German products nor want German products. Germany is also facing a polictial crisis now as Merkel is getting destroyed at the polls. zu Guttenberg is making Berlin look like the 99% of German schools who encourage cheating. And in turn, his welcomed resignation makes Merkel look worse. When Baden Wutternburg votes, she will be gone. Es tut mir sehr leid Angela. We hardly knew you. Sorry for the German taxpayer who was led by a wolf in sheeps cloth (Angela Jerkel) to the slaughter house.



No, Libya owns the biggest stake in Italy. Do not underestimate how much we need Libyan liquidity these days.


The 'Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung' reports today that French, British, German, and Belgian arms manufacturers tried to sell weapons to Ghadafi literally 'until the last minute' before the revolution. The embarrassing photos of Berlusconi kissing Ghadafi's hands are now the laughing stock of Europe. But then, Italy owns the biggest stake in Libya.

Simon Hibbs

Working out how to deal with despots like Mubarak and Ben Ali isn't easy, after all they weren't put in power by, or with the assistance of the west. We had no say in their coming to power and no practical way to depose them even if we wanted to. In hindsight we should have been more pro-active about promoting democratic reform, but it's not something we could have imposed.

In hindsight we should have been much more careful about Qaddafi, especialy when it comes to arms sales, but again our hands were tied. Ostracising him wouldn't have made his people more free, or more prosperous.


The talk about EU or NATO "intervention" to depose Gadaffi is just so much plain B.S. given that David Cameron disclosed only a short while ago that Tony Blair had cheerfully agreed on behalf of Britain to co-operate with Gadaffi in... “ in operational planning processes, staff training, and command and control; training of personnel in peace support operations; training co-operation relating to software, communications security, technology and the function of equipment and systems; exchanges of information and experience in the laws of armed conflict; and the acquisition of equipment and defence systems".

And then there are those Russian MIGs standing at several Libyan airports as well as a fleet of deadly copters very useful in any desert warfare with pilots trained by well paid Russian instructors. And not to forget depots of Rusian-made ammunition both for the fighter aircrafts and for anti-aircraft defense batteries protecting the airports.

Are Obama and David Cameron and Frau Merkel inclined to ignore long term interests of their partner Vladimir Putin ?


Enough of the idealist journalism, what nonsense. If you have billions invested in a country with no concept of democracy, you also promote sustainable growth and raise living standards for the less affluent, thus reducing the levels for migration to Europe. One may also stabilise the supply of crucial primary products. It's ok sitting when you sit in the corporate suite, as opposed to dealing with tens of thousands of asylum seekers arriving in ports in southern Italy.

Reluctant Polluter

@ perguntador:

"...high-minded protestations over Brazil's foreign policy regarding its neighbours Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela"

What, Dilma decided to borrow nukes from the Pakis and use them against Chavez' buddies? Interesting development indeed.

Reluctant Polluter

@ Maximus zeebra:

"Now we pretend we had no idea and put sanctions on them to look good in public opinion, because we certainly does not support dictators.

You're right, we certainly don't support the overthrown dictators. But we'll certainly supported those dictators who'll take the place of the overthrown one. 'Cause it's 100 per cent sure that the whole "new" strain of the Mideast rulers will be as dictatorial as the previous one. Fancy a bet?

Reluctant Polluter


"Europe’s leaders are now trying to disown their years of realpolitik, and instead make the cry of the Arab street their own."

Aping "the cry of the Arab street" is not different one bit from the realpolitik of the past - it's just a new realpolitik. No doubt Charlemagne understands that only pretty well, but feels shy to say it openly. PC still rules, right, Charlie?


Fascinating discussion.

Now, what all this hand-wringing tells us about Europe and US high-minded protestations over Brazil's foreign policy regarding its neighbours Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela?

A lot of hypocritical, holier-than-thou blah-blah-blah, don't you think?

Richard D. Quodomine

There are only so many issues a nation can tackle at once. Europe has long been somewhat awkward in dealing with realpolitik vs. confrontation as far as dictators go. Note the difficulty a lot of Europe had with Thatcher and Reagan in "tearing down the wall" - it wasn't the principle of the thing. People of Europe rightly feared Communism. It was the strong tone Reagan and Thatcher took against it. Reagan and Thatcher were in no mood to compromise with what they thought was an evil regime. They were not afely "accomodationist". That's safe politics - accomodation. It gets you votes. However, it rarely gets results.


Oh, come on...Everyone in Europe and America knew and supported dictatorial regimes of Middle East.

I'm a Muslim in America and I do not support such laws as Foreigners can not buy land in Saudi. The dictatorial laws are not just and they are not only supported by Arab regimes but by Oil greedy European/American governments too.


"We can not watch as civilians are massacred in Libya." says Europe. Very interesting indeed, how come they just watch rebels crashed to nothing and civilians getting maimed and killed everyday in countries like; Sirilanka, Somalia, North Uganda, Sudan, Earetria to name but a few?
We all know Europeans care more about oil than humanity in that region of the world, let's be honest for once.

Tamim Nahar al-Refai

“Oil-for-Freedom” is the wrong choice of words by the Economist. Europe’s southern neighbors are decent human beings and are entitled to their freedom regardless. One wonders whether Arab oil is a blessing or curse to the Arab masses.

maximus zeebra

Everyone has fully known what is going on in the middle east and their dictators and authoritarian governments. Everyone has turned a blind eye, EU, US, China, the rest. Now we pretend we had no idea and put sanctions on them to look good in public opinion, because we certainly does not support dictators.

Outrageous like all no democratic corrupt political regimes around the world and most of all in the west.


Funny to see Sarko calling back A. Juppé, a true gaullist to take on the foreign policy office. It's better late than never...

Sarkozy's foreign policy has been a disaster and a prejudice for France's international credibility. The reason is quite simple actually, and it's that our current President has no strategy, he only has occurrences. He gets up every morning, check the opinion polls and while drinking his coffee thinks "So, what can I do today? Where does real business goes in all this mess?". No ideals, no vision, no strategy, no plan. He is just a market-driven politician and the French version of US and UK neocons. It's high time France gets back to a truly republican gaullist foreign policy, which could start with:

-Reasserting French core values, loud and clear.
-Military intervention under UN or EU mandate only.
-Withdrawing from NATO
-Return to an independant thinking policy, especially toward the arab world
-Re-empowering French embassies worldwide
-Get political support of other arab states to take military actions in Lybia


Europe is just asked to be as pragmatic as it was before these uprisings, simply by supporting the new players


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