Transatlantic Politics - Latest Comments

Re: Medvedev posts video threats like Bin Laden

Murakami — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:18:00 -0000

Sorry but your blog is 99% shit and not true.
peace from japan

Re: Medvedev posts video threats like Bin Laden

Khatia — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:01:09 -0000

Very good comparison. What I found so weird is that he speaks about friendship, but as an enemy, who wants to crash you!

Re: Pimp my Gazprom!

The Conductor — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:26:25 -0000

The Russian word for a black-skinned person, "nyeh-grr" does not have offensive connotations; it is merely the word for them. It wasn't really offensive in the US either, just colloquial (like skull-cap vs. capicranium), until the 1920's. By then Russia had sealed itself off from foreign influence.

In general, the American (to a lesser extent the Anlgo-speaking world's) obsession over race is as incomprehensible to foreigners as the Russian/Ukranian spats over the 1930's-40's are to us, or China's obsession with Taiwan, or resident alien Koreans' status in Japan, etc.
..

Would naming a company "The German-Ukranian Co-operation Venture" sound offensive to you?

Re: Brown and the left’s demise in EU elections

captainff — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:26:39 -0000

Speaking as a UK voter (and editor of that particular Downfall effort) I am unhappy with the steady and constant way that under the Labour Party the State has removed freedoms and imposed surveillance on the individual. I am unhappy at the level of debt, and therefore the increased taxation to service that debt, that Gordon Brown is racking up. He appears to be afraid of elections as he didn't face a vote when Tony Blair stood aside as Prime Minister and also did not fulfil their manifesto pledge for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

I have no problem with anyone's religion (or sexuality) provided that they do not expect me to conform to their beliefs and practices. I think immigration is a good thing.

I don't hold much hope that if the Conservative Party gain power at the General Election that things will change much except for the target of my frustration :|

@ Darren - search for it on youtube .. .. .. there are two or three unsubtitled versions to choose from.

Re: Brown and the left’s demise in EU elections

captainff — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:26:25 -0000

Re: Brown and the left’s demise in EU elections

Shane — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:44:39 -0000

Do you think the voters were voting for the right on economic and capitalist issues or rather religious and immigration issues? From what I can observe it would be the latter issues.

Re: Brown and the left’s demise in EU elections

Darren — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:15:30 -0000

Where do so many people get this Downfall footage, and how do they add their own words?

I want one!

Re: Russian mock song about cutting gas to Europe

Wed, 20 May 2009 03:09:35 -0000

You simply do not understand why this song is so funny: your sacred cows are not Russian sacred cows and vice versa. Besides, you have no idea of the original song that is parodied here.
Finally, spare your outrage for literal interpretations of Modest proposal. When you're done with obliterating Swift and Mark Twain, come back.

Re: Russian mock song about cutting gas to Europe

Brian Macker — Tue, 19 May 2009 20:47:37 -0000

Yet they haven't cut the gas. Which shows just how weak they are in the face of economic reality.

Re: Russian mock song about cutting gas to Europe

Boris — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:25:50 -0000

Looks like a fake to me. Lips are not synched to what is being sung -- as a native Russian speaker a can see something like that very easily. The translation is accurate -- but sound absolutely does not match the lip movement.

Re: Russian mock song about cutting gas to Europe

bill jones — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:53:27 -0000

The Russians are reacting to the US/Nato policy of aggression.

Re: Russian mock song about cutting gas to Europe

David Govett — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:58:41 -0000

Russia seems to be an eternally unhealing, suppurating inferiority complex, unfortunately for its more functional neighbors.

Re: Eco-terror: Germany, eat less meat to save the planet from CO2

lisa — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:56:00 -0000

The government isn't FORCING the Germans to do anything! They are just saying: if you are concerned about the climate, eat less meat.

Re: European windmills have no impact on CO2 emissions

Ian Harvey — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:43:08 -0000

You have given important information. Today
Global Carbon Emissionsis the biggest problem for environmental health.

Re: Biden “resets” Russia button - bad news for Eastern Europeans

Chrenkoff — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:45:48 -0000

Biden in Munich selling out Eastern Europe? What's next? An Obama-Putin summit at Yalta?

Re: Biden “resets” Russia button - bad news for Eastern Europeans

Subotai Bahadur — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:24:03 -0000

Can we hit a "Reset Button" here at home? Please? Before there is nothing left of this country and what was the free world?

Re: Biden “resets” Russia button - bad news for Eastern Europeans

Hale Adams — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:16:22 -0000

Hope and Change!

(beats head against wall)

God help us-- we have to put with these loons for how long.....? Two thousand twelve can't come soon enough.

Re: Biden “resets” Russia button - bad news for Eastern Europeans

Jim,MtnViewCA,USA — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:55:28 -0000

As an American citizen I _so_ wish we could screw Western Europe, turn them over to the tender mercies of the Russians, but keep the Eastern Europeans safe and free.

Re: Romanian anti-corruption fighters hailed in Europe, not at home

willis — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:04:52 -0000

"They should be able to set an example and lead their country forward. Mr Morar should stay on as a top prosecutor and Ms Macovei maybe return as a justice minister in the new cabinet to be formed next month."

And pigs should learn to fly. Corruption was the substitute developed by the communists for market forces to allocate economic resources and decide what companies would continue or fold. It is as much an ingrained element of Romanianian culture as is their language. For Romanians to purge it from their culture, they must first visualize a culture without it, and there is nothing to inspire such vision existing today and nothing on the horizon.

Re: How long will the Obama-EU honeymoon last?

ew — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:12:26 -0000

Obama's illuminati has built him up to be such a "saint" character that it will be interesting to see what actually happens when he makes decisions. I wonder how long it will take for the halo to fizzle away.

Re: Obama won’t trade off Eastern Europe for Russia’s backing on Iran

Kyle - Atlantic Review — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:51:03 -0000

The question is not if Obama will trade of Eastern European members who are already part of NATO, but instead a) will he continue pursuing NATO enlargement into Ukraine, Georgia, etc., and b) how will he approach Russia with its aggressive foreign policy?

I addressed these questions in a post at Atlantic Review, writing:

"The EU already began rapprochement with Russia earlier this month relaunching negotiations over a new EU-Russia partnership treaty despite objections from some Eastern European member states that Russia has not fully met its obligations to withdraw from Georgian territory.

Are NATO and the EU capitulating, or simply approaching Russia relations with a practical working approach?

With regards to NATO, completely severing ties will likely get it nowhere with an intransigent Russia, and may even hurt NATO allies who depend on Russia for things like allowing supply trains through Russian territory to support troops in Afghanistan. Instead, maintaining diplomatic relations without sacrificing NATO's enlargement agenda will be a pragmatic move forward for the Alliance."

From here: http://www.atlanticreview.org/archives/1213-Wes...

As I see it, continuing diplomacy with Russia is not capitulating, but if the west allows itself to be bullied and changes its policy plans with regard to enlargement with Ukraine and Georgia and others, then that would be weak. Of course, there will be problems with Ukraine or Georgia joining anytime soon anyhow, as described here:

http://www.atlanticreview.org/archives/1215-Why...

Re: Gazprom courts Romania for South Stream ahead of elections

lucklucky — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:55:18 -0000

"Liberal politicians are the worst kind everywhere in the world. "

Yeah sure, low taxes is a bad thing, minimal Government is bad too...

Re: Obama won’t trade off Eastern Europe for Russia’s backing on Iran

Matt — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:57:47 -0000

Hmm, I won't disown Rev. Wright; I will accept public funding for the campaign; I won't vote for telecom immunity... But on THIS point, I really mean it. Sorry if your word isn't enough for me.

Re: Obama won’t trade off Eastern Europe for Russia’s backing on Iran

William — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:40:10 -0000

Well, based on his changes in position, he may be the "TWO"

Re: Obama won’t trade off Eastern Europe for Russia’s backing on Iran

John Steele — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:41:45 -0000

"robtr
WTF? where did that come from and who in the hell is Obama to be trading parts of Europe?"

Haven't you been keeping up man? He is The One, The One He Has Been Waiting For :-)