‹ BackHN Continuity

Thread

EU chief opens door for Canada to become 'associate member'

693 points · 905 comments · hackernj

  1. noir_lord · · focus · HN ↗
    Good, if the middle power democracies don't align/work together they are going to get torn apart in the struggle between the US and China.
    1. wewewedxfgdf · · focus · HN ↗
      Errrrr...... this has nothing to do with the struggle between USA and China.

      It is 100% about Trump.

      1. padjo · · focus · HN ↗
        This has been brewing since George W Bush. Obama made a valiant attempt at normalising relations with Europe but I don't think any future US president has any hope of reversing this now.
        1. mschuster91 · · focus · HN ↗
          Europe was skeptical ever since 'nam and at the latest Bush Sr's Iraq adventure.
          1. NeutralCrane · · focus · HN ↗
            Since the wars in Iraq, sure. Vietnam was the US inheriting Europe’s mess.
            1. braho · · focus · HN ↗
              US shifting accountability of their choices on account of some mess of others. ‘We had no other choice because you can’t take care of it yourself’

              Thats exactly the narrative the rest of the world doesnt take anymore.

              1. mschuster91 · · focus · HN ↗
                They do have a point though. Libya, Syria, Lebanon, that's our doorstep, not the US'. And we in fact did not do a good job keeping house there.
              2. NeutralCrane · · focus · HN ↗
                It’s not shifting accountability. After WWII, France demanded that its colonial holdings, including French Indochina, be returned to it as a requirement for it joining NATO. The Vietnamese were not interested in returning to French colonial rule. This kicked off a decade-long war between the two that the French lost. The US had advisors to the southern Vietnamese during that time, and rather than fully pulling out, increased their presence as they tried to manage the void left by the French. This spiraled into the Vietnam War.

                The US is on the hook for its decisions. But Europe doesn’t get off the hook for its own.

          2. padjo · · focus · HN ↗
            Nah, Europe was a happy participant in Iraq 1. The trend from that to Iraq 2 to whatever the hell they're doing in Iran now is really clear.
        2. RunSet · · focus · HN ↗
          <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=-qdvm6h8WKg" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=-qdvm6h8WKg
Open on Hacker News to reply ↗

Unofficial Hacker News client; not affiliated with Y Combinator.