@ Celt, is this a problem with Federalism in general or with the specific models used by Britain's former colonies? Switzerland comes to mind as a model of peoples speaking several different languages coming together as a country--a better model, perhaps, than the Anglo-American model?
It would be nice if we could:P As long, though, as much of the world's oil comes from the area most likely to be devastated by an Arab-Iranian war, the West (and Far East) will have a vested interest, whether anyone likes it or not.
The new division makes sense, but I'm not sure how predominant it will actually be--will traditionalists really value their mutual suspicions more than their dislike of hippie communalists? Will a mutual love of technology overcome the technocrats' and libertarians' radically different views on society and government?
Is the breakup of the Euro always a bad thing, or just when done the wrong way? What if, instead of breaking the Euro apart into national currencies, it was broken apart into currencies based on region and/or economic strength? Given that one of the causes of the current crisis was the lumping of countries with radically different economies together under one currency, it might work better. It would certainly be more palatable to Euroskeptics than the closer union argued for here.
Mind you, I'm neither a European nor an economist so I can't say this is THE best solution. I just think that it is a solution that I haven't seen discussed enough. I also wonder if useful lessons might be found in my own country, the US. Among individual states can be found at least as much diversity of economic base and prosperity as amongst the countries of Europe, yet a budgetary crisis in California does not trigger panic in New York. Is this the result of our own closer union? Am I just not paying close enough attention? Or are there details in our monetary and financial system that are worth examining and -possibly- imitating by European authorities?
Europe’s Federalist Future
@ Celt, is this a problem with Federalism in general or with the specific models used by Britain's former colonies? Switzerland comes to mind as a model of peoples speaking several different languages coming together as a country--a better model, perhaps, than the Anglo-American model?
Four Magic Tricks for Fiscal Conservatives
Is the Laffer Curve's problem with non-existence or is it with ideologues who assume (or pretend) that society is on the descending side of the peak?
Put Palestine First
It would be nice if we could:P As long, though, as much of the world's oil comes from the area most likely to be devastated by an Arab-Iranian war, the West (and Far East) will have a vested interest, whether anyone likes it or not.
The Future of Ideological Conflict
The new division makes sense, but I'm not sure how predominant it will actually be--will traditionalists really value their mutual suspicions more than their dislike of hippie communalists? Will a mutual love of technology overcome the technocrats' and libertarians' radically different views on society and government?
The Threat of German Amnesia
Is the breakup of the Euro always a bad thing, or just when done the wrong way? What if, instead of breaking the Euro apart into national currencies, it was broken apart into currencies based on region and/or economic strength? Given that one of the causes of the current crisis was the lumping of countries with radically different economies together under one currency, it might work better. It would certainly be more palatable to Euroskeptics than the closer union argued for here.
Mind you, I'm neither a European nor an economist so I can't say this is THE best solution. I just think that it is a solution that I haven't seen discussed enough. I also wonder if useful lessons might be found in my own country, the US. Among individual states can be found at least as much diversity of economic base and prosperity as amongst the countries of Europe, yet a budgetary crisis in California does not trigger panic in New York. Is this the result of our own closer union? Am I just not paying close enough attention? Or are there details in our monetary and financial system that are worth examining and -possibly- imitating by European authorities?