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

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

#32

The EU is running out of Europe. I thought Turkey or North Africa would be the next steps. Maybe Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

> I thought Turkey or North Africa would be the next steps. Maybe Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Not white enough for the EU. There is a lot of opposition to even Turkey, which is already in customs union, joining and talks are dead specifically because EU countries do not want immigration from Turkey.

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

#34
post #6

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.

One thing that is common about middle democracies is that prioritize a bureaucratic elite structure over an entrepreneurship culture, while both the US and China embrace entreprenuership wholeheartedly. If they changed that they'd perhaps become world powers themselves.

> One thing that is common about middle democracies is that prioritize a bureaucratic elite structure over an entrepreneurship culture

No, that's just the 2010s propaganda fed to you by people who assert that not letting them do whatever they want is "bureaucratic". These very same people are completely fine lobbying legislature for more moat when they benefit from it.

The difference between "middle democracies" or whatever that means and the US is just that politics aren't corrupted enough yet that they can buy whatever they want.

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

#37

Nearly 60% of EU LNG imports come from the USA. If Trump doesn't like Canada to cuddle with the EU, then it won't happen. This is all a big pain in the back.

The LNG won't come from Canada either. Trudeau notoriously said "there's no business case" for it, but the truth is they can't agree with how to actually get enough of it to the east coast to make a difference, and that's what blocks it. (In fairness the route does go through some very unique environments). Canadian provinces have a far bigger ability to screw things up for the whole than countries do inside the EU,…

If by screw things up you mean retain some level of governance then yes... Canada is a confederation, not a federation.

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

#38

[flagged]

Von der Leyen sucks, but not in that way. She is an unscrupulous careerist with a talent for failing upward - and she failed a lot. More of a system abuser than a system changer.

Von der Leyen was hand-picked by Klaus Schwab

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

#39
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing that is common about middle democracies is that prioritize a bureaucratic elite structure over an entrepreneurship culture, while both the US and China embrace entreprenuership wholeheartedly. If they changed that they'd perhaps become world powers themselves.

The CCP retains too much power over businesses and business leaders for me to consider them to "embrace entrepreneurship wholeheartedly."

Because the US isn't exactly on the same path, right?

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

#40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Didn’t China force Meta to unwind Manus? In no way is China embracing entrepreneurs wholeheartedly.

The US has something called CFIUS. This is normal statecraft

I believe Manus was a Chinese company.
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