Nordic military alliance to challenge Russia in Arctic

10 February, 2009, 04:19

Four Scandinavian countries together with Iceland could form a Nordic military alliance to protect their interests in Arctic, says a report presented by Norway at a special meeting of the countries’ foreign ministers.

The report presented by a veteran Norwegian politician Thorvald Stoltenberg proposes co-operation not limited to a joint military force, but also includes potential joint efforts in international security, air surveillance, air patrols, maritime monitoring and medical services. The report also calls for an independent polar orbit satellite system by 2020.

The interesting fact about the Scandinavian Defence Union, which could unite Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland, is that it was supposed to be born immediately after WWII. The Scandinavian four were positive the union was absolutely essential to guard against possible future common threats from the Soviet Union, for example. But the birth of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation superseded these plans.

Norway, Sweden and Iceland, is that it was supposed to be born immediately after WWII. The Scandinavian four were positive the union was absolutely essential to guard against possible future common threats from the Soviet Union, for example. But the birth of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation superseded these plans.

Today, Denmark and Norway (which were occupied by Nazi Germany during WWll, thus having learnt a bitter lesson) together with Iceland are already members of the NATO alliance. Finland bravely fought both Soviet Union and Nazi Germany in sequence during the WWII. Sweden miraculously managed to escape the horrors of war by remaining neutral during WW2. 

Now Stoltenberg has proposed pooling efforts and resources in all possible military areas, as well as civil co-operation to ensure the effective maritime monitoring of the North Atlantic as well as contiguous areas of the Arctic Ocean and Barents Sea (the so-called “Barents Watch”). The report also mentions the necessity of a “Baltic Watch”.

A mutual declaration of solidarity in key areas of joint foreign policy and a common disaster response unit are planned to deal with any disastrous events.

For Russia formation of the Nordic Alliance could possibly mean that it will be able to speak directly to the Arctic countries. Russia would be able to by-pass NATO, that for 60 years now wholly controlled by the US. However, this is only if the US does not enter the new organisation, because, strangely enough, it has Arctic territories too.

Rightardia comment:  The US is not a Scandinavian country and would be unlikely to be a member with full status in a Nordic military alliance. Denmark is giving Greenland independence and it is also possible some of the Baltic states, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, might also want to join such an alliance. Of interest, many scholars believe many of the ancient Russians called 'the Rus' were of Scandinavian origin. 

This could explain those fine looking lady broadcasters on Russia Today and the excellent rumor that Sarah Palin has the hots for the Presidnet of Russia, Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev. Palin has claimed that you can see Russia from Alaska because she has been looking for Presidnet Medvedev.

source: http://russiatoday.com/Politics/2009-02-10/Nordic_military_alliance_to_challenge_Russia_in_Arctic.html

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The land of up over: Iceland to join EU within 3 Years

07/17/2009 15:34

An Icelandic foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Friday that Iceland handed in an application to join the European Union to the Swedish EU presidency.

"The (Icelandic) ambassador to Sweden has met with the secretary of state and has handed in to him the application of accession to the EU," said Urdur Gunnarsdottir.

Iceland 's parliament on Thursday narrowly backed the government's plan to begin talks to join the 27-nation bloc, months after a meltdown of the north Atlantic island's economy amid the global financial crisis, Reuters reports.

Welcoming Iceland's application, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said: "The decision of the Icelandic Parliament is a sign of the vitality of the European project and indicative of the hope that the European Union represents. Iceland is a European country with long and deep democratic roots," CNN International reports.

Iceland is already a member of the European Economic Area and as such has applied many of the EU "acquis" or legislation, which should guarantee speedy entry. The government hopes to join within three years.

"I think it would be the speediest in the history of the EU," said European Policy Centre expert Amanda Akcakoca.

"Iceland could join very quick because it is so much aligned with the EU in so many areas, but it will depend on how long it takes to resolve this conflict between Croatia and Slovenia," she said.

EU officials agree Iceland could move fast, but they remain cautious, AFP reports.

Source: http://english.pravda.ru/news/world/17-07-2009/108228-Iceland-0


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Is the US the greatest country in the world?

One index that will put the US in it its place is the Human Development Index (HDI). 

This is a list of countries by Human Development Index as included in a United Nations Development Program's Human Development Statistical Update released on December 18, 2008, compiled on the basis of data from 2006. It covers 177 U.N. member countries (out of 192), along with: Hong Kong (SAR of China) and PA-governed territories. Fifteen U.N. member countries are not included due to lack of data.

The average HDI of regions of the World and groups of countries are also included for comparison. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed, a developing or an under-developed country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. The index was developed in 1990 by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq and Indian economist Amartya Sen.

Countries fall into three broad categories based on their HDI: high, medium and low human development.

Where does the US fit in internationally? We are 15th and treading water. Iceland is number one and Canada is number 3. Denmark is number 13 and considered to be the have the happiest citizens in the world.

1	Iceland	0.968	▲ +0.001
2	Norway	0.968	▲ +0.001
3	Canada	0.967	▲ +0.002
4	Australia	0.965	▲ +0.002
5	Ireland	0.960	▲ +0.002
6	Netherlands	0.958	▲ +0.002
7	Sweden	0.958	▲ +0.001
8	Japan	0.956	▲ +0.003
9	Luxembourg	0.956	▲ +0.002
10	Switzerland	0.955	▲ +0.002
11	France	0.955	▲ +0.002
12	Finland	0.954	▲ +0.004
13	Denmark	0.952	▲ +0.003
14	Austria	0.951	▲ +0.003
15	United States	0.950	▬

The next time a right winger tells you the US is the greatest country in the world,  tell him or her about the HDI. There is room for improvement. We're good, but we can be better!

source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index

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