The last terrorist acts in Finland and Bali Island is not the first warning at all. It is rather a global alarm. The placidity of the EU will lead it into the deadly dead-end. Europe keeps on ignoring on the most stubborn way the open misanthropic propaganda of vakhabi. Strange, but the good old Europe does nothing to prevent the spreading of vakhabi moods. The well-known media named "Kavkaz-Center", which was founded and exists till now on the money of the most craziest fundamentalists from Saudi Arabia, calls itself now an "international agency". Some yellow media just can't say no to the attractive names, but unfortunately "Kavkaz-Center" has the right to call itself an international agency. After a couple of years it has shown, that there is a number of countries that agree to represent "Kavkaz-Center". It has become especially clearly shown after a couple of progressive Georgian journalists have managed to get interesting information. The notorious "Kavkaz-Center" has appealed to the state's press service of Georgia with request of accreditation of the own representative. And here comes something, what should be considered as a nonsense, but has become reality - the press service is seriously considering this application. It has also become known, that the representatives of "Kavkaz-Center" made the same appeals in Germany and Poland. The Georgian journalists also predict their success in Germany, pointing out the regular appearance of Maskhadov on the German "Deutsche Welle" radio station. Hasn't the time for Europe to react come yet?

And wich kind of reaction you'd estimate adequate?
Ras

And against whom? Muslims in general?

The Chechens are victims and the Russians are victims. Armenians and Azeris, Serbs and Albanians, Georgians and Abkhazians, Israelis and Palestinians, are all victims. All are victims of vicious jerks in Washington and London, Paris and Moscow, Rome and Berlin. In their greed for wealth and power they destroyed the balance of power in world, they destroyed orderly peaceful empires in order to seize control of the new statelets. Just as a financier will seize a prosperous corporation just to sell its assets and enrich himself while the workers are thrown our on the street, so our rulers destroyed Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union against the will of their citizens. This brought war, poverty, death, or even actual slavery to the Slavs, and undreamed-of wealth to a few Slav families and to many Western families.

It's the Great Game--or the Great Sacrifice? All are victims, even the American soldiers who were sent to fight in Kuwait but were then dumped, by the tens of thousands, onto the streets of America, sick in their bodies or in their minds.

New legions are now being prepared for the Great Sacrifice. Any NATO volunteers, maybe from Italy, maybe from Slovenia?

As you know, having enlisted for Civil Service, rather than the military one, it won't be my case.
But how many young boys will submit in front of the call to arms?
How many will feel that if Motherland calls, then they will do their part?
As i stated before, if Nationalism brings us to disaster, patriotism (tis kind of patriotism) brings us to it's fringes. Who knows, at this point, if we'll avoid being overridden or not?
The rhimes of a song from Dire Straits said "the man's too strong" I dare say the man's too weak, it's rationality too brittle.
Ras

The Motherland, nationalism as a mover for war? That may have happened sometime, but people still go to war for the same reason they went to war in neolithic times or at the time of Thucydides: fear, honor, and profits. They fear loss of status, loss of power, loss of face. They yearn for recognition as men of strength, they want interviews, limousines, parades, statues, immortality. They want gold.

Young men go to war for the induction premium, for combat pay, for free education when they come back, to get along, to be cool. Nobody goes in for patriotism. So I was kidding when I asked for volunteers from the satellites. Baby Bush does not want Italian or Slovenian soldiers for the war. He might ask for them later, for the occupation, but all he wants now are your harbors, airports, and UN votes.

The primary reason for war are power and profits indeed. The fact is that we "small fishes" (who usually do not see much profit in war) must be catched in some way. Patriotism and nationalism are the right hooks.
I've almost forgotten to mention another reason to put up a nice little international turmoil: interior reasons (like an economic crisis) suggest to start a war to shift people's attention away from everyday problems, like insufficent wages, extremely high unemployement rates and so on.
Maybe Bush doesn't need any european help: after all he's going against Saddam to control the biggest oil production area, and i dare say he's not willing to share the cake with anyone...
...nevertheless some european governments may want to join the "crusade" for internal reasons (i estimate the italian one is among theese).
Best regards to all
Ras

Agreed. Berlusconi hopes for arm contracts, oil concessions, and a long-term special relationship with Washington as Bush's man in Europe.

But it's not all business. Our NATO leaders may well be greedy criminals, true, but they have feelings too: being noticed at the Royal Ball or--blush!--a kiss from George II would warrant any humiliation, any compromise, any long term damage to Italian national interest.

You see?
Internal politics reasons again! "Sir" Silvio "Banana" Berlusconi hopes for a formal recognition by G.B. so he'll be able to use it in Italy and show us his international "prestige"...
...how lucky we are!

Matteo