It's hard to understand Europe's strategy vis-a-vis Austria.

Act 1 : Europe threatens to break Austria's back.

Act 2 : Austria threatens to break Europe's back

Act 3 : ??

-- George (jvilches@sminter.com.ar), February 06, 2000

Answers

Act 3: They chow down on a bag of Big Macs.

-- snooze button (alarmclock_2000@yahoo.com), February 06, 2000.

Increasingly, there is no strategy. Just reactions. The very same perspective which sees that there *must* be various sides to an issue, various parties in a state, is also the perspective which can think and plan ahead effectively .

Ruling interests are losing this ability. More and more frequently, they can only react in each moment to protect their *immediate* goals; seemingly the only 'real' goals.

Act III:

My guess is that the most effective of many efforts to neutralize the popular right in Austria will be to led by European media. People will be led to abstain from tourism, commerce, etc..., with Austria just as they were with South Africa previously. The goal being to split the more elite conservative financial interests [Austria's conservative party] from its more popular conservative 'national' inerests [Austria's nationalist party].

Over time, the conservative financial interests might just decide that they would rather be out of power then out of cash.

Meanwhile, the popular right's hope is that they will generate increasing support from other nationalists in Europe. Which would further unify the nationalists in Europe. Which is exactly what the elite left fears most. So far though, the elite left's 'top down' reactions have taken for granted their domination of popular opinion in Europe. And as a result, increased popular support for the nationalists, especially in Austria. I suspect that there is more nationalist sympathy under the surface in Europe than the elite left is aware of. But I also suspect that to the degree that Europe remains economically 'comfortable', nationalist support will remain relatively dormant.

It is just this type of political issue which leads me to economic interests. And it is economic interests which lead me to my concern with Y2K issues and this board.

Can we see yet why the current dominant interests in the world have done whatever they can to prolong this bubble?

Doesn't much of their continuing support depend upon the continuance of current conditions?

-- tim phronesia (phronesia@webtv.net), February 06, 2000.

The EU might turn out to be one of the most short-lived, international political contrivences ever known. Nationalist senrtiments will flare in every member nation if there is a widespread economic crisis (and my money sez one's coming).

How will the bureaucrats and politicians fend-off cries of "Keep our business and money at home and don't send it to those other guys!" if thier homeland economies crap-out? Talk about soveriegnty issues.

The one-Europe crowd might be able to face down Austria today, by its lonesome, over internal politics. But what happens when every nation in the union wants to fend for itself first and to hell with EU group policy?

If there is a severe enough economic crisis we might see things go back to nearly a pre- European Common Market situation, much less pre- European Union.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), February 06, 2000.

Or worse.

-- tim phronesia (phronesia@webtv.net), February 06, 2000.

Or better. Depending on the perspective that one takes.

-- tim phronesia (phronesia@webtv.net), February 06, 2000.