木曜日の朝、EU大統領のJose Manuel Barrosoがギリシャ危機について演説して、この問題はIMFの関与無し に解決されるであろうと述べた。その次に、6ヶ月交代でEU大統領を務めるJose Luis Rodriguez Zapateroが演説 して、ギリシャの危機はIMFのような外部機関ではなく「基本的にヨーロッパの解決策」で対処されるべきと述べた。 その数時間後にEU大統領のHerman Van Rompuyが演説して、ギリシャ危機はIMFの支援によって解決されるべき と述べた。
Three presidents, three answers, three points of view. This is no way to operate the world's largest economy and oversee the lives of 500 million people. Brussels has failed to take a seat beside Washington and Beijing because, at root, nobody can agree who the leaders really are. 三人のEU大統領の三つの解決案があるわけで、こういう問題の対処方法というのは世界最大の経済で5億人の を統治する欧州の政治として全く機能不全である。
That problem was supposed to be solved with the appointment late last year of Mr. Van Rompuy, the respected Belgian fix-it man who is meant to be the top figure in Europe. この(誰がEUを代表する大統領なのかという)問題は昨年、ベルギーの政治家、Mr. Van Rompuyを指名することで 解決されるはずであったものである。
He is the new permanent head of the European Council, the gathering of all 27 member leaders that sets the bloc's policies. His job was created in October when the Lisbon Treaty, the EU's new constitution, was ratified. But the treaty, rather absurdly, did not replace the existing leadership of Europe with Mr. Van Rompuy and his administration. It added them on. 彼のポジションはEuropean Counciの27ヶ国会議の代表で、それは10月のリスボン協定によって作られた。この協定 はヨーロッパの新しい憲法とされるものだけれど、既存の指導者達を置き換えるものではない。 (中略)
>>954 (続き) Germany, the only European country solvent enough to bail out Greece, didn't want a cash-handout solution. France, the political strongman in the federation, didn't want any outside body like the IMF to help, because that would signal a failure of Europe's currency union to regulate itself. (I'm still not entirely sure why, as non-euro zone EU members Hungary and Latvia both underwent IMF bailouts without controversy.) France doesn't trust Germany on these matters. Mr. Barroso's office does not speak to Mr. Van Rompuy's office on these matters. Mr. Zapatero dances to his own tune. Different leaders issued different statements. Chaos ensued. ギリシャを救済できる唯一の欧州の国であるドイツは、ギリシャへの金融支援を望まない。欧州政治のツワモノである フランスは統一通貨制度がその内部を管理することに失敗したことを認めるようなIMFのギリシャ危機への関与を望 まない。(ユーロゾーンの外のハンガリーやラトビアへのIMFの関与には文句を言わなかった) フランスはこの問題で ドイツを信頼せずMr. Barrosoのオフィスはこの問題でMr. Van Rompuyのオフィスと協議しない。その一方Mr. Zapatero は彼独自のダンスを踊っている。
In the end, in the wee hours of Friday morning, a passable solution was reached. Mr. Van Rompuy, ever the peacemaker, allowed the IMF to be brought in a little bit, and Mr. Barroso and Mr. Zapatero pretended they'd always thought that was a good idea. 結局のところ、金曜日の朝には結論が出てMr. Van RompuyがIMFの関与を認め、Mr. Barroso と Mr. Zapateroは IMFの関与が良いアイデアであると思っていたかのようにふるまった。
Completely dysfunctional, multi-headed federal governments can sometimes come together to solve their internal problems when a crisis looms, as we've seen in Washington this week and in Ottawa on numerous occasions. 連邦政府の多頭制による完璧な機能不全なのだけれど、それは時には危機に当たって問題解決のために集合する こういう事はワシントンでもオタワでも見られることではあるが。
But as a way to build a European superpower, this just isn't going to work. There's no trust, no direction, and three very different men at the helm. The word “Union” cannot really apply when a government competes with itself. しかしながら、ヨーロピアン・スーパーパワーを構築する上では、このやり方では無理である。信頼が無く、方向性が 不確定で、三人の全く異なる指導者が舵取りをしている。統合というのは、政府が内部対立しているようなものを言う わけではない。
しかし昨年起きた中国近海での米調査船をめぐる問題では、人民戦争モデルは効果を上げることができなかった。 成功にはあらゆる資源の大規模投入が不可欠なことを事件は明らかにしている。つまり人民戦争を展開するには遠 隔地よりも中国本土、あるいはその付近で行うほうが成功する確率が高い。そうした点から人民戦争戦術を転換する べきではとの声も上がっている。しかし人民解放軍の共産党に対する絶対的な忠誠がある限り、つまり「党が銃を管 理する」時代が続く限り、人民戦争は中国の戦略思想の中核であり続けるだろう。(翻訳・編集/KT) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 飴のシンクタンク、ジェームズタウン財団のオリジナルの評論は: ttp://www.jamestown.org/programs/chinabrief/single/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=36166&tx_ttnews[backPid]=25&cHash=0fc6f0833f Chinese Strategic Thinking: People’s War in the 21st Century Publication: China Brief Volume: 10 Issue: 6 March 18, 2010 01:35 PM Age: 9 days Category: China Brief, Home Page, Military/Security, China and the Asia-Pacific By: Dennis J. Blasko
In the days since President Obama signed the farthest-reaching piece of social welfare legislation in four decades, overall public opinion has changed little, with continuing broad public skepticism about the effects of the new law and more than a quarter of Americans seeing neither side as making a good-faith effort to cooperate on the issue. 医療改革法が成立したが、全般的な世論は以前と変わっておらず、この法に批判的な広範な層があり、その効力 に疑問を呈している。
More people see the changes as making things worse, rather than better, for the country's health-care system, for the quality of their care and, among the insured, for their coverage. Majorities in the new poll also see the changes as resulting in higher costs for themselves and for the country. 医療の質について、改革法がそれを悪化させるとの意見が改善させるとする意見よりも多く、特に現在医療保険で カバーされている人は、カバレッジについて心配している。世論調査によれば過半数の有権者は個人と国の双方に とって改革法が医療費を増加させるとみている。
More than six in 10 of those 65 or older see a weaker Medicare system as a result of the changes to the health -care system. Overall, seniors tilt heavily against the changes, with 58 percent opposed and strong opponents outnumbering strong supporters by a 2-to-1 ratio. 65歳以上の有権者の10人中6人はメディケア・システムが弱体化されるとみており、全般的に老人層は改革法に強く 批判的である。58%が反対しており、強い反対は強い賛成よりも2:1の比率で多い(後略)
Now that parlor game question has turned into more formal war games simulations. The government’s own simulations are classified, but the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution created its own in December. The results were provocative enough that a summary of them has circulated among top American government and military officials and in many foreign capitals. ブルッキングス研究所(リベラル系シンクタンク)の中東政策研究グループが12月に作成したシミュレーションがあっ て、この結果は政府や米軍、更に海外にも回覧された
1. ISRAEL ATTACKS(ry 2. U.S. STEPS IN(ry 3. U.S. SENDS WEAPONS(ry 4. IRAN STRIKES BACK(ty 5. IRAN SEES OPPORTUNITIES(ry 6. IRAN AVOIDS U.S. TARGETS(ry 7. STRIFE IN ISRAEL(ry 8. ISRAEL FIRES BACK(ry 9. IRAN PLAYS THE OIL CARD(ry 10. U.S. BOOSTS FORCES(ry 11. REVERBERATIONS(ry
The game ends eight days after the initial Israeli strike. But it is clear the United States was leaning toward destroying all Iranian air, ground and sea targets in and around the Strait of Hormuz, and that Iran's forces were about to suffer a significant defeat. Debate breaks out over how much of Iran's nuclear program was truly crippled, and whether the country had secret backup facilities that could be running in just a year or two.
▼New Hampshire Legislator Apologizes for Anime Comment posted on 2010-03-27 23:00 EDT State Representative Nickolas Levasseur posts controversial Facebook update
On March 24, the conservative Republican website Red Hampshire reported on a comment made by New Hampshire Democratic State Representative Nickolas Levasseur on his personal Facebook page regarding anime. According to Red Hampshire, the Facebook comment read: "anime is a prime example of why two nukes just wasn't enough....."
A local New Hampshire news station, WMUR-TV, ran a segment on March 25 and 26 regarding the controversy surrounding Levasseur's posting. In the segment, the reporter said that the New Hampshire Republican party called the remarks "hateful," and asked Democratic Governor John Lynch to request that "members of his party stop participating in such shameful behavior." In the news segment, the reporter also said that Levasseur apologized for the posting, saying it "has no place in private or public discourse."
ANN contacted Levasseur regarding his Facebook post, and his emailed response follows below:
I would like to deeply apologize for the insensitivity of this post. It was a poorly thought out comment, posted in jest, on my private facebook page. This, of course, does not excuse the comment. This type of statement has no place in public or private discourse. It does not represent any true opinion, political or personal. My record in the New Hampshire House shows a commitment to equality and social justice. It is a record of which I am most proud. This comment is a disappointment not only to the people of New Hampshire, whom it has been my privilege to serve, but also to my own beliefs and moral code.