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2007-12-01 Europe

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Posted by Steve White 2007-12-01 00:00|| || Front Page|| [5 views ] Top

#1 Total waste of money. 2 other systems currently exist with China and maybe India doing 3rds and 4ths.
so 5 systems doing the same thing?

Posted by 3dc 2007-12-01 00:46|| 2007-12-01 00:46|| Front Page Top

#2 A desperate attempt to feel relevant.

"But we don't want to be dependent upon the Americans for our GPS"

Ok, then why is it all right to be dependent upon the muzzies for your basic energy supplies? Cause you're the ones buying the crude.

Posted by Procopius2k 2007-12-01 07:49|| 2007-12-01 07:49|| Front Page Top

#3 The EU, will never be a United States...and I am not sure how long we will the United States either.

Posted by Enver Uloper1117 2007-12-01 08:03|| 2007-12-01 08:03|| Front Page Top

#4 Why Galileo is so important to the Euros as anything other than a high-tech, expensive make-work project isn't clear.

If your ambition is to rival the USA, by eventually having that "heartland" Great Power (enlarged EUrabia with turkey, russia, north africa, possibly Israel), with ties to china, then it is logical to have your own GPS system, should you ever need it in anger.

I'm not saying the EU will ever be that "empire", it's just I really think it's the ultimate goal. Some kind of transnational, bureaucratic, constructivist hubris, not much unlike the late USSR, just more PC and festive.

Posted by anonymous5089 2007-12-01 09:47|| 2007-12-01 09:47|| Front Page Top

#5 World-Island

Also, the idea of a Paris-Berlin-Moscow axis as seen during the prelude to OIF, or the russian eurasists, who have ideological counterparts in western Europe, with the idea of an alliance of continental cultures closer to each others than to the materialistical, imperialistical anglo-saxons.

Posted by anonymous5089 2007-12-01 09:53|| 2007-12-01 09:53|| Front Page Top

#6 The article doesn't mention that the funding was provided by transferring funds from agricultural budgetr to Galileo.

Hint: One of the keys of democarcy is Parlamentary control over spending: ie governmentr is not free to spend money as it wants but has to spend the mùon,ey on what it was voted with only minor powers of reassigning funding, not without a vote.

EU democrcay at work.

Posted by JFM">JFM 2007-12-01 10:17|| 2007-12-01 10:17|| Front Page Top

#7 It's about GPS weaponry. All European GPS weapons rely on the goodwill of the US to operate. Therefore they are not exportable to nations not in good standing with the US. This way the French get the other EU nations to pay for 90% or so of the Galileo system (probably $15B for a full constellation) and rake in 100% of any Galileo weapons sales.

Posted by ed 2007-12-01 10:30|| 2007-12-01 10:30|| Front Page Top

#8 Can you say 'Iridium'?

Posted by Pappy 2007-12-01 12:29|| 2007-12-01 12:29|| Front Page Top

#9 Yes, Pappy. We believe that the dinosaurs died off after an iridium-laden meteor or comet hit the Earth. Perhaps we'll know Europe has died out in the same way.

(Don't tell me; I know.)

Posted by Eric Jablow">Eric Jablow 2007-12-01 13:11|| 2007-12-01 13:11|| Front Page Top

#10 ed nails it. Also, when Galileo was proposed originally, the French and Germans planned to sell it to China as well.

Posted by lotp 2007-12-01 20:28|| 2007-12-01 20:28|| Front Page Top

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