Dutch Government has Fallen!!!

[Kingz Profile]

I don't know if the changes will be positive or negative... but change is going to come for us in The Netherlands



http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/dutch ... an-mission

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/02 ... tml?hpt=T2

http://www.nrc.nl/international/article ... rts_crisis

http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/02 ... collapses/


* News - Dutch government misrepresented case for Iraq war
A looming governmental crisis seems to have been averted last night, when cabinet sent a letter to parliament admitting it had not established a proper legal pretext for supporting the invasion of Iraq.
By our news staff

A report published by a special committee of inquiry chaired by the retired supreme court judge Willibrord Davids on Tuesday, had brought the government to the brink of crisis a day later. The committee had been charged with investigating the decision-making process surrounding the run-up to the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq, which the Dutch supported politically, but not militarily.

Report available in English
The Davids' committee report, which contains an extensive English summary is available online. Scroll down to page 517 for the English section.

The committee reported that prime-minister Jan Peter Balkenende had not shown adequate leadership and that his government had been “disingenuous” in representing its case for the war. According to Davids and his colleagues, it is doubtful a mandate existed for the invasion under international law. The prime-minister, however, had always maintained the contrary up until Wednesday.


FUCKING LYING PIECE OF SHIT!!!

[Kingz Profile]

LOL for how long though....?

Nah just kidding The Netherlands will not bow down that easily to give away our freedom!

[Marduk2012 Profile]

hail hollandia!!!!

[Kingz Profile]

I was talking about Dutch government, and behold... 2 germans suddenly take over the topic!

Smells like 65 years ago

[Baboogdi Profile]

You know, at some point in the future, we're all going to be one group of humans. And no, I don't mean via the New World Order. It's just a natural evolutionary step. Now would be a good time to try and get along with each other.

PS, I've been to Amsterdam, a great city.

[Kingz Profile]

Dutch government's collapse is a setback for Obama
Published: 22 February 2010 17:41 | Changed: 22 February 2010 17:41

The downfall of the Netherlands' government didn't make headlines in the US. But those involved in the president's Afghanistan policy are very concerned about it.
By Tom-Jan Meeus in Washinton DC

"Particularly difficult for the president," said Bruce Riedel, a member of Barack Obama's transition team who led the White House's review of the Afghanistan strategy last year. "This plays into the hands of the president's conservative critics," said Larry Korb, a former assistant secretary of defence who works for the progressive Centre for American Progress think tank. "A blow to Obama," concurred J. Alexander Thier, one of the most influential Afghanistan experts in Washington who is affiliated with the US Institute of Peace.

Dutch politics are not usually considered important in the US capital, and very little heed was given to the collapse of the fourth Balkenende cabinet over the weekend. Dutch speed skater Mark Tuitert's Olympic gold made it to prime time on Saturday, but three paragraphs on page 16 of The Washington Post on Sunday were all the attention the Dutch political drama received.

But those who closely follow Obama's policies on Afghanistan were eager to learn more about the split in the coalition. Bruce Riedel, Larry Korb and J. Alexander Thier fear the withdrawal of all Dutch troops will encourage other allies to also abandon Nato's Afghanistan mission. They predict conservative criticism of Obama will grow. And they feel the little political influence the Netherlands had in Washington will diminish further.

Symbolism of a major ally leaving
"The irony is that this comes to the time when the battle finally is turning in favour of Nato,’’ Riedel said. He understands the Netherlands has "stretched their military to the absolute limit". But finds it "frustrating" that Canada could follow suit and withdraw its troops as well - posing serious problems for Obama. "The big worry for the Obama administration is that is this could cause a domino effect. I know that’s in their mind," he said.
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Moreover, the Afghan war has become very unpopular in the US itself - although approval ratings have risen in recent months. "The weariness is growing here at home, especially among the president’s own party. And the symbolism of a major ally leaving now will be particularly difficult for the president," Riedel said.

Larry Korb (Centre for American Progress) added the decision fans the flames of conservative critics of the president. In his election campaign, Obama argued his popularity abroad would mean he could get more international support for US policies than his predecessor George W. Bush. But the results so far have been disappointing.

"It is a fair point," Korb said. "Thanks to Obama, the reputation of our country has soared incredibly - but what have we got to show for it?" The Copenhagen climate summit was a huge disappointment, new relations with Iran have yielded no tangible results and even Nato is failing.

"[Nato] secretary general Rasmussen promised 7,000 additional troops for Afghanistan, well, that proved to be a disappointment," Korb said.

Opportunity for the Taliban

Old conservative notions – the idea that confrontation is more effective than friendly relations and that American popularity is no indicator of success – are regaining ground in the US. "And it is increasingly difficult to counter those," said Korb.

The worst part about it, said J. Alexander Thier (US Institute of Peace) is the Dutch decision to withdraw has even led to the collapse of the government. "Very, very bad for the image of the Nato operation."

Thier, who lived in Afghanistan for years, fears the Taliban will see opportunity as the Netherlands hands over its control of the Uruzgan province, most likely to the US. "A good moment for the insurgency to act," he said.

The Dutch departure only has downsides for the US, according to the experts: it stimulates American opposition to the war, other allies could follow suit and it brings new opportunity for the Taliban. "This is a real blow to Obama and his government," said Thier.

Part of the solution

Meanwhile, there are also consequences for the Netherlands. It will be more difficult for the prime minister to get access to the White House. Intensified cooperation between the Netherlands' intelligence agencies and those in the US, Canada, Australia and the UK could be cancelled. And an invitation to the next G20 meeting is unlikely. None of this will be openly displayed, "but I do believe this will harm the Netherlands," Riedel said.

But he proposed ways to control the damage. Now that Pakistan has started cooperating in arresting Taliban ring leaders, maybe the Netherlands could help out setting up civilian programmes in that country.

He referred to the recent arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Karachi. "That is a coastal city. Perhaps the Dutch could help revitalise the economy there. Just an example: a town-twinning agreement between Amsterdam and Karachi? After what happened, it is critical that your country is seen as part of the solution. Not as part of the problem."
http://www.nrc.nl/international/Feature ... _for_Obama

[Kingz Profile]

Dutch government collapse: Will other European troops now leave Afghanistan?

The collapse of the Dutch government Saturday shows how unpopular the war in Afghanistan is in Europe. Will other European nations pull their troops out of Afghanistan earlier than planned?



Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende announces that the second largest party in his three-party alliance is quitting in The Hague on Saturday. Balkenende's coalition government collapsed on Saturday when the two largest parties failed to agree on whether to withdraw troops from Afghanistan this year as planned.
Reuters

By Robert Marquand Staff writer / February 22, 2010

The collapse of the Dutch government this weekend, largely over keeping Dutch troops in Afghanistan, threatens to undermine the NATO mission in the central Asian nation. And, it may signal tougher political climes ahead for other European leaders supporting a troop presence in Afghanistan.

The Dutch pullout, scheduled for August, comes at a time when NATO is undertaking a key offensive in Marjah and implementing a “hearts and minds” plan coordinated by the US administration.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende met today with Queen Beatrix at the Hague, following the collapse Saturday of his ruling coalition. The government – Mr. Balkenende's fourth – broke up after the liberals would not accept Dutch troops in Afghanistan beyond an August deadline. Now, the 2,000-strong Dutch contingent of troops will withdraw as scheduled from Afghanistan's Uruzgan region.

The Dutch collapse brings concern of a domino effect: Can European leaders, who have been out in front of their publics on Afghanistan, continue anteing up – or will this withdrawal further sap a flagging political will across Europe for the mission?

In response to President Obama's request for more troops from NATO nations, some 5,300 additional troops were committed by supporting governments, mostly from Europe, according to figures from the Jan. 28 London Conference.

But polls last fall showed 75 percent of Britons and 86 percent of Germans opposed the idea. Since then, polls in Europe show growing public support (a majority in most NATO countries) for withdrawal from Afghanistan.

One of the arguments made by supporters of a European role in the Afghan mission, unlike Iraq, is that it must be grudgingly supported as a test of the credibility of NATO and the unity of Western security in the face of terrorist threats from Al Qaeda. And, most of the heroin sold in Europe comes from opium grown in Afghanistan.

But analysts say the Dutch case underscores sentiments in Europe that 2011 should be the start of a withdrawal. “This won’t have a major effect on what [Europeans] will do between now and 2011. But then 2011 is tomorrow. The only thing is to achieve something that will work for that period,” says François Heisbourg of the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris.

The collapse of the Dutch government also calls into question The Netherlands continued role in NATO. It has long been a consistent and reliable partner in NATO operations, but is now opting out, pending a new election in May.

The Saturday collapse came after the widely debated Davids Commission report released on Jan. 21 that investigated Dutch participation in Iraq, not unlike the recent Chilcot Inquiry in Britain. Many say that the report - including allegations that its government fought in Iraq without a debate over merits or judicial oversight – has contributed to souring a war-weary public toward Afghanistan.

The Dutch coalition collapsed after Labour chief Wouter Bos withdrew his party from the ruling coalition. While Mr. Bos had gone along with a previous plan in 2008 to keep troops in Afghanistan, he made the political calculation that the tone of the country was so ambivalent, if not negative, about its troops posted in the embattled Uruzgan region, that it was worth the risk to withdraw.

Mr. Balkenende had wanted to keep troops in place – extending a mission that expires in August. But Bos argued that Dutch voters deserved to have the August commitment be met.

On Sunday Balkanade sounded frustrated, telling Dutch media that, "When President [George W.] Bush asked us to extend our activities we said yes, and when President [Barack] Obama, who has a lot of support in the Netherlands, made such a request we say no."

He earlier stated that, "People don't understand what we're doing. When the Netherlands becomes the first and only country to say no . . . that will lead to question marks abroad."

Still, the Dutch case reflects popular discontent in Europe. As Henning Riecke of the German Council on Foreign Relations stated, “I would say it is the mood of the day. Everyone is talking about withdrawal, no one is talking about trying to hold on."

Mr. Obama has said that the US would start to withdraw from Afghanistan by July of 2011.

“The Americans have started the race for the exit door…by 2013-2015, but as soon as 2011. There is very little discussion about what our interests are in Afghanistan, or the effect of our policies on the people of Afghanistan,” says Mr. Riecke.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/2010/022 ... fghanistan