Doubt it, Belgians are one of the more Russophobic countries in Europe. It’s not out of any love for Russia that they refuse to hand the funds over, it’s cause they know it would be economic suicide to do that.
Not in the short term. In the short term their russophobia will lead them to self-sabotage their own material interests. But of course everything has a limit. The theft of another country’s sovereign assets, which would expose them to ruinous litigation, may be a step too far even for them. Or it may not. Remains to be seen how this struggle pans out.
Seems like the kind of thing that could end up being the catalyst for the break up of the EU to be honest. If there starts being a split between EU leadership insisting on stealing the assets, and individual countries realizing it would ruin them financially, that could fracture the whole thing.
The reason they’re not resisting very hard is because liberals in charge are ultimately aligned with the EU project. However, their domestic power is rapidly eroding as the material conditions decline. Once nationalists get in power, they will have the mandate to leave the union.
I’m not sure how nationalists are supposed to get into power if the EU can just pull what they pulled in the Romanian and Moldovan elections.
Even Orban’s government is looking like it could be overthrown if the EU puts enough resources toward mobilizing all the NGOs, funding a massive media campaign and uniting the opposition while putting economic pressure on Hungarians by cutting off their EU funds.
And even the nationalists like Orban and Fico have so far protested but ultimately begrudgingly voted as the EU demanded when the pressure was turned up.
And at least Hungary still has its own currency. It will be even harder for countries in the Eurozone to resist Brussels pressure when Brussels controls their currency.
I agree that’s likely to be the pattern in the short term, however the more of that they do the further the whole system becomes discredited. People are starting to realize they’re not really living in a functional democracy, and they’ve been told all their lives that it’s what elevates them above the rest of the world. So, a combination of deteriorating living standards and the curtain finally being pulled back exposing the dictatorship of capital can only result in civil unrest in the long run.
Belgium is entirely economically linked to their neighboring countries, and like a second from breaking apart. Flanders will just leave if Belgium tries to remove itself from the empire.
Unless there is a successful coup wouldn’t this then force Belgium’s hand to be more cooperative with Russia and China especially in terms of trade?
Doubt it, Belgians are one of the more Russophobic countries in Europe. It’s not out of any love for Russia that they refuse to hand the funds over, it’s cause they know it would be economic suicide to do that.
I wonder if the change in their material conditions would change the cultural relationship with Russia.
Not in the short term. In the short term their russophobia will lead them to self-sabotage their own material interests. But of course everything has a limit. The theft of another country’s sovereign assets, which would expose them to ruinous litigation, may be a step too far even for them. Or it may not. Remains to be seen how this struggle pans out.
Seems like the kind of thing that could end up being the catalyst for the break up of the EU to be honest. If there starts being a split between EU leadership insisting on stealing the assets, and individual countries realizing it would ruin them financially, that could fracture the whole thing.
I actually think the member states are too weak too resist.
The reason they’re not resisting very hard is because liberals in charge are ultimately aligned with the EU project. However, their domestic power is rapidly eroding as the material conditions decline. Once nationalists get in power, they will have the mandate to leave the union.
I’m not sure how nationalists are supposed to get into power if the EU can just pull what they pulled in the Romanian and Moldovan elections.
Even Orban’s government is looking like it could be overthrown if the EU puts enough resources toward mobilizing all the NGOs, funding a massive media campaign and uniting the opposition while putting economic pressure on Hungarians by cutting off their EU funds.
And even the nationalists like Orban and Fico have so far protested but ultimately begrudgingly voted as the EU demanded when the pressure was turned up.
And at least Hungary still has its own currency. It will be even harder for countries in the Eurozone to resist Brussels pressure when Brussels controls their currency.
I agree that’s likely to be the pattern in the short term, however the more of that they do the further the whole system becomes discredited. People are starting to realize they’re not really living in a functional democracy, and they’ve been told all their lives that it’s what elevates them above the rest of the world. So, a combination of deteriorating living standards and the curtain finally being pulled back exposing the dictatorship of capital can only result in civil unrest in the long run.
Belgium is entirely economically linked to their neighboring countries, and like a second from breaking apart. Flanders will just leave if Belgium tries to remove itself from the empire.