Only because they were in the right place in the right time. After second world war UK courtesy US got SC permanent seat and France which was actually fascist vishist state was rewarded because US and UK thought by promoting de Gaulle they will diminish Soviet influence in UN.
So right now the outside world is crying for injustice committed by UN, its lack of legitimacy but Westerners continue hypocrisy. How on Earth UK and France two countries with meagre population and oversized banking systems which recently (in historical terms)emerged from caves and barbarity could dare to censure Sri Lanka for successful finish of terrorist organisation run by Prabhakaran and likes. Sri Lanka has many thousands of written history after all unlike above mentioned countries. That's why Indian PM Manmohan Singh recently lashed out at UN SC, G8 and G20, IMF etc and said these all organisation simply lack legitimacy.
It's time for French and British to face reality they cannot deceive the whole world for ever.
But what is it about? I tried to ponder that with you upthread.
not very relevant except as a way to get popular support of ones actions.
No, not only. It also influences the reactions of other states' governments. Both synchronously, and in the future when the power balance shifts. Powers that swung around their big stick too ruthlessly not rarely earned some form of cruel revenge once weakened...
As India wants to be seen as a Great Power, India has been developing... nuclear weapons.
And, did they ain an SC seat? Or economic dominance? Or a diplomatic role in more external conflicts than before? Or even, more red carpets rolled out, other than from the now gone US neocons? Or... what projections of power are you interested in? *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
That's why Indian PM Manmohan Singh recently lashed out at UN SC, G8 and G20, IMF etc and said these all organisation simply lack legitimacy.
As I said in April
France's prima donna President has a decidedly negative effect on EU governance at the moment. Not only does he hijack existing initiatives to the greater glory of Sarko only to drop them when the photo-op has been obtained, but he also has fostered a culture where there is a directoire of a few large (and conservative) governments hashing out EU policy with Barroso and then ramming it through the EU Council. Even mid-sized states are not happy. EurActiv: Big member states 'backing out of EU', warns Hungary FM (27 April 2009 )Balázs, who is a former EU commissioner, said that large member states were looking to "strengthen" the role of other institutions as alternative decision-making fora. The foreign minister said Germany had been working "to seize economic institutions and to strengthen the G20" since 2007. In line with views recently expressed by Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht (EurActiv 21/04/09), he argued that the aim of such actions was to leave smaller EU member states "behind", with larger members preferring to deal with states that have "similar influence and weight".and EU increasingly governed by the few, Belgian FM warns (21 April 2009)With just a year to go until the Belgian EU Presidency, the country's foreign minister denounced the functioning of the Union, which he said is increasingly governed by an "executive board of big countries". Speaking on Monday (20 April) at the opening of an annual diplomatic conference in Brussels, Karel de Gucht said Belgium would make full use of its presidency in the second half of 2010 to re-establish the EU institutional balance, which he said was in "danger". "It is absolutely unacceptable that small groups of member states put in danger the normal institutional process," de Gucht said. "Belgium has the duty of trying as quickly as possible to re-establish the institutional balance."
EurActiv: Big member states 'backing out of EU', warns Hungary FM (27 April 2009 )
Balázs, who is a former EU commissioner, said that large member states were looking to "strengthen" the role of other institutions as alternative decision-making fora. The foreign minister said Germany had been working "to seize economic institutions and to strengthen the G20" since 2007. In line with views recently expressed by Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht (EurActiv 21/04/09), he argued that the aim of such actions was to leave smaller EU member states "behind", with larger members preferring to deal with states that have "similar influence and weight".
The foreign minister said Germany had been working "to seize economic institutions and to strengthen the G20" since 2007.
In line with views recently expressed by Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht (EurActiv 21/04/09), he argued that the aim of such actions was to leave smaller EU member states "behind", with larger members preferring to deal with states that have "similar influence and weight".
With just a year to go until the Belgian EU Presidency, the country's foreign minister denounced the functioning of the Union, which he said is increasingly governed by an "executive board of big countries". Speaking on Monday (20 April) at the opening of an annual diplomatic conference in Brussels, Karel de Gucht said Belgium would make full use of its presidency in the second half of 2010 to re-establish the EU institutional balance, which he said was in "danger". "It is absolutely unacceptable that small groups of member states put in danger the normal institutional process," de Gucht said. "Belgium has the duty of trying as quickly as possible to re-establish the institutional balance."
Speaking on Monday (20 April) at the opening of an annual diplomatic conference in Brussels, Karel de Gucht said Belgium would make full use of its presidency in the second half of 2010 to re-establish the EU institutional balance, which he said was in "danger".
"It is absolutely unacceptable that small groups of member states put in danger the normal institutional process," de Gucht said. "Belgium has the duty of trying as quickly as possible to re-establish the institutional balance."
...and doing so with full support of all Grand Coalition parties, I shall add. (Not that Schröder's instincts were any better in the preceding SPD rule.) *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
After second world war... France which was actually fascist vishist state
After WWII??
UK and France two countries with meagre population and oversized banking systems which recently (in historical terms)emerged from caves and barbarity
Indeed, all humanity only recently emerged from caves (I would be so sure about barbarity...). Or do you mean compared to more advanced civilisations? Then, which ones?
This, together with your comment about Europe lagging behind Asia in the XVIIth century makes me think you should improve your knowledge of European history... "Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
