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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 447366" data-attributes="member: 4937">SHARK: Well, that makes alot more sence anway.Sword-Dancer:  What, that old thing?  I didn't even proofread it before posting it. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />The truth is a complex thing (except when its not), so I'm not surprised that a simple post like that one causes alot of misgivings.  I couldn't address the whole depth of the issue even in that spam, and even if I had an infinite ammount of time I'm not sure I have sufficient understanding to really get all the bases covered.I'd say a German viewpoint reflects the European about as well as mine reflects the American. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />As for the UN headquartered in New York, I'm also not entirely sure that is a good idea either, and to be frank the UN is not a good model for a working world government.   The problem is, until the world achieves something like the sort of parity that exists between the EU states and the US states and eachother, there isn't a good model for a working world government.  Unfortunately, contrary to some popular opinions, that acheivement is going to require cultural change on the part of the rest of the world that the US (or anyone else) is not going to be able to bring about by simply throwing money at the problem.The UN is at its heart a Cold War institution which developed alot of esoteric addons kinda like 1st edition D&D.  It's pretty unworkable right now.  When created, it was less about a world government and more about the victors of the last great war consolodating thier power.   At some point, I'd love to see the whole thing scraped and a new edition of the UN produced, but we won't be in a situation were that is practical for the foreseeable future.And, while I'm no fan of the UN by a long shot, I think it is reprehinsible that the US isn't paying its bill - even if only as a show of washing its hands of the institution.  That is not to say that I'm not sympathetic to the conservative Senators in our government that ask why we are sending perfectly good money to a corrupt institution that doesn't do much of anything.   One of the better stories reguarding the UN involves the Director (I forget which one) being asked, "How many people work in this facilty (whereever it was)", and the Director responded 'about half of them'.  At its worst, the UN reminds me of a band of sophisticated beggers in Calcutta or some place.But, enough of that.You see the court as International because you live in a region which is truly International.  You are developing a since of 'trust' in the other states around you that allows you to not really see a divide between 'you and them'.  You trust that the court will be filled with judges whose philosophies are not incongrous with your own.   I don't, and I'm sure most of my fellow Americans are even more unsure of the whole affair.  The US sees anything that is not native to the USA as 'foreign'.  We are still very much isolationist.  Not that I'm entirely against that, except where it promotes ignorance.   I much preferred this Bush when he was being as the Europeans say 'unilateralist'.The merchantile American lawyer game is seen in America as a sad joke having nothing to do with Justice.   The problem is convincing people that they can scrap the system.   Everyone thinks it is silly when thier neighbor sues someone, but everyone is hesitant to give up thier own right to sue someone for everything they own.   Part greed; part American individualism.  I'm working on the problem.I wasn't entirely comfortable with how the ski lift affair was handled either, but then again, I'm not entirely comfortable with having troops in Europe either.I can only assume that the US is trying to forestall the enevitable falling out with the EU, but I'm frankly tired of paying for your military.  (I'm frankly tired of paying for Israel's too, but that's a whole other story.)  And, in the long run, I think it would be better if we took all that money that we are spending having a joint military, and developed that since of close cooperation working on something which we can only achieve together and which is hopefully more inspiring to the human spirit - say going to Mars and staying there.   Or finishing that fusion reactor in France.  Or something.</blockquote>

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