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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 21-Feb-2010
21-Feb-10 News - Dutch government collapses over Afghanistan

Web Log - February, 2010

21-Feb-10 News - Dutch government collapses over Afghanistan

Fate of Holland's 1600 troops are in doubt.

Nato 'flabbergasted' at Netherlands government collapse

Nato officials are "flabbergasted" that their request that the Netherlands keep its troops in Afghanistan for another year caused the collapse of Holland's government, according to the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad.

Holland's 1,600 troops are part of the Nato coalition forces in Afghanistan. They were scheduled for withdrawal later this year, but Nato requested that the withdrawal be delayed until the summer of 2011.

The request triggered a political crisis Friday when Holland's leftist Labor party threatened to withdraw from the governing coalition with the Christian Democrats. The negotiations lasted all night, and by Saturday morning, Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende was left with no choice except to submit his government's resignation to Queen Beatrix.

The VOA quotes one Dutch official as saying, "[The Dutch soldiers] were building hospitals, schools etc. It was not a military mission. So I think it is very good for the peace in Afghanistan that they should stay but now I think they don't stay."

According to the articles, this move by the far left could trigger a rise in power of the far-right party of anti-immigrant politician Geert Wilders, whose ranking in the polls rivals that of Mr. Balkenende's.

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Michael "Mish" Shedlock strongly warns novice home buyers against bidding in foreclosure auctions. You're competing against pros who know all the ins and outs, and if you win the bid, you'll probably end up losing money, or closing a bad deal. Global Economic Analysis.

UK's retail sales plummeted in January to the lowest level in 1½ years, raising fears among even the Pollyannish economists of a "double-dip" recession. Independent.

Hitler's quick "blitzkrieg" invasion allowed Germany to conquer France, the Netherlands, and Belgium in just 44 days, though they lost the war later. But retired USAF lieutenant colonel and historian William J. Astore claims that this early success has caused American military leaders to have a fixation and fascination with the German military, even though they haven't won a war since 1871. Asian Times.

Credit card execs are looking for new ways to justify their million dollar bonuses. The WSJ reports that one way they're doing it is to impose a 3-5% fee on online purchases from foreign merchants, even if the purchase is charged in US dollars.

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(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 21-Feb-10 News - Dutch government collapses over Afghanistan thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (21-Feb-2010) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 21-Feb-2010 21-Feb-10 News - Dutch government collapses over Afghanistan

Nato 'flabbergasted' at Netherlands government collapse

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 21-Feb-2010
21-Feb-10 News - Dutch government collapses over Afghanistan