John Baird: Canada's freedom agenda - Diplomat Magazine

Arctic CircleDi spatches|MICROSTATESNorwegian SeaBarents SeaBalticSeaDreamstimeLuxembourg, shown here in the spring, is the third-most prosperous country in the world based on per-capita GDP.North Sea1. LuxembourgGermanyBelgiumLuxembourgFrance48Geography has blessed, and untilrecently cursed, this grand duchy,which consistently finishes amongthe elite in rankings that measure livability.Less than half the size of PrinceEdward Island, at 2,586 square kilometres,Luxembourg borders Germany to the east,France to the south and Belgium to thewest. (Many of its 500,000 residents speakthree languages — French, German andLuxembourgish, a German dialect). Thislocation has made this former steel-manufacturingcentre an attractive base forbroadcasters such as the German-ownedRadio Television Luxembourg (RTL)Group and the foreign-owned financesector, which accounts for about 28 percentof GDP.This economic portfolio has made Luxembourgthe third-most prosperous countryin the world based on per-capita GDP.But this irreversible proximity to Franceand Germany has also made Luxembourgan object of strategic desires over the centuries,perhaps no more so than duringthe first half of the 20th Century when theFirst and Second World War caused significantdamage. Against this background,Luxembourg abandoned its historical policyof neutrality, joining the North AtlanticTreaty Organization (NATO) in 1949. Eightyears later, it sought economic security bybecoming a founding member of what hassince evolved into the European Union.Certainly within Europe, this preferencefor working through internationalorganizations has earned Luxembourgconsiderable influence, where old politicalhands, such as Jean-Claude Juncker, haveplayed a significant role in the creationof the Euro currency. As of this writing, itremains uncertain whether this legacy willsurvive. If it does, Luxembourg will haveplayed its historic part in further unitingEurope.Black SeaWINTER 2012 | JAN-FEB-MAR