That looks like a damn good deal to me. Adding Germany always seemed almost as silly as adding Brazil to me. We'll really only lose Japan's slot too. In a decade or so India should be powerful enough that if China tries to fight hard enough to keep her out they'll lose face by appearing to fear India.

Stephen,

there are 4 countries we are talkin about here. Why the emphasis on Germany?

Sweet.

Why, exactly, is it that the Germans thought they could screw us on Iraq, and not face any consequences?

I wonder if the CDU candidate will use this as an example of Schroeders (sp?) failed foreign policies? :-)

Greg,

what about India and Japan? They didn't screw you (not that we really did either) on Iraq.

Ralf, they should sit on the UNSC.

Japan pays the 2nd most after US and India has 1/6 of the world's population.

If there is an EU - 1 voice, 1 vision, 1 seat on in the UN.

Europe already has 2 on the UNSC and 25 in the UN as a whole. We have ..... 1.

Wait... if the EU gets a bunch of it's little nations on the Council, then how about a Texas seat in there too?

Hell, why not a Rhode Island seat?

Germany is the third largest payer, but I agree that three UN seats are too much.

I don't actually want a permanent seat for Germany, but I'm irked at the gloating here.