The European Union is forcing Cyprus to sort out its financial system. The country is confused. Residents are being threatened with a percentage cut in their savings. The banks are closed. One of the repercussions of the country, the European Union and its shared currency is member relationships come under strain and scrutiny.
Imagine a foster family.

The parents France and Germany decide to foster children into their family. There is a lot of work done to prepare each potential foster child before they join the family.
Cyprus is a case in point. Cyprus is one of the smaller children in the family, unlike UK, Greece and Spain. The main characteristic is that the country is a bit naughty and a bit offshore(!)
France and Germany know this but are tolerant & do not take a lot of notice. They do not see Cyprus as a threat to the stability of the rest of the family. There is an incident and Cyprus gets into trouble. He asks his parents for help. The parents insist that Cyprus takes responsibility for his behaviour. Cyprus has to learn to behave. They ground him. When he changes, the parents will reward Cyprus and allow him to go out.

Perhaps this not a good analogy: but it shows the hypocrisy of the parents and how the relationship between the parents and Cyprus are not just about his bad behaviour. The relationship is complex and has an influence on the whole family. The relationships in this foster family are complex and far reaching.
In the future this complexity might be afforded to the EU and beyond. The relationships between countries are like those in families. Past wrongs and incidents have an impact on present relationships. Ignoring bad behaviour is taken as approval. Big influential countries telling off smaller countries gets a negative childish response.
In the future as the world becomes smaller and the effects of relationships between countries greater -perhaps we can look forward to more emphasis being placed on relationships at all levels.
Even relationships between countries.

Copyright Adrian Scott North London Counsellor Blog 2013
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Disclaimer: This weblog is the view of the writer and for general information only.
This article is designed to provoke argument and critique.