The Danube and Europe's Future

Play Crossout for FREE on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PS®5: playxo.link/krautxo2022
Follow the link to download the game and get your exclusive bonus now.
This video is for all the Austrian subscribers who kept asking me to make a video touching on the country I live in. It's about the Danube, the second-longest river in Europe that flows through Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine. One of the most interesting things about the Danube is that rivers like it are usually economic cores of industry and trade, but the Danube is not. This is due to a century of neglect in development, and we examine that neglect and its consequences in this video.
►You can support my channel on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/Kraut_and_Tea
►You can also support me on PayPal here: www.paypal.me/KrautandTea
►You can support me on ko-fi here: ko-fi.com/kraut
►You can follow my twitter here: Der_Parrot
►You can also follow me on Instagram here: el_kraut
►You can discuss this video on my subreddit: www.reddit.com/r/kraut/
►You can follow and watch me on twitch here: Der_Parrot
►You can join my community, give feedback and talk to me here: derserver.xyz/
You might be interested in this video too: • The Limits of Geo...
Geopolitics in post-Imperial Europe (0:00)
What is the Danube? (2:49)
The Danube's use in history​ (6:21)
A century of neglect (8:08)
Forget the Balkans (11:22)
Why Serbia matters for the Danube (12:32)
Why the Danube matters for Europe (16:54)
Groupings and Regional politics of Europe (19:08)
Outro (24:36)
Thank you again, and don't forget to subscribe to watch more.

[Kraut]

Play Crossout for FREE on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PS®5: playxo.link/krautxo2022

[Kenos]

Virus link

[Egor Gord]

Man, crossout is a game, made by people who help to make a eussian propaganda. They're trying to hide their russian origin, but the company is hat made it Gaijin is a russian company since it's creation in 2002

[GoldenIP]

Discord pls. 😀

[Breakinggood]

@Egor Gord what is your point then?

[Robert Faucher]

I have so much to say about this video, but here's just one thing; something some people often forget about many European countries is that standardized language is a recent invention for many of them. Especially France

[BM P]

The fact that Austria is now against Romania and Bulgaria joining the Schengen area really puts the brakes on any future tightening of relationship between those countries.

[Moldovan Emil]

Yes, so I think that shows that geographic determinism is kinda wrong. Austria and their bussinesses have a lot to gain from Romania being in Schengen but the austrian politicians oppose it because they say that romanians are criminals. What do you think about this?

[Adam]

@Pavel Stefan schengen would make it easier for them

[Pavel Stefan]

@Adam many of them come in sweden through airports, but a hour of waiting at border wouldn't make a difference when is about the money bugs.

[Stefan Neculae]

Kraut: austria and hungary want further danube integration within the EU 🇷🇴: can we join schengen? 🇦🇹:no

[Alias Anybody]

That doesn't actually have to do much with Romania though, it's more of a general attempt to appeal to anti-foreign sentiment, as well as trying to force the EU towards actions against illegal immigration in general. Edit: It doesn't matter that the illegal immigration doesn't come from Romania guys. It's a power play.

[Daniel F]

Yeah, the timing on this video is pretty ironic.

[Stefan Reiterer]

I think he is right with his video though. The main issue is stupid populism to win a local election. I think the responsible people didn't expect the backlash as a lot of people were surprised by that decision.

[Alexandru B]

@Alias Anybody then why Croatia?

[Andrei Popa]

Corrections from a cargo sailing guy: The Danube Black Sea Canal was build in order to be able to sail tug convoys to Constanța (the main port of Romania on the Black Sea) and later push barge convoys. This is quite difficult on the Sulina Arm of the Danube because of the fairway and also the lack of logistics in Sulina, which are also hard to build. The Danube is notorious for the silt in pours down the mouth. There was no tax paid to the USSR, as even now with the build of the Bâstroe canal, the Chilia arm of the Danube, bordering Ukraine with it's ports Izmail and Reni, is very difficult for navigation. The main problem on the Danube lies on the lower part on the border between Romania and Bulgaria, the fairway changing a few times a year, making it a challenge for captains that don't sail the route regularly and the lack of container ports. There is one being built in Galați at the moment and there are talks of either rebuilding the Danube-Bucharest canal (very expensive) or building a highway/rail connection to Bucharest via Giurgiu and building a common port in Giurgiu-Ruse. But until that happens, the lower Danube needs regulation of the fairway, a few sectors between Serbia-Croatia, Slovakia-Hungary also need good management in order to ensure all across the Danube the minimum 2.5m draught. Also, a main problem in inland shipping of the former eastern block is that most captains that get schooled on the Danube, choose to go to the Rhine, where there is a utter lack of personnel and the salaries are 2-3 times bigger. This problem with personnel is a challenge because: people don't want to go on ships to work like they used to, the people who go are usually less academically inclined (which is bad, because you need to know at least English and German, nevermind few phrases in Russian, French, Dutch or Hungarian in addition of having engine repair knowledge, chemistry knowledge, math knowledge to load and balance the ship sosf) and most of the people who go into the field, switch to cruise ships which is a cleaner job with better conditions, making a black hole for mostly privately owned cargo ships which cannot compete with big budget cargo companies or cruise companies. Good things that are happening is that Trading Line from Galați, RO is operating a pilot program for sailing fully automated ships (KVB Anaconda, KVB Ursa Montana), a sector where the Danube has good opportunity because of it's width and lack of traffic compared to the Rhine

[Razvan Mazilu]

Thank you so much for this comment and for shedding more light on this subject. I would add to what you said that the mouth of the Danube has also been a potentially weak point from a strategic perspective. It was on the border with the USSR, a country we weren't friendly with even during communism. Then there's Snake Island, from which in theory it is possible to inderdict shipping to and from the Danube. Having an alternate route from the Danube to Constanța, one that was not only shorter, but also fully under Romanian control, made a lot of strategic sense.

[Andrei Popa]

@Razvan Mazilu Cu plăcere.

[Madalina Anton]

@nowhereman6019 Darling, don't comment under a romanian about how someone has an anti-socialist agenda, we do as well. This project dates back to King Carol who could not build the canal, it had to be done at some point, the sad part is it was done through a death camp where our best minds perished digging dirt.

[Business Wolf]

wow that was a lot of effort to write

[Icicle]

Hungarian here, sending hugs to every fellow Danubians on the Blue string of Europe (The Danube, as we call it ;)). Especially to our Romanian friends. Hope we can forget the hatred from our past and be up for a better future. HU❤RO

[BoBB]

There's no hatred mate, the clout we usually see are from a small but dedicated number of idiots, the majority is chill

[Icicle]

@BoBB The same thing on the hungarian side. It is just so stupid.

[Daniel Dan]

Why was Causescu stupid? He bult a navigable canal straight to Constanta harbor, one of the biggest in Europe, and saved the Danube Delta from industrialization this way. Even more, a part of the Navigable Danube Delta was part of USSR because Stalin, so Romania had to rely on USSR for passing there. He was not stupid and not everything Romanians did in that period was stupid.

[Ž Š]

As a Serb I'm not used to seeing videos from this angle, it was interesting. However, you said several times Yugo was made in Belgrade when in fact it was made in Kragujevac, and yeah it's an indestructible machine :)

[UmQasaann]

Kosovo is Serbia 🇨🇺❤🇷🇸

[Ž Š]

@UmQasaann Gracias amigo, Guantanamo es Cuba 🇷🇸❤️🇨🇺

[UmQasaann]

@Ž Š Хвала друже, надамо се да ће се Југославија поново ујединити и срушити најнехуманији систем што је капитализам! 🇨🇺❤🇭🇷🇷🇸 ☭

[Ž Š]

@UmQasaann Hasta siempre!

[BackAlley Productions]

That is why Yugoslavia was never invaded by the USSR in the Cold War, we would just make a wall out of Yugos and it would be indestructible

[SoManyDucks]

Slight correction. The US actually has an extremely extensive freight railroad infrastructure. From what I've read, it seems that moving goods by railroad in the US is even cheaper than in most of the EU. The US has absolutely shitty *passenger* railroad infrastructure. That said, the Mississippi basin is absolutely still heavily used for bulk transport of goods and water is still always going to be cheaper than rail.

[Fred Flintlocks]

Correct America has by far the most extensive freight rail system in the world

[Bobort]

Topical, given the narrowly avoided railroad strikes today

[Nathaniel Kidd]

It used to be even more extensive. Much of the US highway system is built on old rail beds.

[𐒂𐒃𐒍𐒕]

@Nathaniel Kidd yes. There very old I sometimes wach the trains transporting things from Canada and the beds and even the trains are old

[Ionel714]

I gotta say I disagree on the whole danube canal thing You see the Danube's mouth is incredibly marshy you really can't build anything at it's end, meanwhile move a little south and you've got perfectly dry land to make an actual port, thus this canal makes Danube trade economically viable Another most likely unintended but still very fun side effect is that it leaves the Danube delta alone as a wonderful little nature reserve

[Tomas Vrabec]

Great project executed for stupid reasoning and it had little benefit at the time. It does seem like it was completely stupid and ridiculous, especially then, but at the same time it was the stupidity which poured money into something unnecessary that later became useful. Happy little accident.

[Ionel714]

@Tomas Vrabec later became useful? Constanța witch is in the south of Dobrogea has always been the biggest port in Romania so the canal's always had some use Don't get me wrong I don't like Ceaușescu but your comment is a bit....much

[Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition]

Isn't it more worth it to just, well, dry the marshy parts and solidify the terrain?

[Ionel714]

@Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition to dry a rivers delta you need to, well stop the river and that kinda beats the purpose

[Sticla Voda]

@Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition wouldn't that be completely destructive?

[Șelcovoi Lucian]

After the Schengen veto i am in doubt that Bulgaria and Romania would join any project witch involves Austria

[Stefan Neculae]

True

[SIRC]

O să aibă ei de câștigat de la imigranții care deja sunt la ei....Artificii peste Artificii.

[Vlad Cirus]

Nope, and projects already working are probably doomed.

[BetaD]

I hope that will be possible as soon as Austria has a more stable government. And only if the right wing party wont gain more influence here... As a guy living in Austria now I was quiet saddened about this decision. But the reason was mostly because of very deep innerpolitical problems in Austria. The reigning party here (ÖVP) is in a big crisis, since the last election, which they won they, lost pretty much half of the support they had in the population. Most people dont trust them anymore. From ~ 40% to 20% now . Sadly most voters went to the right wing party (FPÖ), because our left partys are also in a bad state. Therefore the ÖVP is scared of the strenghing right wing and tries to counter it with a more right wing policy to get voters back, like the fear of immigrants from the east and so they voted no... TLDR: Main reason is interpolitical problems and the hope of the reigning party to get voters back, if they fight aganist illegal immigrants, which they fear would come, if they would have said yes...

[Kiki]

Schengen countries vetoing anything from the East, we're tired of it already. Had Russia offered a better vision the East would be gone once more.

[TGX03]

I as a German find it very interesting how in all those 4 groups you mentioned, Germany doesn't seem to play any magnificent role, even though they are acclaimed to be the boss of the EU. You included Germany in the northern group, however I don't see how our relationship to Denmark, Sweden or Finland is that much closer than to France, Austria or Poland. I find it very interesting to see how this plays out and what role Germany is going to play within this system of unions inside a Union

[Darthplagueis13]

You know... Germany is kind of like the one socially awkward kid in class who suddenly is left all on their own when the teacher tells the class to quickly form groups because everyone else knows exactly who they wanna work with from the get-go. Except, somehow that kid also ended up as class rep. But more generally I get the impression that germany just occupies its own space and that its group is basically just the neighbouring countries (except for maybe poland because the political relationship between the two isn't particularily friendly right now).

[CometDoggo]

I feel as though Germany *can* fit into any of the neighboring groups, but doesn't really belong entirely to any of them

[Luca ventinove]

I think Germany, either by being given or by assuming itself the role of the "EU leader" has basically kept itself above this process of groups formation in order to keep the EU united and stable. Germany constantly fluctuates between siding with Austria, the Netherlands and the Scandinavians and appeasing Italy, France and Poland. All in all I think Germany, maybe also thanks to its geographic position, has a strategy of making its own political group with France and Italy (see the short lived popular idea of the "EU Triumvirate" of France, Italy and Germany after Brexit). Idk if this strategy is going to pay off in the end

[Hayden Campbell]

My hope for Germany is that it will take advantage in multiple groups notably Northern Europe, Visegrad, and Danubia for starters as kraut hinted to, Germany already has ties to Northern Europe especially with commonalities in culture and social democracy. Germany also is going to need to accept that it is pivotal in defending Europe against Russia being the largest economy in Europe, and therefore would be a great partner to “scared of Russia Europe”. Lastly I think Germany would greatly benefit by developing the Danube, as the river starts in Germany which means it has the most control over it. The may already have the economic centre of the Rhine valley, but whats wrong with two economic centres

[Joe Doe]

GERMANY is PLAYING a role. With Romania it is a key country in Danube Strategy of the EU which includes billion of EUR to support it in all Danubian countries AND THE IDEA GROUPS OF COUNTRIES IS STUPID. That why Netherlands and Seven Dwarfs Group and V4 are just words. Main Point is that in case of Germany and France they cooperate with all countries of the EU Just understand this video is wrong in all aspects and do not take any facts from it as truthful

[Andy Mironov]

I've never seen anyone put so much work, dedication and subtle details into Countryballs. Kudos!

[James Seiter]

American here; I've always wanted to take a river cruise either up or down the Danube. It always struck me as the best way to see as much of Eastern Europe as possible in one trip. Love the video!

[Gabi B]

As a Romanian, I wouldn't say we ignored the Danube after WW2, although we probably could have done some smarter things with it and we did pollute it horribly. The first notable investment on the Danube was the Iron Gates 1 dam, built in cooperation (50/50) with Yugoslavia between 1964 and 1972. When running at full power, it covers about 15% of our peak power demand. It is the largest hydroelectric power plant in the entire E.U. It also improves and makes safer the navigation upstream of the dam, on a previously difficult sector of the river. Another dam was built downstream from it, Iron Gates 2, also in cooperation with Serbia. A third dam was planned as a collaboration with Bulgaria, preliminary works started but then painfully dragged on and were subsequently abandoned. This project resurfaces as a conversation topic every 4-5 years, usually before elections. We also built vast irrigation systems in the south, that rely on the Danube. These systems are essential for our agricultural output and to prevent the slow desertification of a region called Oltenia (the south of it is especially prone to desertification). As for the Danube-Black Sea canal, as others have previously stated here, the idea itself is not a stupid one. Constanta is the largest port in the Black Sea basin. Ocean going ships can transfer freight to barges and then the barges are sent through the canal, saving time and fuel by avoiding a detour through the Danube Delta. It also allowed the creation of some smaller inland ports. It is used to supply irrigation water in Dobrogea as this is a quite arid part of our country. Last but not least, it helps provide cooling water for our nuclear power plant at Cernavoda. In the event the USSR and then Russia gained control over the mouths of the Danube, the canal would have allowed us to continue shipping on the Danube in direct connection with our main port. When the Russians occupied Snake Island in february we got a good reminder of this, as that put any ship going through the mouths of the Danube in range of their anti ship missiles. Should the russians try to advance south through Dobrogea, the canal would act as a last line of defense. Economically, strategically and from an engineering point of view, the canal makes sense. Sadly, this is understandably overshadowed by the human tragedy that was its construction. An important aspect regarding various ways of carrying freight - barge transportation is indeed the cheapest way of doing it, however, it is ideal if what you are carrying is large in volume, low in cost/ton and usually non-perishable. Iron ore, coal, coke, fertilizers, phosphates, oil, petrochemicals, aggregates, cement and bulk grain (historically the most important freight carried on the Danube). This is direct contrast with our current just-in-time model of doing business, that demands the fastest logistical systems and the shortest delivery times. Rail and especially trucks dominate this category and it is inherently impossible for barges to compete. As the European economy continues its shift towards high value, high tech production, more strain will be added on the systems that allow for fast logistics. Coal is on its way out, oil will probably follow to a large degree. With our current energy situation and environmental policies, I'm not very hopeful regarding the need for iron ore and fertilizers. What will remain and probably grow will be grain transportation. In Romania, this reality is reflected in the location of most new investments - nearly all new factories and logistical centers are built in areas served by our (slowly) growing highway network. Port cities on the Danube, once important economical centers, are in decline and slowly depopulating. This is also true for northern Bulgaria. The first thing I would do would be adding more bridges over the Danube. There are at least 3 new bridges to Bulgaria that would make sense, together with replacing the main link between Romania and Bulgaria, a decrepit road-rail bridge from the '50s.

[Razvan Mazilu]

When it comes to Romania, this video by Kraut was disappointingly inaccurate and surface level. Makes me wonder how many others are like this and I just down know it because I'm not familiar enough with the topic.

[Matel]

Great points my man

[Ivelin Kamenov]

Hello from Bulgaria, to add to your insightful comments, the Danube has always been a border both for Bulgaria and Romania and our two countries perhaps never look at it as a lokomotive for economic development....a mistake in IMHO...there is a reason we have only 2 bridges between our countries and the biggest town on the part of the Danube we share is mere 150k(Ruse in Bulgaria) From Romanian point of view in the past it was the border with Ottomans, from Bulgarian perspective it was as far as possible from the core of the Ottoman empire and actually this region of Bulgaria during the 19th century was one of the most developed...Ruse was the biggest town in Bulgaria after Ruso-Turkish war of 1878 What I am trying to say is, neglecting the Danube form Romanian perspective was normal since I assume they didn't want to have too much business with the Ottomans.

[roberto simion]

Just to underline even more the importance of the canal I will add that Sulina, the main entrance from the Danube delta, was blocked for 15 years due to an incident with an Ukrainian ship (the Rostock). From 91 to 2005 that entrance was blocked, just thinking at this will surly make anyone re-think how important is the canal from Constanta. Of course is a tragedy how it was built, just that it's not a stupid project, not in the slightes.

[Mishko Simonovski]

Is there any plans to build Danube channel to Bucharest? I'm from Macedonia and there was some talks to build Thessaloniki - Belgrade channel :)

[VidoeEditingPracticeChannel]

The Rhine-Danube relationship reminds me a lot of the New York-Chicago relationship. It sounds like building it into an economic hub sounds like a great idea for Europe

[Alexandru B]

Yeah,sadly Austria seems busy not doing that right now. Now a lot of people get anti-austrian.

[Intrinsic Motivation]

i like how countryballs became an universally accepted way to depict countries

[Philip]

Four days later and it has been made exceptionally apparent that Austria has no such aspirations...

[Alias Anybody]

Because polititians are after that poll in 2 weeks instead of strategic goals in 25 years. Sometimes it's really that simple.

[kukul roukul]

@Alias Anybody cutting FORESTS like a lunatic without any atrategy is also...a one poll business ? Im asking this because there are 15 years already of INTENSE hatefull cutting in Romania

[kukul roukul]

@Alias Anybody NO ! its not that ...its something DEEPER and its CULTURAL

[BetaD]

Mostly because of big innerpolitical problems here in Austria. So I think the aspirations are there, but it really depends on how these political problems will resolve in the fututre. Sadly the right wing partys are getting stronger and stronger here :(

[Novalty]

The graphic design from 20:30 till the end is top notch, simple but very well done! Love the colors, effects and compositions!

[In 5 minutes]

Kraut: Hungary and Austria are Serbia's best friends in the EU Romania: Am I a joke to you?

[ncrvako]

Greece: apparently for him, yes

[Marko Vidakovic]

Much love to both our Ortodox brothers from Serbia! Love both Greece and Romania!

[Adam Aristophanes]

I am here just to say: Big love for 🇷🇴 and 🇬🇷 from 🇷🇸

[Mixer]

Romania sometimes wants to pull a Banat card like they did before we were approved a candidate status in EU, Romania was the only country in EU to block Serbia's becoming EU candidate because of Banat issue, and while it was resolved it made Serbia pull away a bit from Romania and got closer to Hungary. As for Greece while nominally Greece stands with Serbia and Serbia stands with Greece like when there were fires in Greece and Serbia sent 1/3 of it's firefighters to help, relations on political level have been a bit cold lately mostly because of Serbia getting closer to Turkey and North Macedonia.

[Adam Aristophanes]

@Mixer No, no. You misunderstood all. There was no Banat issue. And there is nothing with Banat at all. You are talking about Vlachs in Eastern Serbia (Timocka Krajina/Timoc, not Banat). That was an issue at that time in 2009. But that's too complicated. I am from that region and I have some Vlachian origins. It's mostly the thing between people who call themselves Vlachs and Romania, so it doesn't have much between Serbia as country and Romania. Basically, the thing between Vlachs and Romanians is the same as the thing between Montenegrins and Serbs. An ethnic question, are they two nations or one and the same etc.

[Michael Dundas]

Kraut, CaspianReport, Mr. Mitchell History. KZbin be providing us with way better global commentary than mainstream news

[Charlie Stoops]

AdamSomething too, imo

[NoHairMan]

Caspian Report fell off abit imo.

[Jack Miller]

@NoHairMan agreed. But Adam Something is great and Mr. Mitchell History is underrated

[Hans Nase]

@NoHairMan How so?

[Hellbound Chaos command]

And Good Times Bad Times

[taterbits]

Would love to see a video on the indivudial choices/paths you think the Balkans are on, specifically Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia & North Macedonia. Thease are often left to the sidelines of EU politics and pointed to as the 'evil' parts of Europe.

[Daniel]

Romania probably has a bright future ahead considering their rising economy, meanwhile bulgaria is a literally dead country which will only have 5 million people in 2050, north macedonia is a poor landlocked country with ethnic tensions and disliked by 3/4 of its neighbours and Serbia will conqure Washington in 2025

[Danilo Nikolić]

@Daniel Which neighbour doesn't dislike North Macedonia?

[Daniel]

@Danilo Nikolić Serbia I guess

[Daniel]

@Adam Aristophanes that's literally what I said

[Damjan P]

@Daniel tbf is there a neighbour Serbia doesn't dislike

[Trunks858585]

Romanian here. Glad to see we're being mentioned on the channel :D Do you have any takes/opinions on Austria's decision (at least the current likely outcome) to block Romania and Bulgaria from entering Schengen? And what repercussions that would have on future further European integration in that area? Thank you!

[Alias Anybody]

It has little to do with Romania actually, it's about domestic polls and EU powerplay.

[BetaD]

As a guy living in Austria now I was quiet saddened about this decision. But the reason was mostly because of very deep innerpolitical problems in Austria. The reigning party here (ÖVP) is in a big crisis, since the last election wich they won they lost pretty much half of the support they had in the population. Most people dont trust them anymore. From ~ 40% to 20% now . Sadly most voters vent to the right wing party (FPÖ), because our left partys are also in a bad state. Therefore the ÖVP is scared of the strenghing right wing and trys to counter it with a more right wing policies to get voters back, like the fear of immigrants from the east and so they voted no... TLDR: Main reason is interpolitical problems and the hope to get power back, if they fight aganist illegal immigrants, which they fear would come, if they would have said yes... I hope the right wing movement wont get any stronger here. Bad times at the moment :(

[BetaD]

Austrian politics are sadly in a total mess since many years... So many scandals in a few years, with the outcome of a strengthened right wing party, even if this party had a lot of scandals too a few years ago. People sadly forget so fast and are voting for the same shitty party again and history will repeat itself. sigh... :(

[marinus18]

One big thing you kind of omitted was that a major reason for the interest in the Danube is due to China's rise as they want to become the port shipping Chinese goods to northern Europe. I can see there actually becoming a major division between the Chinese oriented Denube region and the US oriented Rhine region.

[Heisenstein]

13:00 I really love how this picture is depicted - Hungary the farmers, Austria as the (fugger) bankers and service providers, and Serbia as the infrastructure developers. I don't know much about Romania and Croatia, but the other three are VERY fitting in that frame 🤣👌 Edit: LOVE the art as well, keep it coming!

[razvan rosu]

I bet you would feel different about this video since Austria decided not to let Romania and Bulgaria inside the Schengen area.

[giobronskiJ]

I was wondering about the same thing, that’s why I came back to this video…

[CTerence]

Can you believe that The Blue Danube is such a popular piece of music that they made a real river based on it? 😂

[seneca983]

The Blue Nile is a real river but the Blue Danube remains only a song.

[flyfruit_]

bro 💀💀

[Lex Prontera]

Right. The real Danube is greenish brown. If it had any more silt, it would be solid.

[Rokas Rastonis]

Huh you made a very interesting point about the baltic states being semi theyr own thing and semi being a transitional region between visegrád and northern europe that ive never really heard here (im lithuanian). and i think that the state that the baltic states are in right now is (not the only) but a great example of your idea about these groups still being in a development phase, because since around the 2010s i remember how our nations were campaigning for being viewed as northern, but ever since the 2014 events in ukraine,it has been emphasised less and less, and we've doubled down on southern and eastern friends in cooperation due to the common interest of being threatened by russia

[Pēteris Račinskis]

the eestipois still larp as vikings as hard as ever

[xVladdy]

The plans for the Danube-Black Sea Canal actually date back to the 1950's, long before Ceausescu came to power. Back then, Stalin had the idea of annexing the Delta in order to hamper Romania's economic viability as a transit nation for Asian cargo. In its place, a canal was to be built; it would still allow cargo to pass onto the Danube, but its capacity would be far inferior. Thankfully, Stalin died in 1953 and with him, the prospect of losing the Delta. That is, until Ceausescu came to power... Interestingly, among Ceausescu's megalomaniac projects, there was also a Bucharest-Danube Canal, connecting the capital directly to our socialist "brothers", namely Yugoslavia and Hungary. Until the fall of the regime in 1989, the canal was 70% finished. And ever since then, the project has laid dormant, with many calling it a dark reminder of the communist times. But recently, talks regarding the revival of the project have been made, with an auction set to finish by next year in 2023. What will come of this, we shall see.

[noel]

07:44 - The UK should rejoin and link the River Thames to the Danube via the Rhine - so Kraut can add fish & chips to his menu in Vienna

[McCaptainFrise]

I think this is a good idea, as an Serbian, i was always thinking why couldn't we use the Danube River for transport, trade, ect. since the Danube ends in Romania and we are good with Romania we could use the Danube to trade easier. So if this does happen, i think it would be good for Serbia and every other Danube country

[R J]

Excellent video Kraut! - I am a kiwi currently on backpacking journey through Europe, and have for the last month or so been travelling through various cities of the Danube starting in Vienna and now in Belgrade. Thank you for this video as it gives me a lot to think about this deeply historic and important region.

[Edward .Gamble]

As a citizen of a country that I hope may join the EU at some point, this video was very informative. I'm British :(

[inaliann]

don't you rather be part of south asia? half of your population is from there

[Gangst3r4ever]

@inaliann It took me a few seconds to understand the joke ahahahaha nice one

[Alexis Komselis]

Never stop making videos... Please, I need it. The sheer amount of knowledge and thought put in to your videos, out rivals a lot of content on KZbin. And as a citizen of the world I am thrilled every time you post a video, that makes me think and recontextualize what I am seeing. KRAUT THANK YOU ! And - Frohes fest (merry Christmas) !

[StivKobra]

A very interesting video. I've got a lot of insight now on the politics of Hungary and Austria. Was wondering why they were so buddy-buddy with Serbia all of a sudden, but this video really explains it well. As for Serbia being friends with Russia, it would definitely take a whole other video for it, but it does indeed date back to the imperialist days, and still has a lot of influence right now. From what I've gathered, Serbia has the best deal on Russian gas out of any other country in the world. Cheaper Russian energy sources are what Serbia needs, as Serbia is still a developing nation and is still kinda recovering from 1999 NATO bombing. And let's not forget that Serbia tried to cling onto the failed socialist policies from which Croatia and Slovenia wisely escaped. So you are basically giving Serbia a choice: abandon Russian products and the only major power that has ever supported you in recent decades on anything just so you could MAYBE in a couple of years join this European Union and pay European taxes and pay for products under European taxes while still having the low Serbian wages - or keep the status quo and cling to the only countries that actively support your interests (Russia and China). What Serbia would need are actual guarantees and meaningful economic help. You have Croatia, Netherlands and Poland, as you've mentioned. You appease Poland with cutting ties with Russia, Serbia gets into an economic crisis, and you still have Croatia and Netherlands to contend with. Serbia recognizes the Srebrenica genocide (which they kinda did already, at least the president did by going to pay respects to Srebrenica) and then Netherlands gives in, you are left with a massively discontent people who did not get the same recognition of the war crimes by Bosnia (documented Bosniak use of children in the war effort, even including active fighting). And in the end, you have Croatia. Looking at the Croatian political stance, they want literally nothing to do with Serbia. There is absolutely nothing you could do to appease Croatia except to make Serbia disappear from the face of the earth. And what we have now is a massively destabilized country, with very discontent population, suffering extreme economic hardship, and for what? The way I see it, there is nothing beneficial for Serbia in EU, at all. All of the demands made to Serbia are basically just going to damage it further: losing the Russian ally, recognizing Kosovo. Let's not forget that even the EU is not that stable. Couple that with the insane degree of the Serbian national pride, and you are just looking at a ticking time bomb. Very, very few Serbs actually look at EU with optimism. Russia and China have been doing a lot for Serbia over the decades. The EU not so much. Chinese factories are being built in Serbia at a rapid rate, their products sold for very cheap prices. Russian gas is sold for quite cheap in Serbia, and you have this historical sense of friendship. Sure, what Russia is doing to Ukraine is scummy, but in the end, the country has to cater to its own people, not someone else's.

[Dominik .Ďurana]

You are taking this just from diplomatic and geopolitic point of view. Look at some practicalities: there is truly Massive number of Serbs (I mean balkans in general also), who work for a fat EU paycheck in Germany / Austria and other countries. And they know it, although they are patriots they are not stupid. So... if Serbia as a country, through government and parliament, won't get closer to EU, it's people will. In fact, they are doing it right now. And in time, I think they will recognize it and change their general rhetoric.

[Duška]

@Dominik .Ďurana Yes! As an individual, you can clearly see which bloc has a better life. I made that choice myself for the same reason.

[Marko Vidakovic]

@Dominik .Ďurana They are minority; vast majority of Serbs live in Serbia and share the sentiment of the commenter. EU is dead in Serbia, thanks to the EU.

[StivKobra]

@Dominik .Ďurana Yes, but they earn EU paychecks for EU prices. It will take quite a bit of time to integrate the economy of Serbia proper up to the standards of the EU. And it will always start with EU prices first, not EU wages. Most people from the Balkans who go to work in the EU live a more modest life and bring the money back home. From what I've seen, the Serbian government is pushing for the EU, but the people are not. I haven't noticed any significant public movements for the the EU integration. People seem to be more for the regional cooperation, kinda what this video suggests. And again, in the end, it will be up to the people - unless Serbia completely sacrifices democracy in order to push for the EU integration, which is sort of happening right now. The current government and the president don't seem very democratic, with a lot of allegations of vote rigging, plus a very low voter participation.

[Elmar Moelzer]

Great and thoughtful video! I really enjoyed that one. I am Austrian myself, though now an expat living in the US. I remember back when I went to high school, I was learning about a "Europe of Regions" rather than a Europe of Nations. I think this sort of ties in neatly, though the "regions" defined back then were somewhat smaller than the bigger regions you outline here. So as food for thought, I want to add that there might be smaller "sub- regions" within those bigger blocks. I find it also worth considering that the Bavaria which has a very long history with Austria (and has a kind of special status within Germany) could (sort of) become part of the Danubia block, even if the rest of Germany would not. Equally, due to their relative vicinity to the Mediterranean, some southern parts of Austria might actually be more associated with the Mediterranean block. I am particularly thinking of Southern Styria (and my hometown Graz), which has strong historic and cultural ties to Slovenia. My grandmother used to live in Marburg (or Maribor as it is called today). There is also geographic tie to that region. Southern Styria is separated from the rest of Austria by the alps and open towards the Mediterranean and even climatically it is more like that region than the rest of Austria. Or, some part of the northern Mediterranean block like Southern Tyrol might actually find themselves more associated with Danubia... It will be interesting to watch how things develop. The EU is in many ways still an experiment and the outcome is hard to predict. Anyway, you gave me some food for thought. Love many of your other videos as well! Keep it up!

[comentator]

I love the animator for drawing Bulgaria in, every time the context is appropriate, even tho it is mentioned about 2 times.

[Mladen Milić]

Fun fact: Yugo was made in Kragujevac. River Lepenica that goes by Zastava factory is very small. Cars were exported over port of Bar, Montenegro, using railway. Closest Danube port with rail connection was Smederevo. Morava is just 30km away and used to be navigable up to city of Paraćin until WW2, when communist made river straight and level fell. As for rail, most of Yugoslav railway was electrified, but not rails around Kragujevac, so locomotive had to be changed twice (marshaling Yard Kraljevo), and now with independence of Montenegro, 3x (at border).

[Long Hei Linus KWAN]

6:31 "Rivers are always great borders. Difficult to cross, they form ideal defensive lines." Hoi4 Players: Can't agree more

[A Cat with Wiskers]

we do a small amount of warfare

[Red Az]

Amtrac would like to know your position

[Schadenfreude47]

I clicked on this video expecting to learn about climate flooding, but this was a really interesting subject I had never thought of. While Serbian friendship with the EU does not look likely in the immediate future - Hungary alienating its allies lately makes this even more difficult - it's a really interesting thought experiment to visualise Danubia like this.

[Boomerix]

Well it's not on purpose, Hungary's economy is built on the Oil industry, which is currently specialised in Ural Oil. They have been converting their refineries since 2014, but currently they still need at least 75% Ural oil to work. The Hungarian Oil Company MOL makes up 1/5th of Hungary's GDP, they also supply the major Car, Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Electronic industries with Oil products. Many Hungarian Banks, companies and institutions have significant shares in MOL. If Hungary can't get Russian Oil it's economy collapses, so Hungary has no other choice then do what it can to keep the oil flowing.

[Kasopea]

Your videos are always so interesting and informative; food for thought that I wouldn't otherwise consider. But my favourite part is still the Poland-ball illustrations.

[Marten]

This video aged like milk after Austrias Schengen veto against Romania and Bulgaria...

[Grand]

Only took less than a week. Kraut should post an addendum.

[Manfred Kandlbinder]

As a resident in the biggest town in germany on the banks of the danube and having family ties to serbia this was a very interesting video. Thanks for that ! Although i am somewhat on the fence of the danube becoming economically so important as the outlook made it appear. It could mean my cozy town becomes a buzzling industrial center in bavaria as port of destination highest up on the river in germany.

[Benjamin McLaren]

Thank you to the Polandball Community! You guys are always so polite and welcoming. :)

[Komnenus]

The notion that the Balkan peninsula is not a cultural group is entirely wrong. Despite the painful history of the peninsula and the common distrust between the nations, a Greek will have a much easier time culturaly understanding a Bulgarian or a Bosniak than a Frenchman. Its more that the imperial legacy of the Ottomans (and even before them the East Romans) that kept these peoples within the same state structure that facilitated cultural exchange among them. That does not only boil down to foodstuffs, it can be found in music, national epics and even subconcious cultural notions of how one is to act and what makes one a good person. So to recap, yes the Balkans are not a set in stone geographic region but the certainly ARE a cultural region.

[mehhie]

But it is still a cultural region primarily dominated by a shared centuries spanning war and expulsion of ottomans. More than anything the balkans are still haunted by the spectre of the ottoman empire and it has left a long lasting impact on the cultures of the balkan. And the eastern romans had a dwindling influence since 1200s, allowing separate and distinct cultures and nations to develop. And with the national epics, most nations have heroes from the settlement (if they migrated post west roman collapse) and will most certainly have heros fighting for independence against the turks. And the balkan is really ethnically and thus you cant deny it also culturally diverse. Its a cultural region, but not one that is as clear as is the visegrad group or scandinavia. The serbo-croatian slavs form a separate cultural group from the eastern balkan cultures like bulgaria or romania, as does greece itself as the only hellenic state in the balkan. While we all share our economic misery and dont have nearly as common of a cultural understanding with some as the french, we dont necessarily share an overarching cultural group. (to the extent neighbours will not intermingle anyways)

[M. Richman]

Your reasoning is correct but as a fellow Greek I can attest from my personal experience that I had much easier time understanding and communicating with French people than Bulgarians, Serbians, Romanians and other Balkan folks. I guess that European integration of the last decades and the last century as a whole had played a big part already and the ottoman/byzantine influence is fading already.

[Matic]

I partly agree with both - i think that cultural groups (Balkan/Danubia etc) dont exclude one another and are more like Layers/Filters/Lenses on a photo of how to look at the land. All put on one another then create reality

[Mishko Simonovski]

@mehhie Slavs came to Balkans in 700 AD, ever since they were looking up to Byzantines for religion, culture, law, alphabet and when Constantinople weakened slavic rulers styled themselves as Byzantine Emperors up until Ottoman takeover in 1400, that's 600 years of intermingling.

[Aleksa Radojičić]

@mehhie Opposite is true. Balkans was close region before Ottomans appeared here, which was result of Byzantine rule and cultural influence.

[Grave The Ghoul]

Kraut, you continue to be my favorite political science and history channel on all of youtube. It’s because of you my interest in political science was sparked, and as a result is the main focus of my studies, and I have you to thank for that. I love how you consider every viewpoint, and try to stay as unbiased as possible. I honestly can’t think of a single time you have expressed your own beliefs without first saying so, and at every other time you simply state what is happening, not whether it is good or bad, just what is happening. And I adore that; so many channels like yours are dominated by political beliefs and preferences, so it’s a relief to watch yours, seeing as it allows me to form my own beliefs and positions in political events (Although frankly I agree with most of what you believe as well anyways lol). Thank you, Kraut, I wish you all the best, and hope you gain more success :)

[Volodymyr Demchenko]

Kraut, huge kudos to you for all your videos. I enjoy the way you structure your arguements, your narrative and the topics you choose. Keep it up!

[Nemo Lalilulelo]

You could say a bit more about the role of Germany in all of this. It's a bit strange that Germany almost doesn't appear in this video, when German influence on everything in EU is very strong.

[gyenes74]

I love the little detail how you used the Hungarian translation for grain at 7:08. Such pieces can make the video feel a little more better, good job!

[Starfall]

Personally, as a German, I am worried about Germany being increasingly ostracized from either of these groups. I feel like Germany under Angela Merkel never really belonged to any of these groups, but took on a larger role as the driving force for uniting Europe further and mediating the different interests of the different groups. However constant comprominsing between all groups (and prioritising own economic interests) have left Germany somewhat isolated. The mediterranean block doesn't like us because of constant disagreements on fiscal policy, while the visegrad group doesn't like Germany because of the gas dependency on Russian and constant complaints about gay rights and the migration policies. Technically speaking I think the German group would definetly be the northern one, especially because I come from the north of Germany and love Scandinavia, but I still feel like Germany being so central (both geographically and economically) to the EU right now, means we can't simply ignore every other group. The EU could possibly use a country that sort of stands above these regional blocks and tries to get them to cooperate further, however I feel like Germany right now has burned too many bridges and is hurt too much economically, to play this role. It is somewhat ironic, that the one event, that has tied NATO and the EU so much closer together (Ukrainian war) has left Germany so internationally isolated. A huge mistake was made and I fear Olaf Scholz is not the right person to take care of this. I hope the regional blocks do more good for the EU than bad and that they are not so divisive to tear the Union apart, but rather help bring other countries on track to join the EU (if thay manage to fulfill the entry criteria, that is).

[MrToradragon]

I would say that Germany is ostracized due to it's policies in last two decades. It was A. Merkel who "invited"migrants from middle east which did not make people in central Europe particularly happy and led to rise of populist in those countries. And it was Germany s far back as 2000 who came with Energiewende and Atomausstieg which left it dependent on Russian gas which led to problems since Autumn of 2021. Then there are minor thing like when Germany had ignored Czech proposals for further interconnection and electrification of cross-border railways or long term inability to solve bottlenecks in it's own power grid between northeast and south. Or the fact that while Germany claims o green it wants to be, it is failing to implements necessary steps. E.g. navigability of Elbe, Rhine, or construction of new locks and canals or just finishing of what was already started in the past, new hydro power plants on existing weirs, reconstruction of existing pump storage power plants and so on. More and more Germany seems like hypocrite, claiming one thing but not doing it, or doing exact opposite. And then you have to add history that other countries have with Germany. And how Germany behaved early on in current crisis and how it behaves still. I would even say that it puts reliability of Germany as partner for eastern part of EU in question. That all compounds together. And credit that Germany once had is running out fast.

[shitty mcr vids]

Yea, I don’t really see Germany in any block. Maybe a sort Rhine Valley block with the Benelux countries? But that’s a very NRW (west-German) perspective

[Bleilock1]

@MrToradragon germany is still seen in many parts of europe as a imperialist country, even more than france (who are behaving very imperiously outside of europe) especially after fiscal reforms and forcing other countries in eu to abide by their economy protocols, which cant be applied everywhere, in turn ruining economies like greek, croatian or bulgarian and gained nothing from it considering german past, its no wonder other countries are distancing themselves from germany, we have very little to gain from them, but we lose so much and yea, germany claiming they want to be more greem, shuts down nuclear reactor programs and makes itself even more reliant on fossil fuels... very green germany... very green

[We Care]

Very sensibly analysed.

[sas quatch]

So many things said in this video reminds me of brain4breakfast. From talking about rivers and how it exports things to describing how geographic names are more indicative of politics to describing Europe as a "peninsula of peninsulas" to "and this isn't even to mention anything about Kosovo". Truly a blast of the past, may he rest in peace.

[Tetiera]

Why he ded?

[scoopish]

@Tetiera we dont know, but we do know from his family that he is now in heaven, rip

[Adam Trott]

RIP

[מ.מ.]

@scoopish He had cancer

[scoopish]

really? didnt know @מ.מ.

[The Uncle Tony]

Dear Kraut, your videos are the best on youtube; your explanations and analysis are honest and accurate. I implore you to do a video on Laos (or French Indochina as a whole with Cambodia and Vietnam). Our issues are rarely discussed on an international scale, but our pocket of the world is fascinating and the historical contexts are truly foundational in understanding the issues we face today. I know you probably have a set schedule and want to do what you want to do, but I sincerely hope you consider analyzing this region in the future. Thank you.

[Boris Simonenko]

Good video on geographical philosophy. I think that anyone watching this video should understand that this is an opinion-based video and that it is important to make your own interpretations as well!

[Raul Maluf Tolentino]

As a parallel topic , I wonder how ultramarine territories of European Union members should deal with political economical and cultural ties , and maybe , if the EU would expand its zone of influence through this. As an example, France biggest border is not with Germany but actually Brazil ! A country that currently is much more under US influence than EU

[Dheeman Rajkhowa]

Gosh! I loved the fleshing out of European policies and differences by Kraut as an outsider! Much love from India!

[Only Facts]

Wow watching this really makes me appreciate how much I've taken the overall internal integration of China for granted. Imagine having to negotiate political deals to set up a transportation corridor through the Yellow River or Yangtze. Having one government really makes everything much simpler.

[Alexandru Vizitiu]

Coincidentally, on this very day The Dutch government stated that they approve of Croatia and Romania's bids to join Schengen, but that they would block Bulgaria from entering the free movement zone. If this does come to pass and The Netherlands get their way, then the Northern part of the Danube will be the border between the EU and the rest of Europe. Also, a note on Romania: At the moment, the political class is livid with Austria for a number of reasons: the recent statements of certain austrian politicians regarding our bid to join Schengen, the closeness some of them seem to have with Russia, and various corruption scandals that involve austrian companies. This has lead certain pundits and talking heads to advocate for us to distance ourselves from Austria. As such, they are calling for a "divorce" between Romania and Austria, with Petrom to be taken back (by force, if necessary) from OMV, as well as jailing the heads of various austrian logging companies that have been accused of illegal practices in Romanian forests. Note that the loudest of these figures is Andrei Caramitru, who styles himself as being a technocrat, center left, pro-EU, pro-NATO, and a former counselor to the head of our pro-EU, pro-social democracy party, USL. Which means it is not comming (only) from the populist and/or extremist political parts of the country. The population is also more or less in line with this: they hate the way Petrom was sold of for what they view as nothing, they hate what the austrain logging companies have done in Romanian forests, and they are hostile to the ideea of a Danubian state or block (or whatever it can be called as it reminds them too much of the Austrian-Hungarian empire (which they despise). As such, Romanian politicians and political talking heads are favoring the Intermarium (the bigger and more ambitious version of Visegrad).

[ste kra]

How are these Austrian politicians bet they are FPÖ or OVP?

[ste kra]

We should really work on this. But first we need to get a new government in charge.

[ste kra]

This is so said futher interaction in the Danube Region could benefit all of us.

[Alexandru Vizitiu]

@ste kra I didn't really catch their names or their party affiliation - not good with German names or the Austrian political world. I know that the chancellor spoke out against our bid for Schengen.

[Lettergam]

Well that seems reasonable,since all those Europeans west of Vienna will always view us as second-rate Europeans I hope to god we don't get into Schengen,maybe more people will realise how little "the west",our supposed model and trusted ally truly cares about us

[Nihilo_Rex]

Incredible video that gave me a great new perspective in the E.U and how it perhaps one day can be truly unified which is something I highly hope for

[Tony Wilde]

Tremendous video as always, Kraut. Thank you also for addressing us (Ireland) as well as several other nations on the continental precipice.

[Cristian Villalba]

Its incredible how kraut managed to understand and project that this cultures and countries don't exist in a vacoom, every act has a consecuence bout domestic and in the international scene. BRAVO

[Kuba Goździk]

I can't even describe how fascinating the content of your work is, as always, great video, you inspire me to educate myself further in the geopolitical sphere and take up geopolitics as my future professional path. Greetings from the visegrad Poland

[Vuk M]

If you take a gentle stroll around any small serbian town you are bound to see 30 yugos and about 20 zastava 101s. How they made the things run for such a long time is a mystery of engineering.

[Razvan Mazilu]

Kraut, I think you have some inaccuracies here. The idea of the Danube-Black Sea canal has nothing to do with Ceaușescu. It was first proposed in the late 19th century, with the intention being to shorten the distance ships had to travel to the port of Constanța by several hundred kilometres. The engineering study, which would eventually lead to its construction, was performed in the late '20s. It's true that the construction started under the communists, in 1949, but this was before Ceaușescu. It would be accurate to say he was responsible for completing it, but it wasn't his idea, nor did he begin it. Also I don't understand the bit about Ceaușescu having to pay transport fees. Most of the Danube flows into the Black Sea through Romania. About 75% of the Danube Delta is part of Romania, two of the three major branches that flow into the sea are fully within Romania, while the third is shared with Ukraine (previously with the USSR), much in the same way the Danube is shared with Bulgaria to the south or with Serbia to the south west. What exactly would he pay for? Edit: also I missed the part where Moldova is separated from Romania by the Carpathian mountains. Moldova is separated from Romania by the river Prut, there are no mountains in the way. Perhaps you're confusing the larger historical region of Moldova (or Moldavia) with the modern day country of Moldova. Also I'm not sure where this rail line between Bucharest and Vienna that cost billions is supposed to be. There are Bucharest-Vienna trains, but they run on existing rail lines. Nothing new, at least in Romania. There have been talks of a high speed rail line between Bucharest and Vienna, but I'm sure not a single meter of it has been built in Romania. Don't know about Austria or Hungary.

[Bagador Supreme]

There was a lot more than "Soviet fees" to the full usage of the Danubian Delta. Romania kept close ties to Yugoslavia and openly cooperated with Italy and France economically. After the Hungarian Revolution in the 50s the USSR wouldn't use force to quell the Warsaw Pact but could hold Romania by the balls so to speak by making the usage of the Delta impossible. Romania did the same by making the river un-usable for it's brother WarPact nations in a tit for tat. The canal looks dumb at surface level but was almost necessary for Romania to have a chance be open to the West like Yugoslavia did.

[Luka Tomaš]

@Bagador Supreme The Soviets certainly used force to quell Czechoslovakia in '68.

[Bagador Supreme]

@Luka Tomaš I did forget that, but the USSR was still wary of using force on Romania hence the economic pressure to attempt to bring Ceausescu to heel

[Rattila]

As a french person, I'm honestly a bit skeptical about your "french insults/cooking map". While there is quite a difference of habits, not only are we bound by what is now a very centralized culture -with regional particularities-, I've never ever heard the regions you designated being considered more "germans" or "italians". The only ones I can think of in this way are (sometimes) alsatians as germans and Nice as italians, because history. Even then, it is way more of a joke (tho in bad taste) than an insult. In general regional identity in France has known a rebound since it's former centuries: one that coexist with a centralized french identity (in fact, the most regionalists are quite often the most nationalists, too). So most of the insult and mockeries will often focus on a region or a city: such guy drives like a marseillais, such man is arrogant like a parisian, this guy definitely has the south-west accent, and this dude is a breton, so you wouldn't get it, etc, etc. This aside, good vid. But I wished to at least bring another point of view to this because the concept as you presented it is just so alien to me.

[Haïdouk]

Even though I was pretty surprised with this whole "insult" thing, since I had never really heard about something like that, I think the overall point still stands. There's a clear difference of mentality between northern France, more inflienced by germanic and anglo-cultures, regarding the view on work, family, personal space, etiquette, money, ..., and southern France, more influenced by latin-mediterranean cultures. It doesn't feel like two different countries, but you can clearly observe this difference.

[Rattila]

@Haïdouk In such case that's somethng you could say about most countries tho, right ? I mean, New England has more cultural proximity with Canada and California with Mexico in a way, for example. Tho me it's just how borders and cultures work, so this example was a bit specific and strange.

[Ochlunae Lirbnypt]

(other French person here) I agree with you. The ones being compared to Italians are in the South East, and the ones being compared to Germans are Alsatians. We could go further by thinking about Spanish in the South West, Dutch in the North, ... At any rate, the divison on the map is pretty wrong considering views related to other nations. It is somewhat more true for the butter/olive oil division though. That being said, as someone else points it below (@Haïdouk), it is true that we think a lot about a North/South division in different social aspects, be it food, behavior, customs, dialects (for what there is left), etc. So, despite Kraut's example being rather wrongly formulated, the outcome still stands: this border is not set in stone and, although it would pretty surely not change into a national border in the future, it does give France an opportunity to be part of different groups in Europe and to adapt itself depending on what happens next.

[MrBoliao98]

I think, this is one of the best videos I have had in years. Like I did not think of the neglect of the Danube, and yet it is so important.

[Frost_Bite]

Great video. However, I wanted to mention something about the video that I felt gave off the wrong idea. I felt clarification on the of Visegrad grouping should have been in order. In the video it was mentioned that Estonia was more closely linked culturally with the Nordic countries and this was included in the map at the end of the video (Estonia was labeled as a country Northerner), but it was mentioned that it could go Visegrad. However, It was mentioned that Visegrad contains countries that are bound by Slavic culture and while it was mentioned that the rest of the Baltic (Latvia and Lithuania) could go either way (Northern or Visegrad) at the end they were included in Visegrad. It gave off the impression that Latvia and Lithuania are culturally Slavic, which is just plainly not true (while clarification on Estonia was given, there was none on Latvia and Lithuania). I respect how Kraut did this video I just felt like I needed to mention this particular thing. A lot of people think that Latvia and Lithuania are Slavic which isn't true and I think some people might get that idea from this video.

[Neluril]

Same for Hungary... except it's already in Visegrad (or rather Visegrád is already in Hungary, as that's the town the original 14th century Visegrad treaty was named after)

[Sean Connor]

I’m from Ireland, and before the uk left, they used to fight for stuff in the eu that we would agree with so we never really needed to join one of the blocks, now that the uk has left, we joined a political block with the likes of Finland, Sweden and Estonia in order to fight for the legislation that the uk would have done previously. I do forget the name of the group though

[ferno056]

The new hanseatic league? Haven't heard anything from them since the start of covid. Lately we seem to be taking an interest in France(or to be more specific Brittany).

[Ben Goacher]

The common sense block. I think the UK leaving has revealed some of the fractures that already existed in the EU. Previously the groups who didn't want the EU to become a federation were able to vote along with the rest of the EU knowing that the UK would block any attempts to bring EU nations closer together. But now those nations are having to pin their colours to the mast, to the surprise of the Germans and the French who thought that Brexit meant EU federation was a shoe in. The Dutch, Italians, Swedes, Danes, Irish etc are all opposed to any further moves towards a federal system, or giving greater powers to the EU. Just look at the far right* Italian government and the protests in the Netherlands over farm productivity. *So the mainstream media went on a nutty one calling the italian government far right and neo-fascist with dubious links to Mussolini. Yet as of 05/12/2022 I have heard nothing from Italy in regards to suppression of free speech, violence against minorities, strengthening the role of the church or promoting nationalist sentiment. Infact the most extreme position the Italians have held is refusing to allow a boat full of illegal immigrants from Africa to dock in its port that one time. Maybe I'm not getting the full picture, or maybe the liberal media went way over the top calling ordinary people fascist so much that the word has lost all meaning.

[jasamkli]

This is so true. Im from Northren Serbia ( Vojvodina ) and find this video so objective and acurate. Im glad new generations are much more capeoble of co-operation then those before us. Lets keep the business boomin !

[Hunor D.]

I can't believe Kraut just said: "Oh it's Zeihan time!" And Mississippied all over the Danube!

[We Care]

If it were such a brilliant idea...

[Alfa Eco]

You just made me realize that Danube river is (could) be the Mississippi of Europe. Why the countries around it are not placing as highest priority for moving goods beats me.

[Franco Regnani]

Why do i watch this video and suddenly feel a surging feeling of prospects and future. Many parts of media should learn from this channel and this video in particular. This was amazing

[Grand]

Given Austria's Schengen veto against Romania and Bulgaria within the week after you posted this, I think that you should upload an addendum of some sort.

[Mac Lyerly]

A fantastic overview. Thank you for such informative videos!

[RaulMeatFactory1975]

As an Irish Spaniard I love our rich and long European history. Thanks Kraut.

[Mr. Figgles]

I always love hearing about Europe’s geopolitical decision making. The diplomatic pursuit of geological interests is fairly lost on North America. The US and Canada are so big that they already have access to nearly everything they’d want, be it resources or ports, and so our political squabbling often boils down to a fight for the attention of the public, rather than specific national interests. The national interests usually take on a global scale that will often lose me just by its sheer size.

[Mr. Figgles]

In short, thanks for being great Kraut 👍

[Daniel Survivor]

Isn't USA already heavily invested in foreign policies due to NATO and middle east wars? Although I wonder how much can USA do to improve EU project. or should USA focus on success of its neighbours like Mexico/Canada and potentially South America?

[Jonas Strzyz]

@Daniel Survivor There is no doubt a large involvement, yet it seems that the public at large seems ignorant or indifferent to geopolitical issues.

[nitehawk86]

Id argue that you do need a lot of maintenance for rivers that have cities along them, to prevent flooding and ecological issues. But you need to do that regardless if you used them for transportation, so lets get those boats moving!

[BJS]

Rivers can be great boarders or great cores. The best is having both, like how the USA has the Mississippi at its core, but then uses rivers like Rio Grande and St Lawrence for boarders. St Lawrence serves a double role as both boarder and core for Canada, which presented problems when relations with America were less friendly, which is why Canada built a canal from Ottawa to Kingston.

[Gary]

Thoroughly enjoyed the nuanced discussion of interests, history and geography, as that is rare in US media. (Country X bad, US Good!) As far as the somewhat neglected Mississippi/Missouri/Tennessee River navigable waterways, the railroad lobbies had much to say with regards to legislation concerning intracoastal waterways. Hmm....wouldn't it be interesting if the impending railroad strike might change some of that?

[Joe Koch]

The rail network in the US is highly developed and very good at the transportation of goods. Lots of people overlook the US rail network due to the fact that it doesn't transport people.

[Jørgen M. D Sollie]

I love how the EU has made old-timey imperialism, great-power politics, geopolitics and international architecture possible by peaceful means.

[Bone]

And non peaceful if you dont comply.

[Jørgen M. D Sollie]

@Bone As we see with the great EU invasion of Hungary and Poland...?

[Bone]

@Jørgen M. D Sollie The great bombing of Serbia.

[Kron Krian]

Great video Kraut. Please cover the current political instability of Bulgaria soon. There is quite a bit to cover, you will find. That's one of the main reasons that Bulgaria is still being blocked from joining Schengen.

[DireAvenger001]

Bulgaria is unstable? I thought it was one of the most stable in the Balkans

[Ionut Balta]

@DireAvenger001 Thats not such a high point if ya ask me.

[Kron Krian]

@DireAvenger001 If by stable you mean 3 snap elections one after another with the last only having 40% turnout, then yes, the country is very stable.

[Wind Falcon]

@DireAvenger001 As a country Bulgaria is stable, there is problem with the parties forming a functional government after elections. It's not any more unstable than Belgium who if I'm not mistaken also has trouble with their parties forming coalitions.

[qwerty123443]

I've had a boat tour from Romania through the Danube delta, it's a beautiful place!

[kukul roukul]

of course it is ! but the beauty sits in the eyes of the observer NOT....where the Kraut would want to :))

[Atlice]

Its crazy how The Danube supplies Cairo & Sudan with all their water, it's the greatest river in Asia

[Björn Bidar]

I moved away from Germany but I wish we could develop into a similar direction as it were in the past were German trade influences were widely found in Europe, I think especially in eastern Europe things looked better in the past.

[Wolfgang Rauh]

It was not specifically under chancellor Kreisky that hydropower was developed on the Danube. Most hydroelectric plants were built earlier.

[Ericmyrs]

The little logos for the European power blocks were cute as all hell. Kudos!

[Iskold]

This is the second video I've seen talking about the Mississippi river being an economic artery for the US in the last couple of months. I'm kinda curious why people are all the sudden paying attention to this.

[Kraut]

Because the Mississippi river infrastructure is being increasingly neglected and declining. I am pretty sure someone will make a video on it in the near future.

[MATEUS]

it's not all of a sudden. It's probably the best internal river system so people bring it up. it's a shame we don't use it to it's full potential anymore.

[That Cow]

I live in what is probably the second-most important city on the Mississippi: Memphis, Tennessee. Right now the Mississippi has very low water levels, so basically no boat with any real cargo on it can really go very far before hitting a shallow patch that threatens to run them aground. On top of that, basically all docks and means of "connecting" up to barges (grain vacuums, augers, etc.) are in disrepair or have already been demolished. Even if you wanted to ship anything here, the means of offloading anything is in such poor condition that you can't.

[Max Turner]

@That Cow there’s places in stl area that has that potential

[Yea Okay foo]

@Kraut No its not please stop lying

[George Held]

the map of the Danube basin really made it click how the Austrian empire actually worked for so long

[StrawB0ss]

I appreciate that you reprisented the Mississippi basin with Louisiana ball rather than Mississippi which, oddly enough, only has one bank of one small section of the river.

[MrINCREDIBILIS]

I live in Vienna, namely the 16th district, however I have actually never heard somebody call the eastern districts "transdanubia", thanks for giving me a new way to make fun of some of my friends living there :)

[2steve2]

Ich ärger schon sehr oft Freunde aus transdanubien und erklähre ihnen, dass sie nicht in Wien leben hahaha. Ist genau so gut wie wenn man Leuten aus Eisenstadt sagst sie kommen aus Eisendorf.

[kukul roukul]

dont you EVER come in Dobrogea ! you wont like it ...many hungarian businesses FAILED here ...for some...reasons :P

[Fil]

Clearly Austria has no interest in the region or any further integration as you claim, as they have willingfully rejected Romania and Bulgaria from joining Schenghen

[Finn Sumpf]

Im really happy to see you posting so many videos over the past few months. Especially remembering some intros in the last 1 or 2 years where you talked about how hard it was for you to work on videos. I hope you are well and thriving in your work. Much appreciated :))

[Mr Lik]

Fantastic video! I've never considered looking at Europe like this, really eye opening

[Tomás A-M]

20:00 I'm a British Politics student, and I've been trying to study the place of the Atlantic, the UK, and EU's interests. Referring to your bit on Ireland and the UK in the EU, and out of the EU, the term "Atlanticist" and Churchill's "Three Spheres" come to mind; Europe, the Commonwealth, and the Atlantic were Churchill's three main points. The Atlantic is now all that the UK has after Brexit, but Ireland is also pursuing this strategy of becoming an atlantic weight in Europe, with ties to the Anglosphere facilitating North American trade, alongside a shared history, as the UK had. In another timeline, if the UK had become as Norway is, then Ireland-UK-Norway-Iceland could have formed our _own_ region, with the interests of the Maritime sphere protected, and the North Atlantic, Arctic, and the Archipelago of the British Isles (and Iceland) all benefitting from investment of the greater, while allowing prioritisation of policy in the _interior_ that Brexit tried, and has failed, to achieve.

[Baradin_AoE]

You could reflect on the role of germany in that groups that you just mentioned. First it is eye-catching that none of the groups seems to be dominated by Germany whereas german influence in Europe is both requested and rejected at the same time - sometimes by the same players. And second, Germany is touching 3 of your suggested groups. East Germany politically functions more like the Visegrad group in its political culture than western Germany. The south finds closer bonds to the Danube and Austria than to the prussian protestanthic Berlin and the northern federal states. The latter on the other hand always see the scandinavian political culture and its influence as desirable. So the question would be: Is the biggest economy and the central block in the middle of europe - germany - without a group and political allies and would that be rather, that it is without bigger representation or is it that it would be a mediator between the groups.

[Adrian]

your country is going into economic collapse next year brother, you have other problems leave mediating and leadership aside 😅😂

[Baradin_AoE]

@Adrian Tell that to Kaczynski and his PiS-Party in Poland, he and his party will be relieved that all his remarks have been unfounded and focus on their inner problems instead of creating artificial external ones.

[Adrian]

@Baradin_AoE well acctualy Poland is prety well...

[Baradin_AoE]

@Adrian nice to hear.

[Adrian]

@Baradin_AoE i am not from poland so i may be wrong...

[77cicero77]

So many times “The Blue Danube” has served as general background music. But now, it’s perfect.

[Dat Guy]

I love your video's they're always so easy to understand. Thank you for your work

[Kulow]

That is a bold statement saying that the Danube integrated Austria. I mean this is a country with multiple different gauges of railway because certain parts of the country wanted to make it harder to trade with other parts.

[freakyDJ]

I would say as an estonian, we would like to group ourselves with the northern europeans/Scandinavians as it comes with some prestigious connnotations with being wealthy and progressive and someways more advanced, but in reality I would categorize ourselves more with the Visegrad group, as we right now have more on common with them. We have a common history and struggle the last century, we hate the Russian federation, our homes and streets look more alike(seriously try to tell apart some East european towns on groguessr :p) and the mentality is the same i would say which is develop quickly, connect up with neighbours, make money and catch up to the west through innovation, tech and it etc. I would even say that being a northern europeans has negative connnotations, they can be looked as overly snobbish towards others, too bureocratic, stuck to the old ways that worked for them but cant work for us. We dont like that foreigners have a negative connnotations with eastern Europe and compare us to the russians, this is the main reason i think we try to grasp for other titles, Visegrad, northern europeans, Scandinavians, baltic, etc.

[Huh Huh]

What you described I feel definetly applies to my country which is in the V4, so I'd say you are correct then.

[Zzpiraten]

About the cuisine in France, I wouldn't say that we insult others for using oil or butter but more that we like to make fun of it. And butter is more associated with breton people than germans ^^' Still this map is really accurate, as I live in Lyon and I come from Narbonne: I almost never used butter before coming to Lyon. Now I use both. Then about the regional blocks in the EU, it's interesting this aspect is developping but I fear that opposition between these blocks appear in the near future. I hope politicians will be able to works for the developments and interests of blocks they don't belong to, otherwise the union might fracture even more.

[Flame152]

Nice youtube channel. It is obvious that you love this, work hard and know a lot about it (because you love it, you love learning about it. I'm also in love with history but don't know much about it.). I don't want to praise you that much so ill just say keep doing the good job!