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Donskis, Leonidas
4 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Leonidas Donskis on lacking enthusiasm in Lithuania
On Thursday Lithuania celebrated the 20th anniversary of its restored independence. In his blog on news portal Delfi Leonidas Donskis compares the new Lithuania with the old one: "There's no doubt about it: today's Lithuania has outstripped the pre-war Lithuania in many respects, be it democracy, international recognition, the standard of science and the media, industry or population figures. But pre-war Lithuania had an advantage over us: its joy in inventions and creativity, its idealism, its enthusiasm and its belief that sooner or later industrious, educated and creative Lithuanians would bring their country up to Western Europe's living and knowledge standards. It has been seven years now since we experienced such joy. ... In 2003 Russia systematically interfered in our presidential election campaign, bought politicians and media, and infiltrated the country with Kremlin propaganda."
» full article (external link, Lithunian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Domestic Policy, » Media policy, » History, » Lithuania, » Russia
Leonidas Donskis on Tibet as a moral dilemma
The subject of Tibet poses a dilemma for the Western world, writes Leonidas Donskis in his blog on the Lithuanian news portal Delfi: "Tibet has become a source of strange political and moral tensions. Hardly anyone still believes that this country will be able to free itself from China's fetters in the near future and become independent - although no one really knows which direction China will take. But everyone realises that Tibet will be sacrificed if we continue to do nothing. And if this unique ancient culture is allowed to perish it will be a moral loss for the entire world. Civilised politics would be giving in to the law of the jungle and this is why the Tibet problem is not just the Tibentans' problem but also affects all the peoples and politicians of this world. ... Have economic power and technological know-how become a carte blanche to treat your own country as well as non-governmental organisations and human rights activists however you see fit in today's world? ... The impact of China's power and prestige is continually growing and thus increasingly influencing the behaviour and rhetoric of our political class."
» full article (external link, Lithunian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Minorities, » Demographics, » Economic Policy, » Asia, » China
Russia has won the propaganda war
The Russian bear's hide is not so thin, writes Leonidas Donskis in his blog on news portal Delfi. He considers it a mistake to handle Moscow with kid gloves out of fear of insulting it: "Allow me to ask by whom, when and how Russia is supposed to have been humiliated? By the freedom it and its colonised people have regained? Is that supposed to be the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century? Such nonsensical claims show how easily and skilfully Russia has won the propaganda war by imposing its terminology and interpretation of political concepts on the Western press. The West wants to participate in the modernisation of Russia but it forgets that each of Russia's phases of modernisation was preceded by a lost war: Even Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia, began his reforms only after being defeated by Sweden at the Battle of Narva."
» full article (external link, Lithunian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Media policy, » History, » Press freedom, » Lithuania, » Russia
The lack of intellectuals in Eastern Europe
Leonidas Donskis bemoans the lack of an intellectual class in Eastern Europe. "Intellectuals are not particularly well-liked in Lithuania and other post-Soviet countries. The word alone has a negative ring to it. We prefer to use the Russian term 'intelligentsia' or even 'educated class'. But in so doing we have failed to build up an intellectual elite, and the heroes of 1988-1992 have sunk into oblivion. Why? ... One reason is that publicly active intellectuals have practically no means of influencing people in areas where no one has any visions any more. When they use theoretical terminology to fight for moral or political ideals, they strike us as a sort of anachronism. That is why unless they work in television, intellectuals today can hardly have any influence at all. This is doubly true in a country like Lithuania where the visual media play such a key role."
» full article (external link, Lithunian)
More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Audiovisual Media, » Social movements, » History, » Philosophy, » Lithuania, » Eastern Europe
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