Jaruzelski still claims he saved Poland from a Soviet invasion by imposing martial law, writes Thomas Urban. He deplores the fact that none of those responsible for the decision 25 years ago have been prosecuted. "In Western Europe many people supported the imposition of martial law, seeing it as the 'lesser of two evils' in comparison with an invasion of the Soviet army which would almost certainly have ended in bloodshed. According to this view, Jaruzelski acted very responsibly and is something of a 'tragic hero'. Even today this version still prevails in many publications, despite its having been disproven since the mid-1990s. A series of documents leaked from the Soviet and Polish Politburos were published that gave a very different version of the events leading up to the imposition of martial law. According to these, the Kremlin decided in April 1981 - eight months before martial law was imposed – not to invade. Jaruzelski was informed immediately but reacted very strangely: he asked Moscow to continue threatening the country with an invasion." (13/12/2006)

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Lukasz Perzyna expresses his disgust that General Jaruzelski has gotten off so lightly in Poland. "The world knows what General Wojciech Jaruzelski did. Only Russia treats him like a hero... When, back in the days following December 13, 1981, those who opposed the imposition of martial law wrote 'Jaruzelski = Pinochet' on the walls when patrollers weren't looking and likened 'The Military Council for National Salvation' to a 'junta', these comparisons were featured in Western media and the parallels drawn between the two generals became popular in the West. And while the 'Butcher of Santiago' died in a luxury clinic, General Jaruzelski is living out the rest of his days in a villa in Warsaw, surrounded by bodyguards, and is always happy to give interviews." (12/12/2006)

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Thomas Roser reports that public opinion is still divided regarding General Jaruzelski in Poland . "Although historians still doubt that the democratic developments in Poland in 1981 would have led to an invasion like that of 1968 in Czechoslovakia, many Poles believe Jaruzelski's claim that martial law prevented an invasion and massive bloodshed. Around 50 perent of Poles think the move was 'the right thing to do'. And indeed, the military regime led by the man with the big, dark-tinted glasses had little in common with the cruel dictatorships of the South American juntas. Therefore, in retrospect, many Poles have a better opinion of this ascetic man, who repeatedly apologised for 'the mistakes of the past' when he stepped down in 1990, than of some of those who have succeeded him as democratic heads of state since then." (13/12/2006)

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"Novelists are no longer just novelists - they are also global pundits shaping our opinions on everything from art, life and politics to civilisation as we know it", writes Ziauddin Sardar, a British author born in Pakistan. "The British literary landscape is dominated by three writers: Martin Amis, Salman Rushdie and Ian McEwan. All three have considered the central dilemma of our time: terror. ... They are the vanguard of British literary neoconservatives, or, if you like, the 'Blitcons'.The Blitcon project is based on three one- dimensional conceits. The first is the absolute supremacy of American culture. ... The second Blitcon conceit is that Islam is the greatest threat to this idea of civilisation. ... The third Blitcon conceit is that American ideas of freedom and democracy are not only right, but should be imposed on the rest of the world". (11/12/2006)

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The journalist Lauren O'Hara considers the complex relationship between Cyprus and its former colonial rulers in the light of a collection of essays entitled 'Britain in Cyprus. Colonialism and Post-Colonialism 1878-2006' edited by Hubert Faustmann & Nicos Peristianis. "Colonialism was both good and bad for the island; in post-colonial Cyprus, the mistakes of the past that divided communities and reinforced differences should not be repeated. It is too late to vote 'yes' in the Annan plan and, unless Turkey joins the EU, unification is just a dream. But it is not too late to create an inclusive, fair society that treats all its members equally. Otherwise, the noose of nationalism with its nepotism that favours one ethnic group over another, gives jobs to its own, and uses networks to do business simply becomes a neo-colonialism that replicates the inequalities of the past. While blue and white flags dominate: the reality of being 'Cypriot' will never happen." (13/12/2006)

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In an article published by the organisation Project Syndicate and duplicated in the daily, Dominique Moïsi, expert advisor for the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) analyses the consequences for the EU of the fall of the American hyper power. "Europe has a unique chance to demonstrate that it can make a difference in America's post-unipolar moment. It starts right now in the Middle-East. The world that Europe has called for is coming closer, and it can fail abysmally without the EU or improve at the margin thanks to it. In some ways, the end of a unipolar world could truly be the "Hour of Europe”. But that can happen only if the EU regains its confidence and steps into a positive role - one that it must play with, not against, the US." (13/12/2006)

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On Wednesday, December 13th, the European Parliament is due to adopt the REACH regulations that aim to register, evaluate and authorise some 30,000 chemical molecules currently on the market in the Union. "First of all the text deserves credit for its very existence", notes the editorialist Patrick Laam. "Which is no small achievement, in view of the complexity and sensitivity of the subject as well as the jousts it has provoked. The period of incertitude that had been prevailing for years is at last coming to an end. ... It remains to be seen how this text will actually be applied. Despite the desire to hide behind all the 'principles of precaution' imaginable, it has to be recognised that we will never be able to guarantee 100% non-toxicity of chemical substances ... . Henceforth we can predict that one profession is going to flourish in the coming years: that of the 'REACH expert', given the major head ache companies concerned can expect from the new regulation!" (13/12/2006)

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Journalist Lubos Palata expresses his high hopes for Germany's upcoming EU presidency in a commentary. "The Federal Republic of Germany is Europe in miniature. It comprises states like Mecklenburg-West Pomerania that are even poorer than the Czech Republic, and states like Bavaria that are among the richest in Europe. The spectrum is similarly broad regarding politics, society and religion. Angela Merkel, who has had to learn very quickly how to deal with all kinds of influences, has all the skills necessary for getting a Europe that appears to have come to a standstill back on track. Europeans, like the Germans, don't want to part with their unique social market economy. But like Germany, the European Union will have to submit to economic reform." (13/12/2006)

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The Czech Republic has threatened Slovakia with introducing controls at the border between the two countries - which until now had been completely open - if the country fails to meet the criteria for joining the Schengen Agreement. The warning has hit Slovakia like a bomb. The Slovak newspaper explains the situation. "Before it joins the Schengen zone at the end of 2007, Slovakia is obliged to boost the security of its eastern border (a stretch of around 100 kilometres) with Ukraine, reorganise its border police, train its police and secure the airports in Bratislava and Kosice. Of all the 10 new members, Slovakia is the worst prepared for meeting the criteria. In fact at the moment it doesn't meet a single one... The Schengen Agreement is extremely important for the Czech Republic, among other things because it will also play a role in the United States' decision about whether to loosen visa requirements for Czech citizens." (13/12/2006)

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The French political scientist and criminologist Hélène Blanc analyses the functioning of the Russian secret services in an interview conducted by Eléonore Sulser. "It should be known that the KGB - which is now called the FSB, but is still the KGB - is a State within the State. It is a world apart that has its own culture, its own rules. ... Since he reached power, Vladimir Putin has governed in a rather rough manner. For him there are allies and adversaries. He applies the old saying whoever isn't with us is against us'. In the olden days, the secret services represented the armed force of the Party and defended a country and an ideology. Today, the younger agents, aged like Vladimir Putin between 40 and 55 no longer serve an ideology or a Party-State: they defend their corporate interests. Ideology has replaced by a hunt for power and money." (13/12/2006)

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In the next few days, Italian law is due to pronounce itself on the request of Piergiorgio Welby, a 60 year old man who has been kept alive since 1997 thanks to a life-support system and is claiming the right to die. His case has reopened the debate on euthanasia in Italy. The senior oncologist Umberto Veronesi considers that legislation is urgent. "How many more tragedies need to make the headlines? How many poignant images of people imprisoned in their bodies need to appear on television screens to obtain the civic act of euthanasia? It is the response to a clear and lucid request voluntarily made by a sick person that doctors are obliged to listen to, just as they listen throughout the patient's treatment. It is an expression of respect for the person's dignity, for their capacity and freedom of self-determination. This is a debate that needs to be confronted." (13/12/2006)

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At the beginning of this week the Finnish economic council published a report on the effects of globalisation that draws some positive conclusions. Dennis Rundt sees Finland in a good position, but warns against complacency. "Over the past few years Finland has integrated itself more and more into the global economy. The major concern of a few years ago that globalisation would mean the loss of jobs to China and other emerging nations has turned out to be unfounded. Although between 1,500 and 3,500 jobs per year have gone to other countries, economic growth in Finland has created new jobs to compensate for this loss. However, according to the economic council we can't rely on things remaining this way, and even Finland's renowned educational standards can't protect it from international competition forever." (13/12/2006)

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Dorota Jarecka has discerned a new trend in Poland: all of a sudden new art museums are being built again. "Nowadays, art museums are built near shops, cafes and busy pedestrian zones... Poland missed out on a whole era of museum development: the modern one. Not a single museum has been built in 50 years. Now we've moved directly into the next era in which there is no longer a universal type of museum. The way a museum looks depends on local circumstances and historical context. Nowadays, when a new museum of modern art is built in a big city, it's usually right in the centre of the city. The idea of museums melting into the substance of the city has made a comeback - parallel with the changes in art itself. Nowadays art tosses us right into the middle of the torrent of life, offering us little respite or relaxation. Museums are being squashed in between townhalls, operas and department stores, just as they were in the 19th century." (13/12/2006)

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The linguist Pierre Encrevé, professor at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), considers that minority and regional languages are not sufficiently defended in France. "As long as it is not designated in one way or another in the Constitution, our irreplaceable cultural heritage will be in danger. ... For all those who deplore the fact that France, always speaking up in defence of cultural diversity and multilingualism, should today be one of the  last countries of the European Union yet to ratify the European Charter of regional and minority languages. What counts is that a modification of the Constitution finally allows this ratification. ... It is necessary for Members of Parliament to reformulate line 1 of paragraph 2 with an indisputably democratic affirmation: 'The language of the Republic is French, with respect for all the other languages in France'." (13/12/2006)

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Together with Luxembourg, the city of Sibiu in the Romanian region of Transylvania will be European capital of culture 2007. The Romanian-born German author Richard Wagner attributes the amazing resurgence of the city with 170,000 inhabitants to its "relaxed atmosphere – the product of its long history": "Sibiu was never a centre for ethnic polarisation... Whereas a Romanian right-wing extremist won the post of mayor of Cluj-Napoca (the main city in the region) in the 1990s, and damaged that city's reputation with a series of vulgar campaigns including painting the park benches in the colours of the national flag, Sibiu has established a reputation as a place where reason and moderation prevail. In 1990 when, with the opening of the borders, virtually the entire German minority left the country, a comparatively high number of Germans and intellectuals stayed in Sibiu. This decision to stay, which those who left often derisively described as a stubborn urge to cling on to the former 'King's land', as the Saxons referred to their more or less imaginary territory, was soon rewarded. The good reputation of the German Romanians has taken on mythic proportions in Sibiu. For years now something has developed there that appears to fulfil all the cliches about understanding among different nationalities." (13/12/2006)

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All available articles from » Richard Wagner