The journalist Claude Askolovitch answers Sarah Halifa-Legrand's questions on the challenges faced by Dominique Strauss-Kahn. "The idea is to get all parties involved - western countries threatened by emerging countries, emerging countries fed up with western imperialism, suffocating third-world countries left by the wayside, Predatory China, the indebted United States - to admit that they have a common interest in the world's financial and monetary balance. An enormous amount of work lies ahead for an institution that has lost its natural place in a world that has fallen out of love with it and no longer understands it. At the same time, and this is a paradox for the IMF, DSK is also going to manage an internal crisis: having been scarcely called upon deal with State financial crises, the IMF is currently overstaffed." (01/10/2007)

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The weekly notes on its website a "big question-mark" hanging over the Fund's relevance: "Its role in rich countries has long been modest. But ten years ago it was at the centre of emerging-market financial crises, acting as the world's financial fireman. Now that many emerging economies have built up vast stashes of foreign-exchange reserves that role is dramatically diminished. ... As the Fund's financial role in emerging markets diminishes, many reformers have latched on to 'surveillance' as the right way forward. Even if fewer countries need a financial fireman, goes the logic, the world still needs an economic umpire, an objective analyst of problems and judge of fair play. The trouble is that this is a hard role to play. Rich countries have long ignored the Fund's analysis when it did not suit them. And emerging economies seem no keener to receive a lecture." (29/10/2007)

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Vincent Slits considers that "for the past few years, the IMF has, like the World Bank in fact, been going through a deep existential crisis of legitimacy, loss of influence and bad governance. ... DSK will thus have to modernise the IMF, bring it into the 21st century and rethink its missions according to current evolutions. He should also force Americans who supported his candidacy, though he owes them nothing in exchange, to finally consider fundamental reforms. This is a delicate mission as Uncle Sam has the ultimate weapon for blocking any wind of change: veto power. The current financial crisis, the inexorable fall of the American dollar and the Chinese yuan could provide an opportunity to put the IMF back in the heart of debates and action. So is DSK be the craftsman for change and straight talk? We will soon find out." (01/10/2007)

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Christian Campiche wonders whether "Dominique Strauss-Kahn ... will be the last European to be head of the IMF. A number of commentators have no doubt about this, counting on the former French minister to breathe a new and innovative lease of life into the organisation, getting it to reform from within. If he manages to succeed in his task, DSK will be a Trojan horse for third-world countries who will finally see one of their own become, in a few years, debt reduction policeman. There has indeed never been a better moment for reform in the decision-making body principally run by the rich world. Strauss-Kahn, a caviar-socialist who has survived all forms of compromising situations, equipped with the support of a substantial network of influential relations stretching from the Middle-East to Washington via Africa, should benefit from a geopolitical configuration in full-flux, marked by the emergence of new giants." (29/09/2007)

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For Joaquin Navarro-Valls, former spokesman for John Paul II in the Vatican, all European democracies are going through a crisis of confidence for lack of consensus. "There is a gap that is impossible to bridge between politicians and citizens. This dissociation of political life and real life as experienced by people creates an environment that favours demagogy and defeatism. The problem actually almost always begins with a loss of hope that ends up dragging everything down with it, including politics, into a general whirlpool of pessimism ... . Democracy is only maintained thanks to citizens' involvement in the life of institutions. This is why institutions need to give an active role to citizens ... . In the absence of this participation, democracy is incomplete, it goes into crisis and only partially works." (01/10/2007)

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American religious historian Philip Jenkins predicts that Islam will never dominate Europe, nor will Christianity die out. "All over Europe, Africa and Asia Christians have founded vigorous new congregations and communities: Nigerian pastors and Protestants are just one example. On a typical Sunday in London, half the churchgoers are of either African or Caribbean origin. Four of Great Britain's ten largest mega-churches are led by Africans. Other immigrant nations are also writing new chapters in Christendom's history. For example African Christians have played a huge role in boosting the Protestant presence in France. The Congolese have been particularly active in this direction. In the Paris area there are over 250 Protestant churches with predominantly Black-African congregations." (01/10/2007)

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According to the latest results, the opposition party led by Yulia Tymoshenko has become the strongest political party with 33 percent of the vote, followed closely by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovitch's pro-Russian Party of Regions, which is estimated to have won 29 percent. Maxim Stricha of the Kiev Institute for Open Politics writes about Yulia Tymoshenko: "She knows what the people want and has promised to fulfil their desires. She is the one people are most likely to believe. Yet this is highly dangerous for our country, because if her plans and campaign promises are implemented - for example that of paying Ukrainians compensation for bank savings that were lost following the collapse of the Soviet Union - it could ruin our economy. If Yulia Tymoshenko becomes prime minister, President Victor Yushchenko will be reduced to the role of a subordinate functionary. If he doesn't comply Ukrainians will expect early presidential elections." (01/10/2007)

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Igor Taro interprets the good results obtained by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich's Party of Regions in the Ukrainian elections as a misguided desire for stability: "This desire dominates the societies of many CIS states where elections are merely a formality, for example Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. In all these countries the same elite has been in power since 1990. Yet its main goal is not more prosperity for the people. People living in the post-Soviet area need to understand that economic growth is not a result of the alleged stability, but quite the contrary: at a time when the political crisis in Ukraine was at its worst the economy was booming." (01/10/2007)

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The Spanish daily is highly critical of Juan José Ibarretxe, president of the autonomous Basque Community, who announced on Friday, September 28th, the desire to organise a referendum in the Basque country in 2008. "Ibarretxe is going to call for a referendum to be held this coming year, but he does not yet know on which subject. It may be to ratify a political agreement [on the status of the Basque country], or else to unblock the situation if no agreement is established. ... Ibarretxe wants to keep his promise to hold a referendum no matter what and despite all the risks Josu Juan Imaz, the president of his party [Basque Nationalst Party] is already running. Far from unblocking things, the referendum may well divide the population just as several parties are already divided. This illegal initiative [regions have no right to demand referendums in Spain] will provoke a clash with State institutions and this won't help anyone, except for the ETA." (29/09/2007)

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EU initiatives aimed at levying an environmental tax on air traffic have been blocked for years by the US, which points to the Chicago Agreement exempting international air services from paying the kerosene tax. The newspaper comments: "Some countries have introduced passenger taxes in the hope that this will induce the US to change its mind and adopt a more sensible approach. This is by no means an optimum solution: an airplane doesn't emit less carbon dioxide just because it transports fewer passengers. The flight tax must take a form that forces airlines to develop more environmentally-friendly fuels... [Until this happens] we will just have to fly less frequently." (01/10/2007)

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The daily praises Britain's consumer advice magazine 'Which?' on the eve of its 50th anniversary. It notes that Michael Young,its founder, "saw that for shoppers struggling to pick among a mushrooming range of products, with advertising as their only guide, unbiased advice would be invaluable. Which? refused all placements, and the pages were filled with rigorous analysis. The first issue debunked claims that pricier brands of aspirin were better, and ever since it has put marketing claims to the test - whether by driving tyres to destruction or taking mobile phones down mineshafts to check on reception. Young understood, too, that despite increased spending, 1950s consumers still struggled to make their concerns heard against powerful producer lobbies. Which? helped change that, campaigning to ban lead paint in toys and to ensure that every car was fitted with seat-belts." (01/10/2007)

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Germany is world champion in women's football. The German team won 2:0 against Brazil in the Women's World Cup final in Shanghai. Markus Völker hopes that in future women's football will be promoted more at a professional level: "It took a long time for the German Football Federation (DFB) to start promoting women's football, but now it even wants to host the 2011 World Cup... Nonetheless, women's football still isn't where it should be in Germany. The players are still a far cry from being able to earn a living from the sport. Most are amateurs; only a few exceptions like Birgit Prinz, Nia Künzer or Steffi Jones have been able to market themselves successfully. Now it's up to the football teams to create professional structures, approach sponsors and help the sport get on its feet. Up to now women's football has only come under the spotlight once every four years." (01/10/2007)

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Contemporary Polish culture is developing at a rapid pace, Piotr Sarzyński notes. "Many critics claim this is no longer simply a movement but a full-blown earthquake. The 1990s were dominated by so-called critical art. It was serious and raised fundamental questions about physical and cultural identification. The new century is dominated by a type of art that is no longer so serious, an art that flirts with pop culture and takes an interest in lifestyles and in the possibilities (and limitations) of consumerism. But above all it feeds on the personal experiences of the artist - his problems, his contradictions, his stress or happiness. Art looks at reality and either ridicules it or calmly records it, but it doesn't analyse it. Art has switched to making subjective observations rather than giving objective accounts." (26/09/2007)

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The culture critic Luc Caregari is not impressed by Austrian contemporary artist Hermann Nitsch's exhibition which opened on September 22nd, at the Galerie Beaumont, in Luxembourg. He highlights one of the artist's weaknesses: "to never have changed. ... Nitsch has given himself an identifiable and established trademark. Every follower of contemporary art recognises the photos of his actions and inevitably strikes a position for or against. The advantage of such an approach is that nobody can copy you, the disadvantage is being shut up in your own concept. Not that Nitsch is the only artist to proceed this way - one need only look to Sophie Calle, Christo, Jeanne-Claude or Daniel Buren. They all have in common a specific trademark that they shamelessly exploit and in each repetition of their creative gesture they even appear to gain a little more satisfaction and recognition." (28/09/2007)

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Using the conflict between Belgium's Flemish and Walloon populations as a point of reference, Dejan Kovac reflects on Europe's policy of strengthening the regions. He notes how separatists who don't like the idea of different ethnic groups being united in a single nation are emerging in different parts of Europe: "This is all about protecting one's identity, culture and language, creating the economic basis for global markets and dealing with immigration. The gentle division between Czechs and Slovaks won't be repeated in Belgium. New separatists in Lombardy, Catalonia and Scotland are following in the footsteps of the familiar rebels in Ireland, the Iberian Peninsula and Corsica... In some regions certain groups' protection of regional particularities, cultures and languages are a source of concern. If the EU continues to encourage egoistic separatism, Belgium could collapse." (01/10/2007)

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