"The new approach on missile defense taken by Poland's new center-right coalition government, under Prime Minister Donald Tusk, reflects a different negotiating strategy from the previous nationalist-conservative government led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Kaczynski, who was much more pro-American, had in principle agreed to deploy several interceptors on Polish territory without going into detail over the costs, the maintenance and the risks to Poland's security, according to Polish officials", notes Judy Dempsey. "NATO could also be called upon. Alliance diplomats said Poland would insist on a guarantee from NATO if the missile defense system became part of the alliance's own anti-ballistic missile system. This means that if Poland were threatened with attack or came under attack, the NATO alliance would be obliged to come to its assistance." (06/01/2008)

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All available articles from » Judy Dempsey

Polish Prime Minister Tusk now wants to include Russia in talks about an anti-ballistic missile defence shield. It is a reasonable step, and one that Tusk's predecessor, Kaczynski, "had vehemently opposed, out of concern for Polish sovereignty,” says the newspaper. But "Tusk sees no current urgency on that account, because the Bush administration will depart at the end of the year anyway. So he will delay his decision at least up to next year. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski has stated the political reasons bluntly: True, a missile defence shield would protect the USA, but it would turn Poland into a possible target. In general, Poles don't feel threatened by Iran. … Ultimately, there is another reason for Tusk to distance himself from the project for now: The overwhelming majority of his fellow Poles oppose it, just as they firmly reject Polish involvement Iraq.” (08/01/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Poland

Peter Schutz considers whether Tusk wants to achieve a better bargaining position with his comments, or whether he's aiming for a completely new foreign policy position for Poland. "His new approach not only makes life hard for the Czechs, who continue to support the project, but also endangers the security of the entire region. Independent of whether Iran wants its own missiles or not: Given the utter 'Putinisation' of Russia, the current disunity of NATO and the EU's military irrelevance, the issue is not ten missiles that would be stationed in Poland. The issue is the physical presence of the USA in this region." (08/01/2008)

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Surveys show that the EU has lost popularity in Hungary in 2007. That's because the EU is seen as an elitist theme, suggests sociologist Pál Tamás. "Gradually, the relationship between Hungary and the EU has changed. True, the EU is still seen as connected with Brussels, officials and regulations – though in day to day talk the term EU is increasingly used to mean just that - all of the Union. ... At the same time, however, there is a widely accepted view that we are second-class EU citizens. In other words, EU acceptance was their decision, not ours. This notion can only be overcome through demonstrations of our own interests, perhaps through independent decisions on specific issues." (08/01/2008)

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All available articles from » Pál Tamás

Claude Calame, director of studies at the Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) [School of advanced social science studies], is concerned about an increase of individualist theses in social thinking. "Private property, private sphere, private sector : born of enlightenment liberalism, the dominant ideological regime has constrained the definition of the individual to the private domain. Individual cars versus public transport, merit-based salaries as opposed to a united workforce, individuals will only be able to exercise their founding freedom if they overcome the constraints of the public sector. ... Economic and financial liberalism empty the democratic exercise of its meaning. The liberal dogma has substituted usage value with exchange value ; It has subordinated politics to economy while provoking the disaffection of social thinking." (07/01/2008)

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All available articles from » Claude Calame

According to the Spanish academic Calos Berzosa, dean of Madrid's Complutense University (UCM), young people tend to be unaware of the cruel crimes committed under the Franco regime (1939-1975). "My experience as a professor has shown that students know more about Nazism, thanks to the cinema, or about what happened during the dictatorships in Chilli or Argentina, than about our own dictatorship and have no clear idea of the brutality of Franco's regime. ... I do not wish to judge those who are uninformed of this period, but rather to lament this situation. Nor do I wish to compare generations. We are going through different times that are related to distinct realities ... . But I nonetheless believe that it is necessary to adapt contemporary education in such a way that does not amputate or deform modern Spanish history." (07/01/2008)

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All available articles from » Carlos Berzosa

At the end of last year, Danilo Türk replaced Janez Drnovsek as Slovenian president. Nenad Glücks is relieved. "Whatever you may think of Danilo Türk, it is pretty clear that he will not return to private life as his predecessor did. You can already see that he's enjoying his new role. He takes advantage of every opportunity to meet with European and international leaders; he is an expert in international relations and a clever diplomat. We were lucky that his predecessor's mandate ran out a few days before it was time to assume the EU Council presidency. Because otherwise the coming months would have been filled with worries about whether Drnovsek would get himself into trouble again, this time with all eyes of foreign leaders upon him." (08/01/2008)

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All available articles from » Nenad Glücks

"Over these past few years, Slovenian society has experienced an unusual exacerbation of ethnical tensions linked to the acceptation of Balkan communities", explains Laurent Hassid, a researcher at the University of Bordeaux III, who questions Slovenia's image of 'excellence'. "The issue of the erased' has activated a hateful discourse regarding Serbs and communists and has contributed to the victory of right-wing parties led by the current prime minister Janez Jansa during the legislative elections in January 2004. Slovenia has a quality of life and political development closer to that of Western Europe, but it also carries numerous factors that are concern the rest of former Yugoslavia, notably the relationship between politics and ethnic issues. ... While presiding over the EU, it would also benefit from opening up a serene debate regarding the integration of non-Slovenians." (08/01/2008)

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All available articles from » Laurent Hassid

Former Czech Foreign Minister Jirí Dienstbier, who for many years served as special rapporteur for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Balkans, understands Serbia's hesitation to accept an independent Kosovo: "International mediators have never seriously sought compromise; rather, they have only tried to pressure Serbia to accept Kosovo's independence. Russia was the only one that always saw this as the worst option for stabilizing the Balkans. … Attempts to support recognition of an independent Kosovo lead to bizarre notions. The term 'Kosovan' sounds multi-ethnic. But in Kosovo itself, no one calls himself a Kosovan. Rather, they identify themselves as Albanians, Serbs, Turks or Roma." (08/01/2008)

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A Spanish court opened an inquiry on January 7th to determine whether Igor Portu, a presumed member of ETA (Basque separatist organisation) was maltreated at the weekend while under arrest. Doctors have diagnosed a fractured rib and a punctured lung. "There are serious indications of torture and this despite the Civil Guard's claims that the man harmed himself while trying to escape", explains Pedro G. Cuartango. "We thought this practice had been eradicated from Spain a long time ago, but in view of the doubts triggered by this event, the only possible option is to order a real inquest to elucidate the situation. Torture is absolutely intolerable and unacceptable, no matter the circumstances. Nothing can justify pain or emotional torment, not even the worst criminals". (08/01/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Spain
All available articles from » Pedro Garcia Cuartango

The Romano Prodi government is due to announce radical measures to resolve the rubbish crisis in Naples and its outskirts this Tuesday, January 8th. The journalist Lucia Annunziata denounces the confusion surrounding the rubbish that has been piling up for several days. "The more meetings, interventions and promises are multiplied the more unintelligible the crisis is becoming. One example is the most common explanation of the crisis that links it to an unhealthy relationship between the Camorra [the Neapolitan mafia] and politicians. ... But who then are the people demonstrating on the streets despite promises to clear them up? Are we to believe they are linked to the Camorra? If not, are they rebelling against the institutions? The relationship between the Camorra and politicians does not explain everything." (08/01/2008)

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All available articles from » Lucia Annunziata

The paper is happy with the country's transition to the euro. "Inevitably, as people began using the euro this week, stories emerged of outrageous profiteering by unscrupulous individuals, latching on to the opportunity offered as people got used to the new currency. ... The fact is, of course, that these are isolated incidents. Further, the access to a massive European market that our participation offers is likely to allow lower prices by reducing costs for those doing business with Cyprus, until recently a tiny, very closed economy. But if the price panic has been seriously exaggerated, it has created a very welcome new phenomenon : the Cypriot is finally becoming a proper consumer. Until now, shoppers were often happy to pay up blindly. Now, the price frenzy is making us cautious, rebellious, encouraging us at last to shop around." (05/01/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Consumers, » Economic Policy, » Cyprus

"When Radiohead revealed [last October] that they would be releasing their new album online and asking fans to pay whatever they thought reasonable to download it, music industry executives scoffed at the economic naivety. But the idealistic rock stars have been vindicated", notes the daily. "Even people not normally interested in Radiohead's output were intrigued by the implications for the music industry. It sparked endless debate about the power of artists and the supposed death of the recording industry. That publicity has paid dividends. Last week, In Rainbows was released in conventional vinyl and CD format and soared straight to the top of the UK charts. Clearly, Radiohead's singer, Thom Yorke, was right in his prediction that, in spite of the musical revolution set in train by downloading technology, music fans still crave an 'artefact' from their favourite bands." (08/01/2008)

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Poles are talking about the new book by US historian Jan Tomasz Gross, "Fear: Anti-Semitism in Poland After Auschwitz," which comes out on January 11 in Polish. In the work, published in the USA in 2006, Gross describes anti-Semitic pogroms in post-war Poland. Szewach Weiss, Polish-born former Israeli Knesset President and ambassador in Warsaw, says Poland must face its past.  "I hope that books like 'Fear' by Jan Tomasz Gross will trigger a kind of catharsis. The unpleasant process of purification is necessary, because murder is murder, and anti-Semitism, xenophobia and racism are shameful. I sense that today most Poles are quite far from such views, and there are places in Europe where there is more anti-Semitism. But you cannot simply erase the evil aspects of one's history." (07/01/2008)

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All available articles from » Szewach Weiss

Christine Wahl has seen 'Breaking News', the new production by the documentary theatre group Rimini Protokoll. "A fabulous high-tech installation made of screens on which evening news shows from different countries are shown parallel. … The audience rolls on the floor with laughter when they see Putin skiing on Russian TV, putting on a good show as an innocent young athlete, while Angela Merkel – keyword juvenile delinquency – warns on ARD [the German broadcaster] 'not to put off the issue for later' and 'get the job done'. The quantity of images rises to the level of absurdity; and one constantly misses something that might have been interesting." (08/01/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Stage, » Audiovisual Media, » Germany
All available articles from » Christine Wahl

After the removal of controls at the borders of Austria and the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia, soldiers remain on patrol there. Martin Fritzl sees this purely as placebo against popular Schengen fears. "The soldiers are no longer allowed to arrest illegal border crossers – if they even show up in the border zone - but their presence simply is reassuring. … Though it's worth noting that an increased sense of security is not the only reason why the people living in the border areas want to keep their soldiers. In fact, the Austrian Armed Forces has become a part of the local economy. From innkeepers to landlords, everyone profits from the military presence." (08/01/2008)

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All available articles from » Martin Fritzl