Burkhard Bischof expresses the opinion that NATO should wait and see what happens in Ukraine, Georgia and Russia before it gives the green light for further expansion: "One thing's for sure: in many respects Georgia is still a long way from meeting the criteria for NATO membership, including the political criteria. You only have to recall President Saakashvili's conduct towards members of the opposition last autumn to see this. And while Ukraine certainly has a more mature democracy, it has shortcomings in other areas. But above all there is a deep division between western Ukraine and the rest of the country regarding NATO. NATO membership is a pet project of the orange camp's political elite and enjoys the support of only a third of the population at most. To offer the country access to NATO's Membership Action Plan would only deepen the rift in Ukrainian society and give Moscow new ammunition for political interference with its neighbouring country." (01/04/2008)

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The German daily criticises the German government's stance in opposing Ukraine and Georgia's wish to join NATO: "It strange that Germany, of all nations, should be using Russia's imperialist arguments ahead of the NATO summit - and blocking these countries's desire to join. What are the Foreign Affairs Ministry's arguments? That the majority of the nation doesn't want NATO membership in Ukraine. In Georgia, on the other hand, where 80 percent want NATO membership, it argues that democracy is not stable enough there. These are just excuses. If Germany believes it's obliged to ignore the will of these countries then it should at least admit why: because it - wrongly - wants to take Moscow's views into account." (01/04/2008)

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Russian specialist Francoise Thom argues that "the issues go beyond Ukraine and Georgia. Putin wants to finish his second term with a big victory that will allow him to reinforce the much dwelled upon thesis among Russians that his diplomacy has been a dazzling success. This will force Medvedev, his successor, to continue his policies. ... The Kremlin today considers itself to be in a position of force, and it will interpret a Western retreat as recognition of the changing balance of power, increasingly unfavourable to Europe and the United States. The Kremlin will see this as a confirmation that Putin's policies toward the West - consisting of arrogance, confrontation, blackmail and provocation - pay off. Let's not forget that the hysteria encouraged by Moscow around the idea of a Ukraine and a Georgia integrated into the West is not due to military security considerations. What Moscow cannot tolerate is seeing a close neighbour Europeanise." (01/04/2008)

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On the subject of NATO expansion in the Balkans Boyan Tchukov writes: "One thing's for sure: the three western Balkan nations Croatia, Macedonia and Albania will be invited to join the NATO Alliance in the near future. George W. Bush's visit to Zagreb straight after the summit is very revealing. The American guest wants to give Croatia a special gift: between 12 and 20 F-16 fighter aircraft. And by the end of the year Croatia is to receive 40 aircraft. In return, the Croatian ministry of defence is to put an airport at NATO's disposition. This gift to Croatia has political as well as military dimensions. It clearly demonstrates that NATO's plan of 2001, under which Serbia was to assume a leading role among the Balkan nations and become a key NATO partner, has been discarded." (01/04/2008)

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French actress Marion Cotillard admitted to being a believer of conspiracy theories during a 2007 interview, notably concerning the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States. French philosopher Robert Redeker criticises her statements. "The self-designated conspiracy theory leads to the stupefying position according to which reality, even in the details, is the object of a shady manipulation, and where the truth is masked from us. Conspiracy develops from the demented use of the principal of doubt. It takes the form of a belief that we can't believe anything that we are told and sets the disbelief of all established truth as the norm. ... Nothing is more dangerous that this state of mind. Here, we can make out the logic of holocaust denial. The popular success of this kind of reasoning, bringing us to hold the opposite of truth for truth as soon as the official version is established, leads us to worry. It's thus that holocaust deniers operate, these other falsifiers of history." (01/04/2008)

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German sociologist Wolf Lepenies proposes the establishment of a new ethnological museum in the Humboldt Forum planned for Berlin's Schlossplatz. He bases his conclusions on the concept underlying the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris: "Should a museum of ethnological art be founded in the Humboldt Forum? Should 'objects' become 'works of art' there, too? ... With the right approach one could create a museum that offers double or even multiple perspectives in Berlin, one which makes clear to visitors the extent to which the character of what they see depends on how it is presented by the curator and on their own individual perceptions. The colonial rule of the Europeans came to an end long ago. It has been outlived by an intellectual colonialism that still represents an entirely European perspective of non-Western cultures. This perspective ignores the manifold contacts among non-Western cultures. An ethnological history outlining these relations would serve to highlight these contacts. No place could be more appropriate for such a project than a Humboldt Forum in the very centre of Berlin." (01/04/2008)

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On March 31st, the Turkish constitutional court accepted to hear the case seeking to ban the ruling AKP (justice and development) party, which stands accused of threatening democracy and attempting to build an Islamic state. "The secularists have taken the crown in the art of making themselves unpopular. And in shooting themselves in the foot," writes Andres Allemand. "Drawing their strength from their support in the army and judiciary, they constantly warn of threats to democracy, up to the point where they try to pass as victims of the conservative AKP politicians, who formerly belonged to Islamic groups. If the party is banned, il will be refounded under another name and will win a mind-boggling score in the next elections. The proof: the secularists aren't looking to win hearts, just to impose their law. It used to be via military coups. Today, it's via the courts. Turkey is far from completing it's road to democracy." (01/04/2008)

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Hungary's Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány sacked his liberal health minister, Agnes Horváth, on Monday. Her dismissal was the result of a referendum held under pressure from the opposition three weeks ago in which, among other things, the majority voted against the Hungarian government's introduction of a fee for visits to the doctor. Now her party, the SZDSZ, is considering leaving the coalition. Rvin Tamás speculates on what the future holds: "A minority government with the formal support of the Liberals? How could reforms be carried out in view of a stagnating economy and dwindling trust and self-confidence? Gyurcsány, I fear, will deliver a feeble performance." (01/04/2008)

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The daily consecrates an editorial to a government report that concludes that immigration has had "little or no impact" on the economic wellbeing of Britain, to be released April 1st. "Astonishingly, it is the first detailed economic assessment to have been attempted by Parliament during a decade of mass immigration on a scale unmatched in our history. That the subject is at last regarded as fit for discussion in polite society is in itself welcome. ... The exponential increase in immigrant numbers has never been debated in Parliament, nor has it been the product of proper ministerial process. It has happened by default because the Government lost control of our borders. This was not so much a policy, more a failure of political will and governing competence.” (01/04/2008)

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The workers in the Dacia factory (which belongs to Renault) in Pitesti (in the south of Romania) have been on strike for one week, seeking a wage hike. "What is the significance of this demand, made by so many?" asks the daily. "That the local population has woken up to the fact that their country is catching up with the developed Western model? ... What's happening in the east is what we experienced in the 1970s when Spain and Portugal joined the European Economic Community. What didn't we hear at the time of the devastating consequences of the competition that 'low-cost' economies would bring? ... In the age of television and Internet, we have to take into account the acceleration of the circulation of information. The Romanian workers are all too familiar with the standards of living among workers in the west." (01/04/2008)

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The French beverage producer Pernod Ricard is taking over government-owned Swedish producer Vin & Sprit for 5.6 billion euros. This puts the successful Absolut vodka brand in the hands of the French. The Swedish government intends to use the money from the sale to reduce the public debt. According to the newspaper, the move makes Sweden's restrictive alcohol policies more credible. "While the state aimed to encourage moderate alcohol consumption within the country it was trying to boost sales abroad. These double standards became apparent a few years ago when the minister for economic affairs at the time, Leif Pagrotsky, pinned his hopes on the Chinese increasing their vodka consumption. It would have been unthinkable for him to say the same of the Swedes! ... Now the Swedish government can push ahead with its alcohol policy unhindered while the company is managed and developed by professionals."  (01/04/2008)

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"There is no nonsense so gross that it cannot be justified by the creation of jobs," writes columnist George Monbiot. "It is true that investment creates employment. But jobs are used to justify anything and everything. If recession strikes, the political value of any scheme which boosts them will rise. Projects which in more prosperous times might have been rejected by planners or ministers will suddenly find favour. Anyone who stands in their way - however daft the schemes may be - will be walloped as an antisocial Luddite. But the big question is asked very rarely in the press: how reliable are these promises ? Whenever a new defence contract or superstore or road or airport is announced, newspapers and broadcasters repeat the employment figures without questioning them. They rarely return to the story to discover whether the claims were true." (01/04/2008)

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On March 31st, the International Exhibition Bureau (BIE) chose Milan over Izmir in Turkey to host the next Universal Exhibition in 2015. Edmondo Berselli comments. "As in all competitions that have a strong symbolic value, the confrontation between Milan and Izmir for the 2015 exhibition transformed these last few days into a conflict between civilisations. The West on one side, Islamic forces on the other ... . The economic consequences of the event are impressive, when we consider the 4 billion euros invested, the 70 000 jobs, the 29 million expected visitors during the six months of the exhibition. But yesterday's victory is also a diplomatic success. In terms of an exhausting marathon, it's a demonstration that Italy can effectively play its role in the global chess game." (01/04/2008)

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The citizens' action group 'Save Bucharest' describes the Romanian capital as a "city-planning disaster" in a recently published study. The chairman of the action group, Dan Nicusor, portrays Bucharest's current construction boom: "Bucharest has a problem: entire districts are under attack. Buildings are being torn down and rebuilt in a chaotic manner. Huge buildings that clash with the rest of the city in terms of both their height and their facades have been built in many streets. Houses built in the 19th century have been knocked down without protest. ... Many are aware that the urban development plan can be sidestepped through local development plans. Romania is the only country in Europe where the parameters are changing because local development plans can be modified by private owners." (01/04/2008)

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All available articles from » Dan Nicusor, » Ovidiu Simonca