Following the re-election of Robert Mugabe the Dutch daily Trouw calls for tougher sanctions against Zimbabwe: "Some African countries have joined in [the condemnation of Mugabe] and one can only hope that the South African Development Community [SADC] will follow their example. ... That Mugabe did everything in his power to force a 'legitimate victory' this weekend shows that even this cynical ruler is sensitive to political isolation. This newspaper has already written that only a coup can put an end to Mugabe's regime. It will probably be easier to negotiate with his successors, even if their hands are just as stained with blood as his. Until then, even tougher sanctions are the only means of forcing Mugabe to withdraw. Let us hope the UN Security Council ... and the African Union ... agree." (30/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Africa, » Global

The newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore sees the United Nations as an obstacle to imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe: "Once again it is the Americans who are taking the initiative. One day after the election in which Robert Mugabe was the only candidate, the US is already working on a package of sanctions. ... The US is likely to encounter great difficulties in obtaining the blessing of the UN for these measures; they will probably only be accepted and carried out by the US and Europe. The UN had already argued over a condemnation of the election on Friday because South Africa rejected the wording of the original text and forced the members to retract." (30/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Africa, » Europe, » North America
All available articles from » ARianna Garavaglia

Following his re-election, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe wants to take part in the upcoming African Union summit in Egypt. The Independent writes in a lead article that it is time for the states of Africa to act: "This is indeed Africa's moment, for good or for ill. If the summit allows the bloodstained charade of Mugabe's election to pass unnoticed, hopes for the continent's democratic development will have been radically set back. Similarly, if the summit denies Mugabe the fig leaf of legitimacy that he craves, his regime will be embarrassed and forced on the defensive. ... Resolution of Zimbabwe's crisis is urgent. ... This is not an otherwise economically 'normal' country, disfigured by a politically repressive regime. It is a country where the economy is collapsing with such terrifying speed that a large proportion of the population faces only two options: flight, or death by starvation." (30/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Africa

The conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung opposes intervention in Zimbabwe: "One day when Mugabe is no longer president and Zimbabwe is completely in ruins, people will once more come knocking on the West's door. The alleged exploiters from Europe and North America are always good enough to pick up the pieces. If it were possible even then to be sure that other countries would learn from Zimbabwe's dire fate, things would be not quite so depressing. But that is hardly to be expected. Instead, all too many people in all too many African countries will probably go on chumming up to false friends. Europe and American cannot prevent that, nor should they try. Certainly, they themselves contributed to their loss of prestige in the so-called Third World. But people in the South must learn for themselves that not all the evils of this world have their origin in colonialism." (30/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Africa, » Europe, » U.S.
All available articles from » Peter Sturm

The EU has resolved to impose sanctions against Iran because of its nuclear programme. The International Herald Tribune comments: "European states must lose no time in rigorously implementing these penalties. ... Europe's patience, we hope, is finally wearing thin and the tightening financial squeeze may yet have impact. It would be foolish for the U.S. Senate to threaten this cooperation by passing a law, now under consideration, that could force sanctions on European companies doing business with Iran. ... The major powers also must improve on the incentives offered to Iran. Specifically, the Bush administration must make a more credible offer of security guarantees and improved relations if Iran abandons its nuclear ambitions. ... There is no assurance that Iran's leaders would accept the offer, nor do we know if there is any mix of incentives or punishments that would change Tehran's behaviour. The Iranian people need to know that the United States is serious about reconciliation - and who is responsible for their isolation." (30/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Europe, » U.S., » Iran

The Congress of Finno-Ugric People in Khanty-Mansiysk, Siberia, ended in a scandal after Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves walked out following a series of accusations from the Russian contingent. The daily writes that relations between the two countries have reached an all-time low: "This demonstrates once again that the trust that once existed between Estonian and Russia has been destroyed and their relationship can only be described as a cold peace. It also reconfirms that there is no point in entertaining any illusions about an imminent breakthrough. The meeting between Ilves and Medvedev on Saturday was an unusually positive episode, but the ensuing scandal at the Congress has brought relations back to the freezing point. ... Russia has once again shown that it has no desire to pursue a constructive step-by-step policy but prefers to politicise major and problematic issues like citizenship." (30/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Estonia, » Russia
All available articles from » Marko Mihkelson

A trial will open today in the Constitutional Court of Turkey on whether to ban the ruling AKP party. The Times has critical words for the proceedings. "It is a case that could end Turkish hopes of joining the European Union for ever and transform one of the West's most vibrant strategic allies into a feuding and embittered society, torn between military repression and Islamic fervour. ... The uncertainty is already damaging markets and inhibiting foreign investment. ... If the Government is dissolved forcibly by a court decision, the EU would almost certainly break off accession talks. This would please the military Establishment. ... This is just one issue where the secular Establishment has forfeited the former warm support of the West, while the AK Party has impressed outsiders by a swath of reforms and progress on human rights." (30/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Domestic Policy, » Europe, » Turkey

On the eve of France's EU Council presidency the Slovenian daily Večer reflects on Slovenia's six-month presidency, which is now coming to an end. "One of the Slovenian public's main criticisms is the lack of ambition, because it will be a long time before the country has a similar opportunity to attract international attention. ... Just as the internal political situation had a great impact on the dynamics of Slovenia's presidency, the country's EU presidency was also a perfect alibi for diverting attention from domestic problems. And with the same skill as the government has emphasised the successes of its EU presidency it has managed to downplay its mistakes. ... Slovenia has earned praise for its 'calm professionalism during a turbulent phase of the EU's development,' as the Financial Times wrote. Even the result of the referendum in Ireland ... cannot change this. ... Nicolas Sarkozy will no doubt make sure that France's presidency is more 'colourful, fragrant and spicy'." (30/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » France, » Slovenia
All available articles from » Ales Lednik

Le Monde newspaper reflects on the relationship between economic and political progress: "Is this the start of an inevitable decline for Europe and its humanist values? The end of Hellenistic ideals and the world they inspire? This is the question posed by the current crisis of Western capitalism, the financial crisis and the crisis of the social state. It is also posed by the rise of Asia, which is developing more along the Chinese model. ... But we also see it in the French criticism of the European identity. ... It seems that economic development and democracy are no longer inseparable. ... People used to think that an empty stomach leads to barbarism and a full plate to dialogue. But this is wrong. The world has seen a decade of strong growth, but the World Bank reports that there is no sign of improvement among the world's heads of government. ... Nevertheless in the long term democracy, respect for the law, freedom of the press and transparency, in a word 'humanism', lead in general to better governance, a more stable economy and a more equitable distribution of wealth." (29/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Philosophy, » Economic Policy, » Weltanschauung, » Global
All available articles from » Eric Le Boucher

Political scientist José Ignacio Torreblanca interprets the most recent Eurobarometer survey results according to which among other things the proportion of no-votes among the working class in the Irish referendum was particularly high. "We see this kind of polarisation of public opinion in other member states: for the working class European integration and globalisation are two sides of the same coin. Just as the clear majority of Europeans (63 percent) believes that globalisation serves the interests of companies but not those of citizens, a growing number of Europeans see European integration as a liberalist economic project that threatens job security. ... So there is a rationale behind the Euro-scepticism and it is not just a matter of feelings, as is sometimes claimed. An overwhelming majority of Irish (85 percent) has a positive attitude toward EU membership and wants to remain within the Union, but at the same time there are sectors of the economy and society that are profiting less from this integration than others, and this leads them to express their discontent whenever the opportunity presents itself." (30/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » EU Constitution, » Ireland, » Europe
All available articles from » José Ignacio Torreblanca

The newspaper Corriere della Sera reports on Spain and Germany's objections to the European Central Bank's (ECB) plans to raise the interest rates: "The German Finance Minister Peter Steinbrück is no longer the only one who opposes an interest rate hike. [Spanish Prime Minster] Jose Luis Zapatero is backing him and has called for the bank to adopt a more flexible approach in the battle against inflation. Spain is in trouble: its soaring inflation has reached 5.1 percent and the rising petrol prices and the real estate crisis have darkened the general mood. ... This Madrid-Berlin axis against the bank's manoeuvre contravenes the obligation of national governments not to interfere with decisions made by the European Central Bank." (30/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Germany, » Spain, » Europe
All available articles from » Elisabetta Rosaspina

The newspaper Le Quotidien criticises hypocritical attitudes toward tax exiles in France: "Many resent the fact that [star cook] Alain Ducasse has become a citizen of Monaco. And once more the debate on tax havens and wealth tax flares up! After Johnny Hallyday, Isabelle Adjani, Marc Levy, Laetitia Casta and Amélie Mauresmo, another famous name has been added to the list of those unworthy citizens who put their wallet before their flag! Perhaps one should remember that Alain Ducasse is a free person, at liberty to decide for himself where he lives. ... He has lived in Monaco for 25 years. That was where he opened his first restaurant. ... In France people like to get upset at the so-called tax paradises. But the super rich still enjoy life in France. According to the latest data, Neuilly and the Côte d'Azur have not yet been abandoned. For a good reason. In 2006, 150 of the 10,000 richest French people paid no taxes at all. There are 486 tax niches which have not escaped the attention of the most accomplished experts." (27/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Tax Policy, » France
All available articles from » Noël Labelle

Starting tomorrow, smoking in pubs and restaurants will be banned in the Netherlands. The national daily NRC Handelsblad criticises the ban: "Why was the free market not allowed free reign here? Smoking and non-smoking restaurants would both have attracted their respective clientele. And even the staff are free to work where they want. Those waiters who smoke could work in a restaurant that permits smoking. What happened to the non-intervention state that claims to be worried about too much pressure through regulations but will soon require a police force to tackle smokers and a nicotine public prosecutor? ... It certainly did not take long for non-smoking to become a virtue. And smoking is now an institutionalised form of deviant behaviour that has become so widely condemned that non-smokers no longer need the protection of the state." (30/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Health Policy, » Public Culture, » Netherlands

Lenka Reinerova, the last great Prague author to write in German, died on Friday aged 92. She is mourned for on both sides of the Czech-German border. Hospodarske Noviny writes in an obituary: "The news of her death came as a shock. That may sound paradoxical in view of her age. But people believed that this vital, unbroken person would live forever. For many years Reinerova personified the grand era of the Czech, German, Jewish symbiosis. This was destroyed by the Nazis then further decimated by the savage expulsions (after World War II) and the Bolshevik cleansings. But Lenka Reinerova remained miraculously alive. ... The Prague Literature House of German-language Authors was the fulfilment of her dream. We owe it to her to go on living this dream in practice." (30/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Literature, » Germany, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Tomas Kafka

In its leading article the Spanish daily El Mundo takes delight in the surge of national pride among the Spanish people following their EURO Cup victory: "During the 2008 European Football Championship the Spanish team functioned as a catalyst for creating a sense of community. Seldom have so many citizens taken to the streets waving flags to celebrate the victories and express their pride at being Spanish. This time we are experiencing for ourselves what we have so often envied other countries for - in a completely natural and civilised way and free of complexes. The decision by the administrations in Barcelona and Bilbao - both dominated by [regional] nationalists - not to set up big screens for public viewing so that fans could gather to watch yesterday's historical final game cannot detract from this." (30/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Social movements, » Sport, » Spain

The conservative newspaper Lidove Noviny fears that the "safe times" are over for football's powers that be: "No sooner have the Euro 2008 championships ended than alarm bells are going off at UEFA. The delays in preparation for the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine are alarming. The reconstruction of the stadium in Kiev has not yet begun, and the Warsaw arena still exists only on the drawing board. Security was the major concern for football organisers in recent years. And from an organisational point of view, practically every went off without a hitch at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the European Championships that have just ended in Austria and Switzerland. But now the championships are in for tougher times. That goes for the above-mentioned European Championships in the former East Bloc as well as for the next World Cup in South Africa, a country shaken by criminal unrest. ... This is a sign for the Czech Republic. Organising at least the European Championships should pose no problem here." (30/06/2008)

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More from the press review on the subject » Sport, » Poland, » Czech Republic, » Ukraine, » Africa
All available articles from » Petr Adam