The daily De Volkskrant writes that the ceasefire in Gaza has a chance of success: "Hamas has little to gain by continuing the fighting; it would be more likely to lose legitimacy. The terrorist organisation perhaps won't care about the suffering it causes, but it can't go on without the support of the people. If Hamas deliberately tries to force the resumption of fighting, its position - even in negotiations - won't be strengthened. For Israel a continuation of the fighting is also not without risks. Hamas will suffer in military terms, but this complex movement is not to be quashed using only military means. ... Israel has probably lost the propaganda battle. ... As long as Israel refuses to talk directly to Hamas, external intervention - from the US, Europe and Egypt - is indispensable." (19/01/2009)

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The Spanish daily El Mundo writes on the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East: "It is clear that both the Israeli government and Hamas wanted to present a gift to the new US president Barack Obama for his inauguration party. ... Although the international organisations have been heavily criticised because they couldn't stop the attacks, for the first time Europe's leaders - including Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero - as well as the Arab politicians under the leadership of Hosni Mubarak have reacted with the necessary speed. Hopefully this will set the trend for the future." (19/01/2009)

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The left liberal daily La Repubblica stresses the role of Egyptian mediator Omar Suleiman at the ceasefire summit: "In anticipation of a return of the US to the negotiating table Omar Suleiman, the 70-year-old spy master, has adopted the role of an honest mediator between Hamas and Israel that harks back to the policy of the Nixon-Kissinger tandem and is now the goal of the Obama-Clinton duo. ... Not a single document that can be filed for posterity remains from the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. The truce is written in the sand. It will depend on the good will of both sides, Israel and Hamas, and - in the event of violations of the truce which there will no doubt be as long as Israel doesn't complete its withdrawal - on secret negotiations led by Omar Suleiman." (19/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Europe, » U.S., » Middle East
All available articles from » Paolo Garimberti

The ceasefire in Gaza opens new room for manoeuvre but many questions remain unanswered, writes the Sydsvenska Dagbladet. "Has Hamas come to its senses, and is it ready to act responsibly on behalf of the population? Has it realised that continued fighting against an adversary that has demonstrated its vast military superiority will only bring additional suffering? Bearing in mind the group's past one is tempted to think not. Or are the militant groups so weak that they have no alternative? What is clear is that Israel's unilateral initiative has increased the pressure on Hamas to show its colours. Will the ceasefire last? Whatever the answer, the international community must act now. Help must come immediately, and the arms smuggling between Egypt and Gaza must be stopped right across the board." (19/01/2009)

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Dnevnik newspaper criticises the behaviour of the international community for supporting Israel in its quest to bring Hamas to its knees: "But the question is, how long will the new coalition be willing to assure Israel's security when the prospect of a Palestinian state moves no closer. ... In its show of strength with Hezbollah, Israel commited war crimes to regain its lost power of intimidation. It has angered the whole world while giving some Arab despots real headaches. ... Israel has only deepened the rift between Hamas and Fatah, as well as between Gaza and the West Bank. ... Once more Israel has demonstrated the impotence of the United Nations and the deep divisions in the Arab World." (19/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Europe, » U.S., » Middle East
All available articles from » Aleš Gaube

Following the election victory of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the German state of Hesse the liberal conservative daily Corriere della Sera takes a look at the impact of the election on federal policy. "With a little cleverness and a little luck Chancellor Angela Merkel has put herself on the fast track to a potential victory in the general elections which take place on 27 September 2009. With cleverness because in the past few months she has managed to stay calm despite Germany having been plunged into the most serious crisis since World War II. With luck because her social democratic opponent [the SPD] (even thought it is a partner in the ruling coalition) is in a state of strategic and tactical confusion which contributed in no small measure to the victory of the CDU. ... The Social Democrats, who have remained loyal to the chancellor in the grand coalition but are suffering from not being able to attack her, are facing a political crisis thanks to yesterday's election defeat. ... At this point all they can hope for is an election result that will force a new grand coalition - a last resort that could be their major weak spot in the election campaign." (19/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Germany
All available articles from » Danilo Taino

After the agreement to resume gas supplies between Russia and Ukraine, the daily Delo lists the winners and losers of the gas dispute. "Brussels had a surprisingly unified position this time round. In holding both countries responsible for the gas dispute, it avoided the long-term rancour of both Moscow and Kiev. It looks as though Europe has finally awoken from the deep Russian gas intoxication in this cold month of January, and begun to reflect on new energy suppliers, gas pipelines and alternative energy sources. That's why the EU is the major winner of the gas dispute, despite the fact that some European businesses registered considerable losses during the crisis. Ukraine can safely be named the biggest loser. Despite its full gas reserves the country was the first to buckle under and consequently lost the most. ... On a personal level Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko was the biggest loser, because after the gas dispute only three percent of Ukrainians still give him their support." (19/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Energy, » Economic Policy, » Ukraine, » Russia, » Europe
All available articles from » Polona Frelih

Riots broke out in in front of the Seimas, or Lithuanian parliament, in Vilnius on Friday during a demonstration against the government's economic policy. The daily Lietuvos Rytas expresses reserved sympathy for the protesters: "It seems Prime Minister [Andrius] Kubilius has still not understood what happened when snowballs and then rocks hit the windows of the Seimas on Friday. Of course people will talk about provocation and vandalism, and say those responsible should be called to account. But who will accept responsibility for the rubber bullets fired by the police? Certainly not Kubilius, he doesn't even know what political responsibility is. ... It seems our citizens understand better than the technocrats in our government where the current policy is taking us. It is true, the economy is in crisis all around the world. But at least in other countries people are trying to avoid layoffs, and rescue packages for industry are being passed." (19/01/2009)

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All available articles from » Brone Vainauskiene

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung comments on the presidency of Barack Obama which begins tomorrow. "When Barack Obama is sworn in on Tuesday as president of the United States, it will be a moment rife with symbolism. ... But this 'black Kennedy' knows full well that his skin colour does not automatically grant him a place of honour in the history books. Dramatic circumstances have given him another role: that of a rescuer in times of economic crisis. Just as [George W.] Bush will be remembered as a war president, Obama will no doubt go down in history as a crisis president. Certainly, the Democrat Obama is not responsible for the outbreak of the worst financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression. But he will be measured by his success in dealing with it." (18/01/2009)

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The magazine of the Süddeutsche Zeitung comments on the hype around Barack Obama shortly before his inauguration as 44th president of the United States. "With his pragmatism, Obama has managed even before his official appointment to single-handedly change the image of the United States. For the world he represents practically everything at the same time: visionary and realist, inspirer and admonisher, alternative and mainstream. He plays the role of a political trigger switch, replacing yesterday's anger with today's enthusiasm. Barack Obama is too good to be true. He unites everything that is important to left-wing hedonism and enlightened cosmopolitanism at the dawn of the the 21st century. Obama is educated without being intimidating. He is socially engaged without getting on your nerves. He is on the Left without the class struggle. He is religious without being fanatical. He is erotic, but not in a sexually threatening way. He has taken drugs, but not too much and the drugs he took were not too hard. He has the well-trained physique of an athlete and authors reflective books about his father. He has a self-confident, modern wife, making him a self-confident, modern man. He is black, but not too black. Obama was not elected although, but because he is black. He is the first post-white president in a post-white America, as the magazine The Atlantic put it. He embodies the ideals of his time: education, mobility, fitness, empathy, self-confidence, normality. Barack Obama is the first hybrid politician of this hybrid century." (16/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Weltanschauung, » U.S., » Global
All available articles from » Georg Diez

Taking the Czech Republic as an example, writer Monika Zgustova explains in the daily El País why many Eastern Europeans are not as convinced about the merits of the EU as most Western Europeans are: "One can sum up the image the Czechs have of their own history and which they share with other former central European Soviet satellite states by saying that they see Western Europe having turned its back on them in several situations and in several ways, while the US helped them on many occasions. US President Woodrow Wilson, for instance, agreed to support them when the independent, prosperous and democratic Czechoslovakia wanted to rise from the ruins of the Austro-Hungarian empire following the First World War, while the UK and France didn't lift a finger to help despite having signed military agreements when Hitler occupied Czechoslovakia before the outbreak of the Second World War. Following the collapse of totalitarianism the former Soviet satellites once again felt slighted, this time by a Europe which - as it appeared to them - let them queue outside in the cold for 15 years before allowing them to enter its club and then monitored them with the arrogant and paternalistic eye of a right and powerful master, while Western companies bought up their countries' companies for dumping prices." (19/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU enlargement, » EU Policy, » France, » United Kingdom, » Czech Republic, » Europe, » Eastern Europe, » U.S.
All available articles from » Monika Zgustová

The daily Phileleftheros analyses the impact a new EU regulation on saving energy will have on consumer behaviour. "A symbol of economic prosperity: a plasma screen television - as big as possible. ... The EU will deprive us of one of our most important symbols. A 50-inch plasma TV consumes four times as much energy as a normal screen. The UK is planning to ban sales of plasma TVs and the EU is preparing a similar regulation aimed at taking appliances that consume a lot of energy from the market. All other products will have to come with clear information about how much energy they consume. ... Prisoners of our modern lifestyle, we buy an electronic appliance for each household activity, ... without considering how much they consume or how useful they really are. ... Even those who are otherwise caring about the environment easily fall into the convenience trap and focus on saving time rather than energy." (18/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Environmental Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Christalla Chanzidimitriou

On Sunday around 10,000 supporters of the Napredak political movement in Bulgaria gathered to call for a committed energy policy to guarantee the stability of the country and the region. Prior to that President Georgi Parvanov and Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev had spoken out in favour of putting an additional reactor in Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant into operation. Others even argue that two additional reactors should be restarted. The daily Dnevnik warns of the possible consequences for the Bulgarian economy: "Restarting blocks 3 and 4 would among other things necessitate a new contract with Russia on fuel supplies and transportation [of nuclear waste]. Those in government, as well as a section of the opposition that favours the reactors being turned on again, are tactfully remaining silent on this. For it makes no sense to try and exploit the situation in which we have been put as a result of Russia's impudent and uncivilised attitude ... to demand a new contract ... , and it would be naïve to hope that Russia wouldn't violate it and leave us out in the freezing cold again next winter." (19/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Economic Policy, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Alexander Boshkov

Following hot on the heels of the banks, the real estate market and the automotive industry, it is now the churches who are having to contend with the financial crisis, the business paper Capital writes: "With their substantial assets, many of which are invested in shares, churches depend on public financing as well as their members' keenness to donate money to pay their expenses. The former resource will not suffice, particularly as it is dependent on the state of the economy ... . The second resource - the church members' willingness to donate - could, against the backdrop of a deep economic crisis, force the churches to economise to the max. ... It is unlikely that the Vatican or the Romanian Orthodox Church will decide to part with some of their assets. ... Their investment policy is so conservative that it leaves virtually no room for experiments." (19/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Religion, » Italy, » Romania
All available articles from » Bogdan Ciubuc

The daily Le Temps reflects on the growing unemployment among migrants in Spain as a result of the economic crisis. "The Spanish Eldorado is a thing of the past. For a good ten years Spain was the major country of immigration in the EU. But today the crisis is here and unemployment has risen to spectacular heights. ... The construction industry is in ruins. And immigrants (one quarter of all construction labourers) are the first victims. This year they represent over 40 percent of new job-seekers. ... You could say people's view of Latin Americans, Moroccans and Romanians has changed radically. Beforehand they were seen as those who could rejuvenate an aging population, fill the social insurance coffers and revive the economy. Now they are considered a ball and chain. ... Even the government of José Luis Zapatero, which long pampered them, now sees them as undesirable." (17/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Spain
All available articles from » François Musseau

The conservative daily Magyar Nemzet comments on the controversial 'Entropa' installation by Czech artist David Cerny in Brussels. "The Czech EU Council presidency promptly began with a scandal. ... The artwork uses negative clichées to characterise the countries of the EU. The Bulgarians and Slovaks were quick to protest. The Germans, too, were not exactly thrilled at being symbolised by Autobahn intersections reminiscent of swastikas. The Irish peeing into everybody's water is intended as a reference to the Irish No preventing the Treaty of Lisbon from coming into force. The UK is represented in the work as a mere void. This can also be seen as a side-swipe against the UK, which has always maintained a distance to the EU. The installation is like a big puzzle. It's name is by the way composed of the words 'entropy' and 'Europe'. In everyday language 'entropy' stands for nebulous disorder." (19/01/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Cultural Policy, » Czech Republic, » Europe
All available articles from » Károly Lóránt