The liberal daily La Stampa sees a continuation of the Italian mission to Afghanistan as the lesser evil: "The positive response is based on the conviction that a withdrawal from Afghanistan would represent a military defeat of the West and Nato (and would severely undermine their political and military credibility): it would galvanise and strengthen Jihad formations all over the world and ultimately deprive all those of the will to resist and the hope of victory who in the broad and varied Umma of believers in Allah [the community of all Muslims] are campaigning for a happy and fundamental synthesis of Islam and democracy. In other words, a withdrawal would make our 'near abroad' still more instable and hostile." (27/07/2009)

» full article (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Italy, » Global, » Afghanistan
All available articles from » Vittorio Emanuele Parsi

The grand coalition in Germany would prefer to remain silent about the German military's participation in the operations in Afghanistan but the opposition won't let it, the daily Der Standard writes: "There is enormous scepticism about the Afghanistan operation. It's glaringly obvious that the coalition is failing to make it clear to the people why the Germans are needed in Afghanistan and why they don't just stick carnations in their guns. But given the stepping up of the German offensive in Afghanistan and the approaching elections in both Kabul and Germany Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung (CDU) will have no choice but to finally clarify his stance and stop nattering on vaguely and euphemistically about a 'stabilisation operation'. … The soldiers and the citizens have a right to be informed clearly about the dangers. Any playing down of the situation only plays into the hands of the Left Party, which unrealistically demands complete withdrawal." (25/07/2009)

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Germany, » Afghanistan
All available articles from » Birgit Baumann

Following the death of three Swedish soldiers in Afghanistan the Swedes have growing doubts about the mission in the Hindu Kush. But after visiting the crisis area Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt writes in his blog that the operations should continue: "I don't believe we can produce a perfect society out of thin air in the Hindu Kush. But I can't accept that we abandon those who are trying to construct a constitutional state, give women opportunities they otherwise wouldn't have and give boys and girls an education they wouldn't get. The tragedy is that these efforts have to be protected - even militarily - against those who are trying to transport the country back into the Dark Ages with their oppression and prejudices. To believe anything else is merely to show how little one has understood." (27/07/2009)

» full article (external link, Swedish)
More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Sweden, » Middle East
All available articles from » Carl Bildt

With respect to the Finnish participation in the mission to Afghanistan the daily Lapin Kansa believes Finland should reconsider joining Nato: "It is difficult to give the Finns reasons why they need to join Nato, especially now when Finnish troops have become the target of attacks in northern Afghanistan. The Finnish peace troops are participating in the Nato-led UN peace mission with about one hundred soldiers. The mission to Afghanistan is also about fundamental Western values which were, for example, threatened by the terrorist attacks in the USA in 2001. Finland represents Western countries and is for freedom and democracy. Nato membership is an option for the Finns. But the country cannot become a member of Nato because the majority of the people are against taking up this option. Even though Finland belongs to the family of the European Union, the conservative government has postponed the Nato debate till the future." (26/07/2009)

» full article (external link, Finnish)
More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Finland, » Europe, » Global

In a dramatic speech before Congress US President Barack Obama has called for a radical reform of the US healthcare system. So far such reforms have failed, the daily Trouw writes: "America seems unable to decide between the current market system (even though it threatens to collapse because of the perverse incentives) and healthcare provided by the state. This, however, is a false dilemma, as the situation in the Netherlands shows. Here, despite setbacks, we have developed a system that combines entrepreneurial spirit with solidarity. It is not perfect and there is no doubt room for improvement. But it's reassuring that the Dutch healthcare system was given the top ranking in Europe in the Euro Health Consumer Index last year. … Perhaps Obama can learn a few more things from the Netherlands." (27/07/2009)

» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » Health Policy, » Netherlands, » U.S.

Almost nine years after the murder of the government-critical Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Gongadze, Oleksiy Pukach, probably the most important accomplice to the crime, has been arrested. The daily Diena believes that the expected retrial of the Gongadze case will have political consequences: "It is quite possible that Ukraine is on the brink of a far-reaching scandal. Oleksiy Pukach, who was arrested last week, was one of the country's most wanted criminals. At the time he was a police lieutenant-general and headed a department of the Interior Ministry. ... It is quite plausible that Pukach's arrest is more or less directly linked with the presidential elections scheduled for January: the case could help the incumbent Viktor Yushchenko, who has lost a lot of the voters' goodwill, to win a second term in office. ... But it will only be possible to predict what the real consequences of the trial will be once the evidence is on the table." (27/07/2009)

» full article (external link, Latvian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Press freedom, » Ukraine
All available articles from » Askolds Rodins

The Czech Communists, the only former ruling party in Central and Eastern Europe who are seen as hardliners, have declared their willingness to repeat their apology for the times before 1989. The business paper Hospodářské Noviny doesn't believe the offer is genuine: "They want to sell an old product and make a fat profit: seats in a government with the Social Democrats, should the latter win the elections. [KP boss Vojtěch] Filip has had several opportunities to apologise and each time he resisted. What Filip now wants to repeat is very weak. It only covers the greatest excesses. Moreover to this day the Communists persist in describing numerous communist repressions as necessities of the time. A genuine apology must be sincere, unconditional and certainly not part of a political deal aimed at gaining more power. But the Communists are incapable of this and therefore they have no place in the government." (27/07/2009)

» full article (external link, Czech)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » History, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Martin Jašminský

In view of the sex scandal surrounding Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi the Sunday newspaper The Observer writes: "Mr Berlusconi controls enough Italian media outlets to stymie negative reporting. Where he does not directly own newspapers and TV stations, he owns companies that control advertising revenue. News of the sex scandal has been limited to a few websites and one major newspaper - La Repubblica. ... Does it matter if Italian democracy is warped in this way? It is certainly sad to witness. But more important, Italy is still an influential power - currently chair of the G8 and a major player in the EU with a big economy inside the euro zone. Fellow European countries should be less forgiving of a partner who brings their club into such disrepute. Would other EU leaders tolerate, in a country applying for membership today, a situation where civil society is so flagrantly bent to the will of the prime minister? Surely not." (27/07/2009)

» full article (external link, English)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Media policy, » Italy

As a result of efforts by Russia and the US to improve their relationship and to engage in more cooperation, many Eastern European countries, particularly the Baltic states, fear that the US will stop supporting their policies. The daily Delo criticises this attitude: "All states have one thing in common: they are currently in a crisis situation. The Eastern European states, especially the Baltic states, are close to economic collapse, and in Ukraine and in Georgia there is a profound political crisis as well. They are all looking for a guilty party in this situation. Currently, given that democratic forces in Russia embodied by the president [Dmitry Medvedev] are becoming stronger, such criticism is counter-productive, for it only encourages its opponents. If these countries want to have good-neighbourly relations, they need to be more cautious in their choice of words in future." (27/07/2009)

» more information (external link, Slovenian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Ukraine, » Russia, » Europe, » Baltic States
All available articles from » Polona Frelih

The poet and essayist Ákos Szilágyi reflects in the left-liberal daily Népszabadság on the phenomenon of paramilitary organisations. He focuses particularly on the Hungarian Guard, the uniformed arm of the right-wing-radical party Jobbik: "What kind of order do the soldiers' uniforms of paramilitary organisations suggest, promote and promise? The order of freedom or rather the order of the barracks yard? The order of the autonomous individual or that of the fanatical dictators of conscience who want to control him? The order of the law or the order of authority? ... Paramilitary formations elude the control of the state based on the rule of law and of the parliament. By existing alongside state forces of order or running counter to them they break the state's legal monopoly on the use of force. ... The paramilitary organisations in Hungary (above all the Hungarian Guard) are pursuing the aim of establishing an authoritarian police state. The colour of the soldiers' uniforms and the symbols in some cases recall a heroic past (in other words: the mass murders and deportations of the blood-soaked Hungarian history of the twentieth century). In other cases they project a militaristic social order into the future. The catastrophic history of the twentieth century shows that in those countries where the order of the state based on the rule of law is undermined by the order of a 'uniformed,' 'national' or racial ideology, the way is clear for civil wars and dictatorships that perpetrate mass murder." (27/07/2009)

» full article (external link, Hungarian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Weltanschauung, » Hungary, » Global
All available articles from » Ákos Szilágyi

Nikolaus Bernau writes in the left-liberal daily Berliner Zeitung about the pessimism of German urban planners: "Post-war architecture is being demolished, particularly in southern, western and northern Germany and in former West Berlin. ... The problem is therefore certainly not that the architectural legacy of the self-declared state of workers and peasants is being discriminated against in the memorial culture of the Federal Republic of Germany. Rather contempt is being shown for the country's entire post-war architectural heritage. And this contempt is part of a pessimistic attitude on the part of [German] urban planners, which is unique in Europe. In the Netherlands new cities are being built and debates are being held about building new forms of housing for new kinds of society. London is throwing itself into high-rise visions, Stockholm is planning a car-free city, In Helsinki the harbours are being converted into eco-settlements, in France new ideas are being considered for Paris, and in Warsaw and Moscow the skylines are changing radically. Not everything that is built in the process will stand the test of time. But almost everywhere there is a belief in the future - a belief that is largely lacking in Germany, this land of redesigners of palace facades and defenders of faceless high-rises." (27/07/2009)

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Architecture / Cities, » History, » Remembrance culture, » Germany
All available articles from » Nikolaus Bernau

In response to the dairy farmers' demonstrations in Brussels EU Commissioner for Agriculture Mariann Fischer Boel has promised help. But the German-language daily Der Nordschleswiger notes that limited funds are available: "The farmers, struggling with the drop in prices, shouldn't expect miracles from the EU as Fischer Boel has already said that the milk quota system which for years has done a hit-or-miss job of keeping the EU's 'milk lakes' from overflowing will be discontinued for good in 2015. … As consumers in a region with a traditionally large dairy sector we … also bear responsibility for securing fair prices for the dairy farmers - and not just always buying the cheapest product. The ruin of our local producers could come at a high price." (27/07/2009)

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Agriculture, » Denmark, » Europe

WIth its application for EU membership Iceland is sacrificing its national independence, the daily To Ethnos writes: "Prior to its EU integration Iceland must pay 3.8 billion dollars [2.7 billion euros] to the British customers of Icelandic banks and 'sell off' its fisheries to the EU. The application for EU membership was a tragic rather than joyous event. Normally EU candidate countries have a strong national self-esteem. By contrast the Icelanders look like losers. … The country's economy is in tatters. The value of the national currency has plunged. And not because it's a small country with 313,000 inhabitants that stands isolated in between Europe and America. On the contrary, the country collapsed because a handful of Icelandic bankers - with the complicity of Iceland's politicians - believed that Iceland could play a serious role in casino capitalism. … Now the time has come for Icelanders to sacrifice even their national independence at the altar of the huge debts that the country's private banks accumulated." (26/07/2009)

» full article (external link, Greek)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Europe, » Iceland
All available articles from » Giorgos Delastik

A group of 35 intellectuals has joined the discussion about Romania's largest private university Spiru Haret. In a petition to the Minister of Education Ecaterina Andronescu they call on her to declare degrees obtained for non-accredited courses invalid. The daily România Liberă writes: "This university substitute with no less than thirty faculties and fifty disciplines handed out degrees like confetti, making the whole process of study the subject of ridicule. ... The business practices of Spiru Haret might have turned into a scandal discussed all over Europe, and prompted the minister of education to withdraw the institution's accreditation. The embarassing situation whereby a flood of people are storming the European market equipped with worthless degrees could easily have led to drastic measures being taken by the EU, for example to the non-recognition of the degrees conferred by the country's further education institutions." (27/07/2009)

» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » Europe, » Romania
All available articles from » Tom Gallagher

On Sunday this year's Tour de France came to an end. In its leading article the daily Le Monde examines the unabated appeal of the world's most important cycle race: "What other sports event can boast of attracting more than 15 million spectators and being watched each year by two billion people in over 180 countries? The Tour de France is no ordinary cycle race but a passionate story France has been sharing with the world since 1903. … But there are downsides: the money and above all the doping. The amazing performances of some competitors in 2009 have spread a feeling of unease. … No doubt cycling is the sport that is most up to date in the battle against pharmacopoeia: there's the biological passport and many surprise controls or bloodtests. … The organisers are congratulating each other that thanks to the lack of positive results a little more balance has returned." (25/07/2009)

» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » Sport, » France