"The 'thunderbolt from Moscow' still reverberates in today's world," writes the daily Luxemburger Wort about the Hitler-Stalin Pact. "As a warning: for where there are unjust regimes, dictatorships of all colours, disregard for human rights and nations' rights, where morals, dignity and political decency are treated cynically the demonic grins of [Adolf] Hitler and [Joseph] Stalin, the twentieth century's worst criminals, are smirking in the background. Thank God that up to now they have had no successor to match the extent of their savagery. But their perfidious spirit - they were enemies in their ideological opposition but allies in their mutually beneficial atrocities - still prevails today in some states whose regimes don't appreciate the values of universally peaceful coexistence. There are other rogue regimes. [Former US president George W.] Bush was criticised because he called a spade a spade. But unfortunately he was right." (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » History, » Germany, » Poland, » Russia
All available articles from » Léon Zeches

"It's only natural that we in Estonia should above all consider the Hitler-Stalin Pact and its secret additional protocol as the tool that stripped us of our freedom. For us the anniversary is not only cause to remember; most Estonians alive today experienced the consequences of it first-hand," writes the daily Postimees in a commentary criticising Russia for not facing up to its past: "Unfortunately Moscow's selective memory still influences foreign policy today. And even if in the political arena of the 21st century democratic states no longer sign such 'master race' treaties without considering the consequences they will have for others, one cannot say with certainty that this sort of policy has been relegated to the past. The decision-making process for the construction of the Nord Stream pipeline and the war between Russia and Georgia in August last year have once more put Europe to the test." (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » History, » Remembrance culture, » Estonia, » Russia

By organising a human chain 20 years ago on the 50th anniversary of the Hitler-Stalin Pact, the Baltic states demonstrated that they wanted to break away from the Soviet Union. Now they call on Russia to confront the past. The daily NRC Handelsblad writes that they themselves should do the same: "The relation between the role of victim and the role of victimiser still hasn't balanced out two decades later. It's common knowledge that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fell victim to the satanic deal in 1939, and also that they were occupied by the advancing Red Army in 1944. … Less attention is paid to the fact that the [German] Armed Forces and the SS were welcomed as liberators by large sections of the population in 1941. Above all Jews fell victim to the reflex of welcoming the enemy's enemy as a friend. This is not an argument for trivialising the historical traumas that the Baltic countries suffered in the 20th century. But the ongoing search for a political historiography shows that the 20th century still hasn't ended in our new Europe." (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » History, » Lithuania, » Latvia, » Estonia, » Russia

The conservative daily Rzeczpospolita comments on Russian journalist Oleg Khlebnikov's new interpretation of the role the Soviet Union played in the outbreak of World War II: "In today's Russia it takes a lot of courage to write that the Soviet Union went to war on 17 September 1939 [the day of the Soviet invasion of Poland]. This is what Oleg Khlebnikov wrote in the daily Novaya Gazeta, thus entering into a direct confrontation with the official state version of history which talks of the 22 June 1941, the day on which Hitler's troops attacked the Soviet Union. The article in Novaya Gazeta incites both surprise and admiration. This consolation, however, is small compared with the Kremlin's swelling wave of propaganda aimed at denying at any cost that the Soviet Union bore any responsibility for the events in Europe 70 years ago. The Moscow historians portray the Poland of 1939 as an ally of Nazi Germany. This thesis is utterly false and it hurts. It is so outrageous that it's not even worth the trouble of polemicising against it." (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Remembrance culture, » Poland
All available articles from » Marek Magierowski

At a meeting of Flemish nationalists journalist Frans Crols, himself a Flemish nationalist, stated that if Flanders is to become independent it must renounce Brussels. This thesis is bold but simplistic, the left-liberal daily De Standaard writes: "The confrontation strategy has dominated Flemish political culture for years. Radicals can accept only the division of Belgium as an outlook for the future, and everything must be subordinate to this. If Brussels is an obstacle then Brussels had better believe it. And the city is indeed an obstacle for the dogma of separatism, because so far there has not been a single separation plan that comprises an acceptable solution for Brussels. Nor is there likely to be one. Brussels is the heart … of the Flemish economy and what's more the city is inextricably interwoven with Flanders economically, socially and from a city planning perspective. … That even the agreeable Frans Crols has given up the 'don't let go' of Brussels dogma is a sign of the impatience that now prevails in Flemish radicalism." (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Belgium
All available articles from » Marc Reynebeau

The conservative news portal Gondola criticises the Hungarian state, commenting on recent tensions between Hungary and Slovakia in which Slovakia denied the Hungarian president entry into the country. "What in fact happened? The head of the Republic of Hungary, that is the embodiment of the Hungarian state, was humiliated by another state. This act was planned long in advance and in full knowledge of the implications. And how does the Hungarian state react? It does nothing. The Hungarian foreign minister said last Friday that it would take action on Monday 'after the holidays'. I beg your pardon? Firstly: Friday the 21st of August was a working day worldwide [although Thursday was a national holiday]. ... Secondly, such an infringement against the Hungarian head of state is an important incident, so important that it should take precedence over any holiday whatsoever. A state that reacts so passively to such a humiliating infringement is really no longer a state at all." (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU neighbourhood policy, » Hungary, » Slovakia

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on the Swedish government to "condemn" an article in the Aftonbladet newspaper accusing the Israeli army of having sold the organs of dead Palestinians. The daily Die Presse writes that Sweden is not obliged to apologise: "The way the Israeli right-wing hooligan government has handled this affair is reminiscent of the so-called cartoon controversy four years ago. At that time the Islamic states wanted to threaten the Danish government into apologising for the Muhammad cartoons that had appeared in the daily Jyllands-Posten. ... The damage has been done, and now the first petitions are circulating for an Ikea boycott. Israel should not seek to battle this conflict out with the Swedish government, but with the newspaper itself. And it should do it in court, although the nonsense penned by [journalist] Daniel Boström about the organ trade condemns itself." (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Domestic Policy, » Israel
All available articles from » Christian Ultsch

In the daily Les Echos Jean-Marc Vittori compares the French President Nicolas Sarkozy's term in office with a Greek tragedy in three acts. "The first act consists of an overview of the characters and the situation. A new team takes office, the young president introduces a wave of reforms. ... France takes a deep breath in a way it hasn't done for a quarter of a century. That was the reform act. Then a major event tosses a spanner in the works. The second act is of course the crisis. The country's big banks were practically blown away by a storm from Wall Street, the carmakers almost suffocated and there was a steep rise in unemployment. The president then played the role of the fire chief deploying his forces to extinguish economic and financial flames in France, Europe and the world. Today the third act begins, which is determined by two events in the Elysée: the resumption of ministerial work after the summer holidays and the president's sermon to the bankers. Everything is possible in this moment. Nevertheless with the dramatic rise in unemployment the writing is on the wall." (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Economic Policy, » France
All available articles from » Jean-Marc Vittori

The EU must come up with a strategy to counter growing unemployment before the start of autumn, writes Stefano Micossi in the business paper Il Sole 24 Ore: "In Europe the problem is aggravated by the lack of flexibility in economic structures. At a time when structural change is called for, the tendency is to slow its progress and discourage investments. ... An enduring phase of stagnation endangers not only the single market, but also the euro. ... The room for more aggressive national policies to back demand is limited by the growth of the public deficit. Moreover there is a danger that such policies will take on protectionist forms that can only constrict the market, rather than helping it. Consequently a strong acceleration of investment is necessary on the European level. ... The trend of growing unemployment is looming on the horizon, even if the fall in gross domestic product has been stopped. Without a common European answer we will have to live with low growth, high unemployment and a steady rise in poverty. The European governments must instigate serious discussion about what they can jointly do to give us a better perspective." (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Stefano Micossi

The US company General Motors (GM) is apparently reconsidering its decision to sell German carmaker Opel. The conservative daily Die Welt comments on the dithering: "Having secured the backing of the US government the giant has no intention of allowing a small subsidiary in Europe and the German government to force its hand. To ensure its own survival what was once the world's number one carmaker wants to secure access to Opel and perhaps even keep the company. And this is only to be expected: after all, many more jobs in the US depend on the car giant's survival than depend on Opel's continued existence in Germany. Now it is taking revenge on [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel for having abandoned her usual caution and committed herself early on for the sake of an electoral advantage. The chancellor has needlessly deprived herself of almost all negotiating options vis-à-vis GM. In the end she will perhaps even be forced to give in to all the Americans' demands, for any solution other than the sale to Magna and Russia's Sberbank will leave her looking like the loser." (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Corporations, » Economic Policy, » Germany, » Europe, » U.S., » Global
All available articles from » Jan Dams

The business paper Cinco Días writes that low budget airlines will continue to have a large market share and regrets that there is still no such Spanish company: "Low cost airlines have not stopped gaining ground at the expense of the traditional airlines. Their prices have a huge influence on customers, who are less and less ready to pay for more than just the seat they sit on. ... Every year 60 million people visit Spain and the majority of them fly with low cost airlines, a business that the foreign companies divide amongst themselves. It is surprising that no Spanish low cost airline has arisen to get a slice of the pie. The destinations most in demand are controlled by foreign companies, who choose them depending on strict profitability criteria. People in the Canary Islands know this. The small number of low cost flights there has a negative effect on tourism." (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Corporations, » Economic Policy, » Tourism, » Spain

The liberal laws governing Sweden's private schools allow all kinds of private schools to be founded with the aid of government funding. The schools are free to merge with each other and form enterprises aimed at generating profit. The daily Svenska Dagbladet believes the Swedish model could become a hit export product: "Many private school companies are getting ready to enter the British market. … [The economic policy spokeswoman for the Green Party] Mikaela Valtersson was right when she said that profit should not be an end in itself. … Profit is a means for achieving higher quality. But if you want to attract investors in the long term the possibility of earning money is a key factor." (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Sweden

Around 100 university teachers are under suspicion of corruption in Germany for allegedly having sold doctorates for cash. The left-liberal daily Frankfurter Rundschau comments: "The trade in vanity has long been flourishing, and not even in obscurity. … For some time now experts have been complaining that the procedures for obtaining a doctorate at universities are not transparent enough because each supervisor does his own thing unmonitored. … But even the most transparent procedures at universities won't dry up the shadow market for titles. Only the courts can do this with appropriate punishments. Or a society that places its trust in a competent dentist who doesn't have 'Dr' in front of his name, that doesn't bow to anyone who is a professor and that can maintain its composure when confronted with someone bearing a title of nobility. The latter can't actually be bought directly but there are indirect routes (adoption in exchange for cash). 'Discreet and relibable', as agencies in this line of business promise. Success guaranteed!" (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Germany
All available articles from » Katja Irle

Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch is planing to charge for online news content. The daily Adevărul comments: "For many analysts and media experts in Romania there is no future for charging for online content. But that's not how things stand. In truth this move by the world's biggest publisher is a return to normality. Web content should never have been free at all. This Internet socialism has delivered a severe blow to creativity and is at the root of the music and film piracy that has led to [economic] stagnation in both sectors. The first sin was to publish newspaper content online. Certainly this won readers, but at a high price. ... It will not be easy to overcome these early sins, but the newspapers are up to the task. The need for quality information ... is so enormous in these times that many people will be willing to pay for online content." (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Publishing houses, » Print media, » Online media, » Media policy, » U.S., » Global, » Romania, » Australia
All available articles from » Emilian Isaila

The daily Le Monde writes that the world records set by Jamaican star sprinter Usain Bolt could harm his discipline. "At 1 meter 96 and 86 kilos and with his lightning progress, Usain Bolt is in the process of destroying the eternal image of the sprinter, that of a small, stocky runner. ... This 'exception' is bringing a touch of humanity into a sport which has long been dominated by cold athletes. The Jamaican doesn't hesitate to spend minutes at a time joking with the spectators. A simple boy with whom audiences can identify and who today embodies the very spirit of athletics. ... Yet that is the crux of the perverse effect of Usain Bolt's dominance: it encourages others to use performance-enhancing drugs. ... But for the leading figures of athletics there is no question of challenging Bolt's achievements, even if suspicions of doping hover over his country. ... On the long term athletics could lose its appeal. ... Who would want to take up a discipline where the best performances only disappear into the sand?" (25/08/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Sport, » Global
All available articles from » Mustapha Kessous