The Daily Telegraph comments on the US's possible renouncement of the missile defence shield in Central and Eastern Europe: "The initiative is part of the new administration's wider attempt to restore good relations with Russia after the frost of the Bush years. Russia has yet to respond, which is presumably why the details of the 'secret' letter have now been leaked. Even so, Moscow will be in no hurry to act on the Obama offer. There is unlikely to be any reaction until after next month's G20 summit in London when Mr [Barack] Obama and Mr [Dmitry] Medvedev will meet for the first time. A withdrawal of Russian assistance would have serious implications for Iran. At the very least it would delay significantly its nuclear programme. The American president has given an early indication that he is prepared to think laterally about the most pressing foreign policy dilemma the United States faces." (04/03/2009)

» full article (external link, English)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Russia, » U.S., » Iran

US President Barack Obama wants to renounce the controvertial missile defence shield provided Russia is open to cooperation. The Süddeutsche Zeitung welcomes Obama's flexibility: "A new realism has taken hold in US diplomacy. For Russia this means that Washington takes Moscow seriously and is not seeking to dupe or outmanoeuvre it, as George W. Bush did with his missile policy. That is important for a government that puts so much emphasis on being eye to eye with the US. It also means that the US is not backing down and will relentlessly pursue its interests. It is an offer of mutual flexibility. If the Russians decide to move and put pressure on Iran, the US will shift its position accordingly. Obama has secured this room for manoeuvre by using the missile defence shield as a negotiating tool." (04/03/2009)

» more information (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Russia, » Europe, » Eastern Europe, » U.S., » Global
All available articles from » Reymer Klüver

At first glance the US's decision to forego the missile defence shield in Europe seems logical if Russia helps dissuade Iran from its nuclear arms plans, writes the liberal daily Sme. "Nevertheless this logic is seriously flawed. The missile defence shield is not only essential to counter the threat from Iran, but also against all potential fanatic regimes that could use missiles and nuclear technology to blackmail the West. Today Iran is the most conspicuous of these states. But in five years' time it could be Pakistan, currently a firm ally of the West. ... The real weakness of this logic is its immense confidence that the democratic West and the regimes in Russia and in Iran could share mutual interests. ... The leaders in Moscow and Tehran, however, are not interested in cooperating with the West, but in weakening it." (04/03/2009)

» full article (external link, Slovak)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Czech Republic, » Russia, » U.S., » Middle East
All available articles from » Peter Morvay

The daily newspaper Polska criticises the role of the Russian media in the debate over the US missile defence shield: "The Russian media are not writing the truth when it comes to US President Barack Obama's standpoint on the construction of the defence shield. It's a case of targeted disinformation aimed at generating unease among the general public in the West and giving it the feeling it is under threat. On Monday [the Russian paper] Kommersant reported that Barack Obama had sent a secret letter to the Kremlin indicating that his government would renounce the plans to station the shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. In return Russia was to guarantee that Iran did not possess long-range missiles. This is another round in the psychological war against public opinion in the West – and in particular against the Poles and Czechs. It began when the government of US President George [W.] Bush announced that certain elements of the new Nato defence system would be stationed in Poland and the Czech Republic." (04/03/2009)

» full article (external link, Polish)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Poland, » Russia, » Europe, » U.S.
All available articles from » Tomasz Pompowski

Following the regional elections in Spain's Basque Country there is the possibility of a coalition between the two major Spanish parties: the Socialists (PSOE) and the conservative Popular Party (PP). The daily El Mundo hopes this potential cooperation will have an impact on national politics: "The new situation opens up the real possibility of a dialogue between PSOE and the PP in the Basque Country. It would be a good thing if this rapprochement prompted the parties to join forces to pass a major package to counter the economic crisis. A double cooperation that in the present situation is a mathematical and ethical necessity." (04/03/2009)

» more information (external link, Spanish)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Economic Policy, » Spain

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will speak today before the US Congress. The Financial Times comments the two countries' bilateral relations: "Mr Brown can convey some useful messages. Awkward as it may be for the man who demanded 'British jobs for British workers', he must emphasise the dangers of a turn towards protectionism and economic nationalism. The US needs to be reminded that it is not the only country struggling to head off unemployment. And Mr Brown can press hard for an approach to reforming financial regulation that takes international co-operation seriously. The US instinct to move ahead by itself on this must be resisted. London's importance in global markets gives Mr Brown standing to insist. On a wide range of other issues, from security to fiscal co-ordination, from the future of the International Monetary Fund to international co-operation on climate change, Britain and the US have shared interests and can work together. A relationship that is less special and more businesslike would better serve both." (04/03/2009)

» full article (external link, English)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » United Kingdom, » U.S.

Dmitry Medvedev has been Russian president for a year now. The daily Diena has mixed views of his presidency: "An army of political scientists, experts and journalists analyses everything Medvedev says and does to detect signs of independent action. And indeed there have been a couple of episodes when with a large dose of good will one could discern signs of a quiet opposition to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. But even the dismissal of several loyal supporters of Putin who worked at authorities and with the intelligence services may not necessarily have been instigated by Medvedev, and could bear Putin's signature. … One can only guess how Putin intends to return to the Kremlin but since the financial and economic crises that began last autumn and the plunge in oil prices everything has changed. Russia, too, is having to say goodbye to its years of plenty and is suffering painfully from the consequences. In the meantime it has become clear that Putin is anything but a good crisis manager." (04/03/2009)

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

The daily Sega paints a gloomy picture of Bulgaria's EU membership: "The main mistake made by the Bulgarian mafia (which in Brussels is defined as the connection between organised crime and corruption in the uppermost echelons of power) is that it allowed Bulgaria's accession in the first place. It wanted the billions of euros in aid from the EU, and after a transitional criminal phase of 20 years planned to see itself legitimised with a European certificate. But exactly the opposite has happened. The EU cut off funding even before it opened up the big money supplies and thus prevented the mafia bosses from stealing from Bulgaria's national capital too. This is why they now have an interest in Bulgaria pulling away from the direct control of the EU … . Brussels has patiently accepted this new course towards disintegration. … Consequently if our state doesn't want a different future it will be reduced to a harmless agent within the EU, which the criminal structues would only welcome." (04/03/2009)

» full article (external link, Bulgarian)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Europe, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Svetoslav Tersiev

Fareed Zakaria, chief editor of the news magazine Newsweek International, comments in the liberal-conservative daily Corriere della Sera on the possibilities for dialogue between the West and the Islamic World. "The main task today consists in developing a refined strategy against the fundamentalists. [US President Barack] Obama promised in his election campaign a more differentiated approach towards the Islamic countries. … This could serve to highlight the differences between the individual groups, movements and motivations at work within this world and strengthen the idea that this is not about a war between Islam and the West. For his part [terrorist leader] Osama Bin Laden continues to insist that all these different groups are part of a global movement. We should not play along with this but rather stress the differences between local groups and their demands. But this is not to say that we should close our eyes to girls' schools being set on fire and the stoning of offenders. Understanding the reality of radical Islam does not mean we accept its ideas. On the contrary, we must defend our views and values with pride and passion. The simple fact that the United States is present in Islamic countries, is dealing with the problems there and not confining itself to throwing bombs, carrying out arrests and killing could change the attitudes of the people there towards us." (04/03/2009)

» more information (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Global
All available articles from » Fareed Zakaria

"Catholicism is basically suffering from a modernity deficit", writes Rudolf Walther in the left-leaning weekly paper Der Freitag. "And that has nothing to do with the skilful use of the media by the Pope and the Roman Curia. What it does have to do with is antiquated thinking and unfulfilled promises. Against the 'spirit of the synod' the Pope rigidly clings to the primacy of the Catholic Church over other religions. In so doing he relies on the putative unity of Catholic faith and reason, using a pre-Enlightenment concept of reason. The Enlightenment was not about condemning or slandering religion, but about drawing a line between faith and knowledge to protect knowledge from religious infringement and faith from rationalist imposition. ... Under the pressure of liberation theology, women's emancipation and other modern movements, Joseph Ratzinger is edging closer to anti-modernism and further isolating himself." (26/02/2009)

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Global
All available articles from » Rudolf Walther

The daily Rzeczpospolita comments on the emotion generated by the immense losses incurred by investors in Poland in the last quarter of 2008. In all the crisis has wiped out 2 billion zloty (425 million euros): "Feelings are so strong that investors prefer atlases to macroeconomic analyses when deciding where to put their money. And they doggedly lump Poland together with 'powers' like Latvia, Estonia, Hungary and Ukraine - although the basis data put our prospects considerably higher. As a result, the zloty has lost around half its value compared with the previous year. ... Just a month ago the crisis prophet [US economist] Nouriel Roubini predicted that the Polish currency would collapse because it had an inflexible exchange rate. No, Mr Roubini, on the contrary. The zloty has a flexible exchang rate. And if this has plunged, it's only because a certain dignified economist has put fear into our hearts." (04/03/2009)

» full article (external link, Polish)
More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Poland
All available articles from » Krzysztof Szwałek

The daily Politiken stresses that the financial crisis is putting the solidarity of EU member states to a hard test: "Even if until now we have heard more from national politicians than from the institutions in Brussels, the cohesion of the EU plays a decisive role. This applies offensively, when rescue packages must be coordinated and decisions taken regarding new regulations for the financial sector. And it applies defensively, in defending the single market. Seen in this light the crisis is certainly a test that brings out the worst in individual European politicians now and again. But it is also a unique chance to further develop a community that has been built up over the course of half a century. There is simply no good alternative to more solidarity." (04/03/2009)

» more information (external link, Danish)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Europe, » Global

The rector of the Stockholm art academy Konstfack has announced new ethical guidelines for its teacher training courses after two students attracted predominantly negative attention with their exam papers: one student simulated a suicide attempt and subsequently a psychosis in a psychiatric clinic while another filmed himself in the act of demolishing an underground carriage. The daily Sydvenska Dagbladet writes: "It is important for art to provoke and wage battle with society's moral judgements. History is full of examples of rules that only in retrospect seem destructive and riddled with prejudice. Art, literature and film often play a decisive role when it comes to exposing discriminatory and repressive judgements. Therefore it can be risky to use our current moral conceptions to keep art on too tight a leash. At the same time art cannot escape ethical and legal judgements entirely. … To challenge social norms is one thing, but to ignore them altogether is another." (04/03/2009)

» full article (external link, Swedish)
More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Sweden

Both Romanian and Italian television are currently using subtle accusations to turn public opinion against foreigners, the weekly Revista 22 writes: "With their sanguinary news coverage the news programmes of the three main [Italian] stations belonging to the Mediaset group barely differ from Romanian television … . The motto of these TV stations appears to be to maximise viewing figures at any cost, even if it means ignoring the most elementary rules when journalists take the liberty of pronouncing judgement and using xenophobic and stereotyped formulations to refer to the suspects of certain crimes. … What television and the press in Italy fail to focus on … is the economic fact that northern Italy, once rich but now in the grips of the economic crisis, is currently experiencing one of the darkest episodes in recent history. … But notwithstanding, the economic crisis will not pass unnoticed as a result of these attempts to focus public attention on the alleged 'Romanian threat' – a notion that has a long-term goal but is not entirely true." (04/03/2009)

» full article (external link, Romanian)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Italy, » Romania
All available articles from » Cristina Luca

The daily Le Monde writes that the Internet company Google is abusing its market position to the detriment of the press: "Google has once more dealt a hard blow to the press. The search engine has decided to include sponsored links (AdWords) in search results. Certainly, this only holds for the United States. But it's hard to imagine that the practice will not also spread to Europe. The press, which produces information, will accordingly lose an additional part of its advertising revenue. Every day the American search engine imposes its conditions a little more, without warning those affected and without regard for the value of the information it provides access to. This is callled the abuse of market power. Publishers must denounce this practice without reserve." (04/03/2009)

» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » Print media, » Online media, » France, » U.S.

The Dutch newspaper company PCM, publisher of the three national dailies NRC Handelsblad, Trouw and De Volkskrant among others, has been acquired by the Belgian media company De Persgroep. Ronald Plasterk, the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, has expressed concern over the acquisition. That's absurd, writes NRC Handelsblad: "Newspapers are bought and sold on commerical markets. For this reason it is unreasonable to demand that the owner of PCM should always be Dutch. The media market has long extended beyond national boundaries. What's important is that certain essential conditions should be respected. Firstly, the new partner must guarantee journalistic independence. ... But precisely this independence is at risk when funding is cut. ... Newspapers do not receive state subsidies. That's a good thing, because these would bring with them apparent commitments. But to guarantee the future of the healthy newspapers, owners must allow the papers to reap benefits from the profits they generate. ... Newspapers are worth the money invested in them." (04/03/2009)

» full article (external link, Dutch)
More from the press review on the subject » Publishing houses, » Print media, » Netherlands, » Belgium