The presidential elections have shown that there is genuine political competition and diversity of opinion in Ukraine, the daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung points out, saying this is the fruit of the Orange Revolution in 2004: "In the years following independence the spectre of a divided Ukraine split into an Eastern and a Western half was repeatedly conjured up. Even during the Orange Revolution the regional differences grew more pronounced. ... Today the danger of Ukraine being shattered by its regional differences seems to have been banished. The state has consolidated within its existing borders. The ethnic, social, cultural and linguistic differences force Ukrainian politicians to seek a democratic balance of interests. It is one of the major achievements of the Orange Revolution that the concept of a political nation of citizens not based on ethnic criteria has won the day." (07/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Ukraine
All available articles from » Cyrill Stieger

Although the conservative daily Lidové Noviny would have preferred a different outcome to Ukraine's presidential elections it says that they won't affect the country's free constitutional order: "Perhaps the 'Orange' Ukraine hasn't moved as close to Europe as we would have wished. But despite all its shortcomings the country is far ahead of authoritarian Russia on the decisive question of freedom. The EU has done too little for Ukraine in recent years. Therefore the defeat of the 'Orange' camp is also a defeat for the Union. With [president designate] Viktor Yanukovych everything will no doubt get worse, but Ukraine remains a democratic country. And a free Ukraine is the best and the right European answer to the Putinisation of Russia." (08/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Ukraine, » Russia, » Europe
All available articles from » Luboš Palata

Despite the election victory of Viktor Yanukovych, who is widely regarded as pro-Russian, Poland should not turn its back on Ukraine, the conservative daily Rzeczpospolita writes: "We must be more active than ever regarding our Ukrainian neighbour. ... Viktor Yanukovych may be decried as a pro-Russian politician but his main attribute is pragmatism. In the end his election does not decide anything. Rather we can expect more bickering about the most important issues. So we need to put all the more effort into convincing the Ukrainians that the pro-European course is the more profitable one, that Poland continues to advocate their interests within the EU and Nato, and that we want to continue working with them - no matter who's in power in Kiev." (08/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Elections, » Poland, » Ukraine
All available articles from » Piotr Kościński

The victory of pro-Russian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych in the Ukrainian presidential elections could strengthen Russia's influence in the region, writes the daily Diário de Notícias: "Yanukovych's victory ushers in a new period of instability for Ukraine, and that cannot be a matter of indifference for the rest of Europe. This enormous European country (larger than France or Spain) with a population of 46 million is in a position to unsettle the balance of power in the entire region. ... Moscow has already seen three of its former republics join Nato: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania." (08/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU neighbourhood policy, » Elections, » Ukraine, » Russia, » Europe

After a failed mediation attempt at the Munich Security Conference, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered the production of highly enriched uranium. Yet another defeat for the foreign policy of the West, writes the daily Der Standard: "The political fallout from this weekend will be considerable. ... The West is reacting to this challenge with uncertainty and self-doubt. And although big, the nuclear dispute with Iran is not the only imponderability of international politics at the start of this decade, as last year was not exactly crowned with foreign policy successes. The management of the Afghanistan war was largely paralysed by the crisis over the fraudulent reelection of President Hamid Karzai; the US and its new president have failed to chalk up a single success regarding the Middle East, the 'new start' to Russian-American relations or the disarmament of North Korea." (08/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Iran
All available articles from » Markus Bernath

The campaign Global Zero in Paris last week called for all nuclear weapons to be scrapped by 2030. In an article published in the conservative daily Corriere della Sera, British historian Timothy Garton Ash points out that such ambitious goals can distract from the concrete tasks ahead: "Effective nuclear disarmament will require intrusive verification, which most of the sovereignty-conscious great powers of this world are extremely reluctant to concede. ... It is not just Iran which is working strenuously to move in the opposite direction. ... But what happens after 2025 is not the most important subject to be debating now. The big issue is what happens in 2010. ... At the moment ...  the world is going in the opposite direction. We are close to a nuclear proliferation tipping point. ... If the established nuclear weapons states do not this year take a decisive lead in reducing the number and diffusion of nuclear weapons, it may soon be too late. And, by the way, in the excruciating choices about public spending that now confront us all, they can save some much-needed money this way, too." (08/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Global
All available articles from » Timothy Garton Ash

The German government is willing to purchase a CD with illegally acquired data on presumed German tax evaders from Switzerland. The business paper Financial Times has no qualms about the purchase, stressing the effectiveness of such measures: "The German courts reject the Swiss charge of fencing. Were that not the case, Berlin would not be able to openly offer cash for data. But it is hard to get steamed up about this. It is surely legitimate to offer inducements for informers to testify. And it is in the public interest for tax cheats to be identified and forced to pay their dues. ... Tax evasion is high in the US and Europe. Merkel's put is a highly effective mechanism for achieving this. The Germans have raked in about 200 million euros so far from [Liechtenstein bank] LGT's clients for their 4.6 million euros, some of which they recouped by onward sales of data to other states. The Swiss are right to be worried." (08/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Tax Policy, » Germany, » Switzerland, » Liechtenstein

In local elections slated for March the far-Left French New Anticapitalistic Party (NPA) is presenting a young woman who wears the headscarf. That's hardly toeing the party line, writes the daily Le Monde: "The paradox doesn't stem from the fact that a young 22-year-old woman sees no contradiction between covering her head for God and militating against sexism in a party of Trotskyist inspiration. After all, some members of the [far right] Front National are black or of Arab origin. Such is human nature. Conflicting affinities can coexist within a single breast. This is doubtless a cause for rejoicing. But what to make of the coherency of the political convictions of [NPA leader] Olivier Besancenot? On the one hand anti-sexist and a staunch adversary of Christian fundamentalist anti-abortionists, he is deeply moved by reactionary religion when it wears a headscarf." (05/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » France
All available articles from » Caroline Fourest

The minaret ban, the burqa ban, a Muslim ban? In a commentary for the liberal daily Mladá Fronta Dnes Lukáš Lhoťan, spokesman of the Czech Muslim organisation Libertas Independent Agency, paints a dire picture of what he fears the future may hold: "In school we learned that in a democracy the state treats all citizens equally, regardless of their skin colour, political or religious convictions. But a glance at the development of mainstream European politics is enough to make my skin crawl. Everyone's talking about the Muslim threat and the need to limit its influence. Here it's the clothing that's targeted, there it's the mosques and minarets. And maybe tomorrow it'll be the beards. Perhaps one day people will be saying all Muslims should wear identifying marks, and from there it's just a small step to concentration camps and mass murder. ... When I see the growing Islamophobia and discrimination in Europe it doesn't surprise me that many Muslims seek refuge in the slogans and dogmas of the radicals." (05/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Religion, » Integration, » Minorities, » Europe, » Middle East
All available articles from » Lukáš Lhoťan

Writing in the daily Helsingin Sanomat, Petteri Tuohinen, the paper's correspondent in Beijing, criticises China's deafness to criticism and condemns the West's unjustified tolerance towards the country: "China is trying to teach the world what the Chinese have already taken to heart: that the country's Communist Party and its leadership should not be called into question. Unfortunately Western countries accept this all too frequently. They don't want to endanger trade relations by pointing to human rights abuses. China is pursuing a false policy. Other countries naturally have the right to criticise China for what they consider deserves criticism. For example it is difficult to imagine not being able to criticise the US for its belligerent foreign policy. China, however, appears to prefer a world in which states of international importance are above criticism. That's what you call Chinese-style harmony." (08/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Weltanschauung, » Gender equality, » U.S., » Global, » China

The mountains of debt run up by Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain, the so-called PIIGS, are undermining confidence in the euro. Harsh words won't be enough, writes Carla Joosten in her blog for conservative-liberal news magazine Elsevier: "The deficits of the PIIGS are not just a consequence of the crisis, but also of poor budget management. For too long they lived beyond their means, blew all their profits on low interest rates and failed to introduce reforms, with the result that they now threaten to cause problems for Europe as a whole. These countries deserve unsparing treatment. ... If we survive this storm the heads of government should take a close look at the mentality that should prevail in a monetary union: They should ensure that their own budgets are in an orderly state to prevent damage to other budgets. You don't need a political union for this end, simply the application of tougher budgetary rules. Real sanctions; not the lectures being doled out by Brussels at present." (08/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Europe
All available articles from » Carla Joosten

Whereas at the height of the economic crisis Latvia came very close to going bankrupt, the state's finances are now gradually recovering. The Internet newspaper Cita Diena breathes a sigh of relief: "Other countries are now looking to Latvia as an example of how a budget may be consolidated even in times of crisis. Last week confirmed that our country has now stabilised, and January could even bring a budget surplus. ... To achieve this Latvia introduced measures that many Western European states could only implement with difficulty. Stability and careful optimism are the absolute precondition for economic recovery, because nothing is more damaging for an economy than unpredictability. But as so often is the case the biggest menace to Latvia is once again coming from the political sphere. Because we still haven't been entirely successful at reaching a broad consensus on the stabilisation course." (08/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Economic Policy, » Financial Markets, » Tax Policy, » Latvia
All available articles from » Pauls Raudseps

E-books are neither a miracle cure nor the end of the world or a spiritual turning point, writes the daily Postimees: "Translations from Estonian are published mostly either by universities or by small publishing houses, and that brings fame and glory, but hardly any money. E-books aren't changing this much: the distribution opportunities change only in theory, because the language barrier doesn't just disappear. On the contrary: The Internet is actually bolstering the role of English. The chances that anyone apart from a couple of Estonians living in exile will read an Estonian-language book are next to zero. True lovers of Estonia prefer to put in a personal appearance and visit us here to experience this rare language in its spoken form. ... The market for Estonian authors is and remains Estonian, and it makes no great difference whether the works are in electronic form or in paper form." (08/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Literature, » Public Culture, » Print media, » Online media, » Estonia
All available articles from » Mihkel Mutt

In Spain the number of pensioners is growing while the number of children dwindles. As the politicians discuss raising the pension age, the business paper Expansión proposes that the pension a person receives be coupled to the number of children they have raised: "We close this article with a proposal that could lead to a higher birth rate and more intra-generational fairness regarding pensions: that the pension a person receives be corrected upwards or downward, depending on the number of children a pensioner has. ... It would be fair because it takes into account what each individual has spent and contributed towards raising the Spanish citizens who will produce the wealth part of which the pensioners will enjoy. ... And it would boost the birth rate without costing taxpayers a single euro." (08/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Demographics, » Social affairs, » Spain
All available articles from » Alejandro Macarrón Larumbe

Mely Kiyak writes in the left-liberal daily Berliner Zeitung an ironic letter to Apple boss Steve Jobs on the launch of Apple's iPad tablet computer: "Dear Steve Jobs, I've had a look at your video press conference and seen how you present this device with its touch-me function dressed in your old duds. ... My exclusively male journalist colleagues are beside themselves with ecstasy ... even though this new device can't do a single thing previous devices couldn't do. ... Some nutcases believe the beauty and elegance of certain electronic devices rub off on their users. Put that thought from your minds, gentlemen! ... Watching men with huge sausage fingers pawing away at their tiny devices and continually missing the right keys is not something to whet your appetite. ... Now even publishers are wild with enthusiasm, hoping this will be the saving grace for their sector. Media companies believe this thing will revolutionise how we read newspapers and make subscribers of everyday Joes. iSay! As far as I know, a toaster is only as good as the bread you put in it!" (06/02/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Consumers, » Germany, » Global
All available articles from » Mely Kiyak