The Spanish journalist and essayist, Josep Ramoneda, deplores the leniency displayed by western powers regarding Moscow. "After the assassination of Politkovskaya, will everything continue to go on in the same way? I fear this will be the case and that things will be taken no further than the ritual demonstrations and declarations of faith in Russian justice. Sheer sarcasm. Why such a fear of Putin? The reason, supposedly objective, given to me confidentially by left-wing and right-wing European leaders, is fear of Russia. The Soviet Union was a time bomb, the explosion of which could have blown up the whole wide world. Putin was able to put things in order and avoid chaos. Our democratic leaders do not condemn authoritarian leaders when it is a question of resolving conflicts on foreign territories." (10/10/2006)

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In a project syndicate article, political scientist Nina Khrushcheva calls on the West not to remain passive while President Vladimir Putin "drags Russia back into the shadows." "The murder of Anna Politkovskaya, one of Russia's bravest and best journalists, a woman who dared to expose the brutal murders committed by Russian troops in Chechnya, is final proof that Putin has delivered nothing more than a run-of-the-mill dictatorship with the usual contempt for law. This recognition is a timely one for the world to make, particularly Europe. Germany's Foreign Ministry is preparing a policy on Russian/German relations that will enshrine indifference to Putin's lawlessness as being in the national interest of the most powerful member of the European Union. But indifference becomes appeasement when it encourages Putin to pursue his lawless ways in the international arena, as in his current campaign to strangle Georgia's economy." (10/10/2006)

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All available articles from » Nina Khrushcheva

A group of four Belgian researchers and journalists are urging European leaders to demonstrate greater firmness with Russia. "Dictated by short-term geopolitical and economic interests, the European policy towards Russia is fading in favour of the unilateral diplomacy of its members. Bland and lifeless, the Union is bolstering the President Vladimir Putin with the consolidation of his system and, in so doing, renders even more difficult the restitution of fundamental democratic rules in Russia. The assassination of Anna Politkovskaya has shown how much indifference, mixed up with Realpolitik, on the part of European chancelleries resembles complicity ... . We are asking our leaders to firmly voice the truth facing their Russian counterparts in order to end this impunity." (10/10/2006)

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All available articles from » Jean-Paul Marthoz

Russia expert Anna Jonsson writes that after the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, the West, and in particular the EU, must reconsider their relations with Russia. "For too long, values like human rights, democracy and freedom of speech have taken second place to political goals. If we accept Russia as it is today, we deny all the values on which our free society is based – and lose ourselves in the process. Moreover, we would be betraying those who continue to fight for freedom, rule of law and tolerance in Russia, men and women who refuse to submit to self-censorship and are risking their lives because of this. Anna Politkovskaya was not naive. She didn't believe her articles would change relations between the world and Russia. But this is precisely what they should do." (10/10/2006)

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According to Erkki Bahovski, the term "freedom of the press" is becoming an increasingly empty phrase in Russia, just as "constitution" and "democracy" were in Soviet times. He points out that Anna Politkovskaya's murder casts serious doubts on Russia's status as a democratic state that respects human rights. "Surely the West must see now that it can't continue with its double-sided approach towards Russia in which on the one hand it does business with Moscow and on the other it gently chides it for human rights violations and restricting freedom of speech. Despite the fact that most European states depend on Russian energy supplies, the EU must stand up now and make its position clear to Moscow. After all, Russia also needs Europe, and it wouldn't be that easy for it to find new customers for its oil and gas. When Germany takes over the EU presidency in January, consolidating relations with Russia is apparently on the agenda, but the issue of human rights violations is not. Why not?" (10/10/2006)

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The newspaper reprints an article written by Washington Post columnist Anne Applebaum on the murder of Anna Politkovskaya. "Local businessmen had no motivation to kill her -- but officials of the army, the police and even the Kremlin did... As Russian (and Eastern European) history well demonstrates, it isn't always necessary to kill millions of people to frighten all the others: A few choice assassinations, in the right time and place, usually suffice. Since the arrest of oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky in 2003, no other Russian oligarchs have attempted even to sound politically independent. After the assassination of Politkovskaya on Saturday, it's hard to imagine many Russian journalists following in her footsteps to Grozny either." (10/10/2006)

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According to former Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek, the four countries that comprise the Visegrad group – Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary – are all experiencing a political crisis. In an interview with Martin Ehl he comments: "Europe is looking to the east with great concern. Our countries are losing the respect they won in their battle for freedom. I hope this is just a temporary crisis. After all, it's not an economic crisis but a political one caused by weak political culture." Geremek says the current situation should not be interpreted as the product of disappointment with the results of EU membership: "Our accession was a success for us and for the EU. But there is the feeling that Europeans don't understand us. We see how they reinforce the borders between us… Critics say we have a weakness for Slavic anarchy. I hope this attitude won't last long." (10/10/2006)

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As the discussions around the status of Kosovo enter a crucial phase, Chrisoph Solioz, Executive Director of the Center for European Integration Strategies, considers that "the time has come to seek an original and innovative solution : to decree the Kosovo region European. Such an entity - based on EU legislation, benefiting from the status of a partner of European Council and the EU - would be entitled to issue its own passports, to adopt the Euro as currency, to have a flag and an anthem. Such an approach would constitute a real compromise: the Kosovar aspirations would be globally taken into account, and the dissociation of notions of State, of sovereignty and of nation would pander some what to Belgrade's hyper-sensitivity. A nationalism smacking of the 19th century would be replaced by a dynamic regional approach that would be inscribed in a process of European integration yet to be confirmed." (10/10/2006)

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"Is there a living, breathing Europe? A Europe that is more than an abstract ideal...?" wonders Anthony Barnett, Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of openDemocracy, an on-line publication. He comments ,"The gathering in Brussels of the European Citizens' Consultations on 7-8 October 2006 may prove to be the early stage of a different kind of European dynamic. Europe needs it to be. ... The organisers believe that the conversations that matter about the future of Europe are not the ones taking place in Brussels, but in the different nations themselves. From this point of view, for Europe to come alive there has to be a nationalisation of the European debate. ... They were regular citizens, not the specialists or partisans who tend to monopolise the debate to everyone's detriment, and the national gatherings will open the way for a deeper and more representative input." (10/10/2006)

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Editorial writer Mary Dejevsky analyses the elections in Belgium, Austria and Sweden and notes that the "rejection of the centrist status quo found its expression in a sharp turn to the right. ... Here we have three elections with superficially different outcomes, which nonetheless have a common element: the parties of the far right were proportionately the greatest beneficiaries. And - lest there be any confusion - their electoral appeal resided in one thing: hostility to immigration. ... .The consolation is that the far right remain on the fringe and Europe's democratic systems are so far able to cope with them. The combined message, however, is disturbing. It is that the issues clustered around immigration, Islam and cultural difference are issues on which people are voting, even if they hide their intentions from the pollsters." (10/10/2006)

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The editorialist Pascal Aubert considers the resignation on Monday, October 9th, of Christian Streiff, who had taken over the presidency of Airbus only three months ago. "The shock therapy that he proposed to put the aeronautical constructor back on its feet was harsh, but fundamentally not so different from those that are habitually prescribed for ailing businesses. Apart, that is, from the notable difference that Airbus is above all a political creation born of the desire of two countries [France and Germany] to equip themselves with a civilian aeronautical industry facing the the risk of American hegemony. And, for this reason, any remedy aimed at helping Airbus out of difficulty should take this particular dimension into account. By appearing to make light of its genetic identity, the resigned president of Airbus committed a fatal piloting error." (10/10/2006)

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Despite official announcements to the contrary, the German government is putting together a secret plan to acquire a stake in ailing German-French aerospace company EADS. According to the German daily, the Kfw bank group has been commissioned to draw up a model for the acquisition of EADS shares on a short term basis. Ursula Weidenfeld comments: "Having the state as a partner and shareholder has not proven particularly beneficial for companies in the past. State companies or companies where the government has stepped in with financial aid have seldom fulfilled expectations of making a quick recovery. It's unlikely that the situation at Airbus would improve if on top of the French government the German government also tries its hand at cooking this industrial-political soup… The best solution for the German stake in the company, currently held by Daimler-Chrysler, would be a new shareholder who focuses on the recovery of the company as a whole rather than geo-political considerations." (10/10/2006)

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Danish minister for culture Brian Mikkelsen has presented his new concept for government funding for the film industry. According to his concept, films aimed at a wide audience will receive the bulk of government funds. Film critic Christian Monggard voices his disapproval: "It makes more sense to sponsor film directors' visions and creativity than films that will attract a large audience anyway. The first films made by innovative film directors like Lars von Trier didn't attract big crowds, but gradually, once he found his own style and voice, he was able to reach a larger audience. This shift in priorities in film funding carries the risk that directors who explore the limits of film as a medium will have less chance to develop their talents." (10/10/2006)

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"How come the poster art of communist countries has so often marked people's consciences?", wonders Roger Pierre Turine, who payed a visit to the Centre of Engraving and the Printed Image in La Louviere, Belgium. "Propaganda is not a mark of value in itself. But still! The current Cuban exhibition in La Louviere reveals to us a selection of 130 images out of the half-thousand numbered in the collection of Liege-born José Lambert. Started in 1995 thanks to an exceptional opportunity, it brings together fascinating works by the best poster designers of the Castro era. ... The Cubans really know how to do it with a fantastic talent. Very diverse, the various styles present burst with joyful colour, play with lines and contrasts, give a subtly convincing idea of the films they support.” (10/10/2006)

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Luc Caregari takes an interest in an installation by two artists of Polish origin, Lidia Marciewicz and her son Filipe, proposed by the kiosque MPK, a cultural centre situated in the heart of Luxembourg. "Lidia Marciewicz's paintings unveil the recuperated symbols of Solidarnosc, the dissenting Polish union in which she had enrolled at the time, leading her family to seek exile in Luxembourg. The son picks up the thread of this saga by showing the erosion of this political movement. The ever so proclaimed solidarity has become an empty shell since the definite collapse of communism. Filipe Marciewicz shows the Solidarnosc symbols like objects of pop art: smooth and emptied of all contents. Like a tidal wave, western capitalism has destroyed counter-culture . What remains are the 'Golden calves'-signified here by an old Fiat repainted in gold." (06/10/2006)

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All available articles from » Luc Caregari

From 1914 to 1938, a tram line ran between Vienna and the Slovak capital Bratislava, which was then called Pressburg. Radovan Krcmarik notes that for both Austrians and Slovaks this tram is a symbol of the "good old times". "Since 1989 there have been calls to reopen this famous tram line. The problem is that in Slovakia a motorway and a protected area for drinking water stand in its path. One option now under consideration is to extend Bratislava's local railway network to the Austrian border town of Wolfsthal, from where there is a direct train connection to Vienna. However for this to be a viable option, Slovakia would have to belong to the Schengen zone in order to avoid time-consuming border controls." (10/10/2006)

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