Would we have published the Mohammed cartoons if we had known what the repercussions would be, asks editor-in-chief Carsten Juste in the leading article. "Today, the answer would by 'no'. Had we known that it would result in death threats and put the lives of Danish citizens in danger, of course we wouldn't have published the cartoons. It's obvious that, in the light of what has happened, the price for this journalistic initiative is too high. But the point is that nobody could have foreseen the consequences, and that's why it's a moot question. We couldn't have known that a group of imams would travel to the Middle East to spread lies and disinformation about Jyllands-Posten and Danish society as a whole. We could handle a trade boycott and the Confederation of Danish Industries' selling out our principles, but genuine death threats mark the border between what can be accepted and what can't. (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Dinamarca
Todos los textos disponible de » Carsten Juste

Although this affair is worrying and ominous, those who support the European project have good reason to be happy about the cartoon dispute, the newspaper comments. For the first time we are seeing what pro-Europeans had so eagerly awaited, namely a pan-European public which acknowledges its commitment to common European values, it writes. "In Europe, God belongs in civil society. This isn't to say that people shouldn't be open about their religious affiliations. But they shouldn't try to force them on others or use them as a weapon against democratic society. Not all those who live in Europe share these values, but the vast majority do. This is why it's so crucial that the European public discuss and defend this system of values. The staggering thing about it all, however, is that it strengthens the opposition of 'us and them', of Christians against Muslims, of natives against immigrants, of West against East." (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Dinamarca

The progressive daily, which has refrained from publishing the caricatures, argues that "there is an important distinction to be made between having a right and choosing to exercise it. ... It is facile, in so complex a situation, to seek refuge in simple statements about the rights of a free press. Most difficult decisions are not between right and wrong. They are between competing rights. There is a right to exercise an uncensored pen. But there is also a right for people to exist in a secular pluralist society without feeling as alienated, threatened and routinely derided as many Muslims now do. To elevate one right above all others is the hallmark of a fanatic. When rights conflict, a mature society talks about responsibilities, and how these should balance against rights." (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Sociedad, » Global

According to Heiki Suurkask, offending minorities can't be excused by quoting the principle of freedom of expression. "Denmark regards itself as a stronghold of tolerance, in which immigrants can find a home and gays and lesbians are free to live their lives as they please. But now, a different picture has emerged, one of a country which doesn't respect people of another religion. Denmark's most important newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, has achieved global fame. By publishing these cartoons it has managed to offend a billion people, for the sake of testing the limits of tolerance. But Muslims do feel insulted when their prophet is portrayed as a terrorist. Would we Estonians really react any differently?" (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Estonia
Todos los textos disponible de » Heiki Suurkask

Dominique Von Burg, the editor-in-chief, proclaims solidarity with "Jyllands-Posten" on behalf of his newspaper. He argues that "freedom of expression does not preclude responsibility. Not everything is necessarily fit to publish, and errors of judgement can be made. But that does not mean we should take the argument further and rule out publishing anything that may be provocative. Isn't provocation sometimes a blunt way of encouraging reflection, of triggering a debate? ... One can respect something and still disagree with it. If a caricature is offensive to someone's sensibilities, this needs to be said. Even loud and strong. But for States to intervene as they have been doing, for an entire country to be nailed to the stake for the actions of a single newspaper - this is inadmissible." (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Sociedad, » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Dominique Von Burg

"A battle between two civilisations is unfolding before our eyes," writes Milan Vodicka following the violent reaction of Muslim countries to the Mohammed cartoons. "When Muslim governments start demanding apologies and for the editors to be punished, it's clear they have absolutely no idea how our part of the world functions... If the 'Jihad Today' newspaper printed a caricature of my God, I would cancel my subscription, and perhaps write a letter to the editor in chief, but I wouldn't stop eating dried dates. The Muslim world, however, is a collective world, and therefore they see blame, too, as collective blame." (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Dinamarca
Todos los textos disponible de » Milan Vodicka

Following the revelations about Istvan Szabo's Stasi past, the Es Magazin has now exposed two further prominent public figures as former Stasi informants: Cardinal Laszlo Paskai and filmmaker Zsolt Kezdi-Kovacs. Filmmaker Peter Rudolf comments in an interview led by Andras Stumpf : "The Stasi scandals are only trickling into the public domain. That's a terrible thing. Moral judgement can only be passed once we know who was an informant, who had to suffer as a result, and why. Only once a case has been thoroughly clarified can we forgive. Besides, up to now only those who were blackmailed have been put in the pillory; we still know nothing about those who did the blackmailing. These Stasi affairs usually have a complex, murky background, and that won't change because we didn't stage a revolution 16 years ago. It's good that the change of system was made peacefully, but it has had its price." (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Historia, » Hungría
Todos los textos disponible de » Peter Rudolf

"At a moment when a crisis-plagued Europe is nervously wondering about its future, here we see it eagerly returning to its past, as if it were necessary to acquire a shared sense of history before beginning to move forward again," observes Thomas Ferenczi, a columnist who specialises in European issues. "The three major tragedies [the Holocaust, Communism and Colonialism] that have marked its history are now the subject of a critical re-reading ... The job of coming to terms with the past should enable us to better define the basic values on which the European edifice has been built and to ensure that these values continue to unite the people of Europe. ... By remembering the disasters for which it bore responsibility in the last century, Europe provides itself with some categorical imperatives for the future, beginning with respect for human rights." (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Historia, » Europa
Todos los textos disponible de » Thomas Ferenczi

In an open letter, 60 migration researchers yesterday accused author Necla Kelek of using a populist approach in her book "Die fremde Braut" (the foreign bride) to reinforce prejudices about the backwardness of Islam. Today, Kelek responds to the accusations in several newspapers. "It's strange that this criticism comes from the well-endowed world of government-funded migration research. For decades, they've had the time, money and opportunity to study the issue of forced marriages, arranged marriages, honour killings, segregation and Islam. They could have asked the questions that I've asked, but they didn't because it doesn't fit in with their ideological concept of multiculturalism. In failing to do this, they have accepted this taboo and allowed others to suffer." (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Sociedad, » Alemania
Todos los textos disponible de » Necla Kelek

The financial daily says a major speech on Europe by Prime Minister Tony Blair, delivered Thursday evening at Oxford University, offered solid analysis but "neglected to acknowledge his failures. The very nature of the speech was one of those failures. Mr Blair has made a big speech on Europe every six months or so since 1997. They extol the value of British membership of the European Union and its increasing influence under a New Labour government. Then nothing much happens. There is no sustained effort to sell the message to an electorate whose instinctive euroscepticism is reinforced daily by a largely anti-European press. ... Mr Blair's successor will find it easier to win the arguments in Europe, but the prime minister's vision of Britain at ease in the heart of Europe remains just that." (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política de la UE, » Gran Bretaña

Marcin Libicki is an MEP for the right-wing "Union of Nationalists". He was elected to his office via the governing conservative Law and Justice party's list. He complains in a commentary that the EU is neglecting Poland's interests, and calls for Poland to "put a stronger emphasis on its own interests" in its European policy: "Naturally, we are benefiting from the integration process, but the standardisation of the general rules – for example in fiscal policy – damages our national interests. Poland needs to develop tools for counteracting the efforts of tactical coalitions that work against these. When France and Germany talk about a two-speed Europe, we should start thinking about a stronger cooperation between the new member states and Great Britain." (03/02/2006)

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Todos los textos disponible de » Marcin Libicki

Giuseppe Anzani considers the law on self-defence recently adopted by the Italian parliament. "To defend oneself is a natural act, everyone knows that. It is an impulse arising from the survival instinct that all animals possess when faced with a danger. But for man, reason follows instinct. A proportionate defense is legitimate, overreaction is not. For several days now, it has been permissible under law to shoot someone who has entered one's house, shop, or office in order to rob, without having to first ask oneself whether the response is proportionate, nor make a distinction between an intruder who has come with the intent of assault and one who has come to rob. ... This risks making many people feel like keeping a pistol in their drawer." (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Sociedad, » Italia
Todos los textos disponible de » Giuseppe Anzani

"Albert II has been very reckless," writes Karel Rimanque, a professor of constitutional law. He offers his reaction to the speech delivered by the king on Tuesday, January 31 in which he castigated those who advocate separatism in Belgium. "Was it really necessary to make remonstrations in such plain terms to the authors of the Warande Manifesto [an appeal issued last November calling for Flanders to be independent]? More seriously, did he have to wag an accusatory finger at the entire Flemish political class, whose only fault is to want more autonomy? ... I can understand his concern, but I would gladly refer him back to the speeches of his late brother, who rallied all sides together by underscoring the virtues of solidarity." (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Bélgica
Todos los textos disponible de » Christian Laporte

Estonia and Lithuania want to introduce the euro in 2007. However, the British "Financial Times" reported a few days ago that the EU Council of Finance and Economic Ministers plans to find a formal pretext for rejecting these two countries' applications to join the monetary union at the conference where the matter is to be decided in June. According to the newspaper, the real reason is that Estonia and Lithuania are too poor. Jonas Cicinskas points out that "poor and rich" are flexible terms. Although Lithuania's gross domestic product for 2004 stood at just 48 percent of the EU average and Estonia's at 51 percent, this shouldn't be the deciding factor, he writes. "It depends on the nature of a country's economy. If it's small and entirely dependent on export and import, and has learned to make do without an independent financial policy and has long ago stopped manipulating exchange rates, then it shouldn't be a problem for such an economy to join a monetary union." (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Economía, » Lituania
Todos los textos disponible de » Jonas Cicinskas

Alex Rühle contradicts the prophets of total networking, who see the interactive Web 2.0 as ushering in an era of global grass-roots democracy: "For sure, there's the Flickr picture gallery, the music exchange platforms, Googleearth, and all these programmes that connect consumers with each other and provide them with fantastic platforms for communication and self-promotion. But the Internet community is using terms such as 'honesty', 'trust', and 'authenticity' when it talks about Web 2.0, as if it were some kind of social education miracle. The online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, on the other hand, is amazingly candid on the subject: 'The term Web 2.0 was coined at a meeting between publisher O'Reilly and event organiser Media Live International as a term which was geared to the market.' A publisher. An event manager. A marketing term. What has all that got to do with honesty and authenticity, to say nothing of a kind of global digital spirit in which the knowledge of all users is gathered to provide total knowledge?" (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Medios de comunicación, » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Alex Rühle

"The Museum of Modern Art in Paris is reopening amid the colours and felicity of Pierre Bonnard [painter, sketcher, egraver, and poster designer]," writes an enthusiastic Armelle Héliot. "The Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris that one is in the process of rediscovering [following a fifteen-month renovation] is not simply another institution on the very rich landscape of France, Europe or the world. ... The hanging of the paintings has been rethought, some very original touches added. In its very singularity, the collection unfurls itself in a dazzling manner. No, not all modern art museums are alike and the one in Paris is unique. Pierre Bonnard comes to life in all the fullness and audacity of a body of work whose power immediately captivates." (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Cultura, » Francia
Todos los textos disponible de » Armelle Héliot

The Swiss Marc-Olivier Wahler, who today [Friday, February 3] officially takes command of the Palais de Tokyo, the largest French centre of contemporary art, talks in an interview about France's alleged artistic decline. "It is the French who are saying this. If there is a problem at all, it lies with the artistic scene and the way the arts system works in France. Many French artists do remarkable work. We are on the right track. Some people are willing to give up a few benefits. They are inclined to go abroad and confront the international scene. And, another sure sign - more and more of them speak English." (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Cultura, » Francia
Todos los textos disponible de » Laurent Wolf

"Maviligate has exploded," runs the daily's headline, referring to Mavili Square in Athens, site of many institutions and administrative buildings. It is a zone that has been shaken by a telephone wiretap scandal targeting the Greek government, high-level functionaries and the prime minister himself. "This scandal has been a true bombshell," writes Vasilis Hiotis. "The responsibility of the mobile phone company, Vodafone, is under question. Following some simple technical problems, it discovered the existence of a 'high-tech' program enabling someone to eavesdrop on phone conversations, and erased it rather than alerting the authorities, who would have been able to trace the culprit. ... This scandal is going to once again bring to the fore problems having to do with the security of politicians' phone conversations and the management of mobile phone services by British companies." (03/02/2006)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Grecia
Todos los textos disponible de » Vasilis Hiotis