Commentator Pavel Masa doesn't believe there will be a new Cold War. "Putin sees international relations in mathematical terms. He expects the economic growth of countries like China, India and Brazil to work to his advantage and boost his influence in the globalised world. The US's military superiority doesn't fit in with his power plans... Putin's current attack is directed against the US, but let us not be deceived. His main goal is to weaken the ties between Europe and the US. If he achieves this, and the EU continues to strive for a 'partnership' with Russia, sooner or later the Kremlin will give it an ice-cold shower. The Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg's response to Putin's warnings was therefore the most appropriate: 'We must thank Mr. Putin for reminding us why it is vital that we don't neglect NATO." (12/02/2007)

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Todos los textos disponible de » Pavel Masa

The newspaper describes Vladimir Putin's comments at the Munich Conference on Security Policy as a "return to the rhetoric of the Cold War": "The long-suffering civil population of Chechnya has no problems understanding what Putin means when he talks of the 'uncontrolled use of military instruments of power'. After all, Russia's military strategy there can at best be described as 'merciless'. His depiction of the US as the only state forcing an arms race sounds just as false. Russia has quadrupled its defence budget since 2000… Putin's attack against US foreign policy is perhaps a little surprising, but by no means convincing." (12/02/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Relaciones internacionales, » Política de seguridad / Crisis / Guerras, » Rusia, » Global

The Estonian newspaper doesn't think Putin's speech at the Munich Conference on Security Policy will trigger a new Cold War, but it does point to growing differences: "Let's be honest: this reaction to the US's plans is partly understandable. However, it must be stressed that up to now Russia has not been interested in combating terrorism but only in protecting its own interests. Now Russia is clearly no longer willing to just go along with the US, but wants to strengthen its own global position. Putin's speech and the developments in Russia make it clear to Estonia how important the EU and NATO are for us. If - as Putin has proposed - the UN becomes the only organ of power, we have no chance, because Russia has power of veto in the UN Security Council, while within NATO and the EU we at least have a limited ability to influence processes." (12/02/2007)

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Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger speculates on "what the nature of relations between Russia and the West" will be in the future. According to him, Vladimir Putin's speech at the Munich Conference on Security Policy has shown that Russia is anything but a "friendly, reliable and uncomplicated partner". "Putin thinks he can take advantage of America's relative weakness. However, Putin's Russia is doing itself no favours with this return to an authoritarian form of rule and its unscrupulous foreign and energy policies. If Putin's goal is to become a firm partner for the West, his speech in Munich was a peculiar way of going about it. It was nothing less than a 'Soviet' response to the hope expressed by the German Chancellor that rivalry between major powers would be replaced by joint action." (12/02/2007)

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Todos los textos disponible de » Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger

"This was more than just another familiar, if blunt, recitation of the supposed crimes of the Bush Administration. Speaking to an audience that included European leaders and Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, as well as Americans, Mr Putin attacked Nato", notes the daily "He said the inclusion of former Soviet satellite states in the Atlantic alliance had destabilised Europe and threatened Russia. 'Against whom is this expansion directed?' he asked. ... The Munich event has been dominated for the past few years by transatlantic splits as the US found itself under attack from its old allies over the war in Iraq. Throughout that time, Donald Rumsfeld, the former defence secretary, played the role of principal villain at the conference. This year Europeans were presented with a new villain, and perhaps in the process were reminded that, for all its faults, America may not after all really be the most threatening nation on earth." (12/02/2007)

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Todos los textos disponible de » Gerard Baker

"Three years of civil war and thirty-six years of dictatorship have inevitably left deep wounds", writes the Spanish historian Francisco Bustelo. "What can we do to heal these wounds of History once and for all ? ... To forget the past is impossible, because that would mean effacing the memory of those who lived through it, of what fathers and grand fathers went through. It would require measures as absurd and unthinkable as not studying what has happened since 1931 in History faculties or censoring books and articles on the subject. ... The difficulty stems from the fact that there were victims on both sides of the Spanish Civil War [1936-1939]. Light has since been shed on some, while others have been forgotten. However, to now publish the names of those shot dead in the war means that victims from the other side will also have to be named, which could lead to an escalation in the 'war of the victims'." (12/02/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Historia, » España

According to Richard Sennett, an American sociologist at the London School of Economics and Political Science, in its bid to escape the rigid bureaucracy of socialism Poland has made a rash conversion to Western-style neoliberalism. He explains his assertion in an interview with the newspaper: "You Poles have traded in so-called real socialism for the neo-liberal model - for something that doesn't even deserve to be called a 'society'. In my opinion the Asian model would be much better for Poland… The Japanese have found their own way of integrating the people in ways that go beyond the constraints of the organisation or the office. We should bear in mind that the Japanese economy is the second-largest in the world and its companies are structured both democratically and hierarchically at the same time. The Japanese model is certainly better than the American model of a fully liberalised economy." (10/02/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Polonia, » Ásia

Rev Gary Hastings, Church of Ireland rector, ponders the notion of 'tolerance' in religion."In Ireland, most Christians respect each other, but interaction and dialogue are minimal and nothing may have really changed. Tolerance is not an ideal. It describes an in-between state which may go in any direction. In Northern Ireland, tolerance and respect veiled a mess of hatred, distrust and hurt that killed over 3,000 people. ... Faith is perverted too easily by power. Power does not love. Neither does tolerance and respect. They are a facet of power, in a complex relationship. Where tolerance stops is where power, the ego, feels threatened, and anger arises from fear.This results in war, and the idea of an acceptable level of violence, or of global warming or starvation. ... Love is the bridge. This is the goal of religious faith, the answer to the violence of ego sparking off ego. ... Tolerance and respect can produce a ceasefire. Only love and compassion bring peace." (12/02/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Religión, » Integración, » Ideología, » Irlanda
Todos los textos disponible de » Gary Hastings

Igor Mekina comments on the protests in Kosovo last weekend, which claimed two lives: "People's views on the demonstrations differ. In Belgrade they are regarded as fresh evidence of the terrible living standards of the Serb minority in Kosovo. And they're also being used to show how much pressure international politicians, who always decide in favour of the Kosovo-Albanians, are under. In Pristina the whole affair is being interpreted as the justified anger of a people that has been waiting for the promise of an independent state to be fulfilled as soon as possible… Consensus from the Serbs or the Russians would be a welcome development - but it's not forthcoming. And even if it was, the other solutions would be extremely weak. Naturally, the unilateral recognition of Kosovo as an independent 'state' by the EU and its allies is a possibility. Then, however, Kosovo would be forced to assume the role of a 'European Taiwan', unrecognised by most of the world. This would be an even greater nightmare for the EU - and no doubt also for the United Nations too - than maintaining a fragile peace in the Kosovo protectorate." (12/02/2007)

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Todos los textos disponible de » Igor Mekina

Portuguese voters have pronounced themselves 59.25% in favour of the legalisation of ToP (Termination of Pregnancy). But because of too low a turn-out, (43.61 %), the law has yet to be approved by Parliament in order to be applied. The daily's Chief Editor urges the socialist government to swiftly present the law to Parliament. "A little over eight years ago, the victory of the 'no' vote in the previous referendum did not allow legislators to modify the law. But today nothing should stop Members of Parliament from concretising the choice expressed by this vote, even if, as in 1998, the referendum is not binding. Over 50% of voters chose not to speak out. That is their perfectly legitimate right. ... If there is a signal that must be respected, it is that which represents the majority among the citizens who chose to speak out. And this signal is 'yes' [to ToP]." (12/02/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Movimientos sociales, » Portugal
Todos los textos disponible de » Antonio José Teixeira

On Sunday, February 11th, in Villepinte, North of Paris, Ségolène Royal, Socialist candidate for the French presidential elections, presented her programme designed to conquer the Elysée. The editorialist Mathieu Van Berchem is only half-convinced by her approach. "Despite being mocked by the 'elephants' [influential members of the Socialist Party], despite criticism provoked by participative debate ... intended to set the world to rights and thus prepare the candidate's project, she pulled through. The 'listening' phase reached its conclusion, shaking up Socialist practice that consists of subtle compromises between different currents and other internal cliques. The method - an initial primer of participative democracy announcing the Royal method in the Elysée- is more interesting than the result. For such a process to give birth to a real body of innovative propositions, more time is necessary along with an opening–up of dialogue to society at large." (12/02/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Política interior, » Francia

Several major investments by Icelandic investors in Finland are causing a stir there. The Finnish newspaper examines the bonds between Iceland and Europe. "From a linguistic and historic point of view, Iceland has close ties to Northern Europe. However the coast of North America is the same distance from Iceland, and young Icelanders tend to go and study in the US rather than Europe. Moreover, throughout the cold war the US protected Iceland. Now, however, the situation has changed because the last US soldiers have left the military base at Keflavík. Young entrepreneurs are increasingly setting their sights on Europe because Iceland has grown too small for them. The key question is the form that relations between Iceland and the EU will take. According to surveys, 58 percent of Icelanders favour the initiation of accession negotiations, around half want EU membership, and the same number want to convert to the euro. Up to now, the main problem has been fishing, but for the younger generation fishing is no longer so important." (12/02/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Ampliación de la UE, » Política de la UE, » Europa del Norte

The 'Abu Dhabi Louvre' project, which consists in creating a branch of the Parisian museum in the United Arab Emirates' capital, is a sign of culture's subservience to politics in France, considers Vincent Noce, who would like to see an end to this "harmful dependence". "Of course, [the President of the Louvre] Henri Loyrette has obtained some concessions. But he and other heads of the establishment have had thrust upon them a project that they did not want. Ultimately, they have been forced to remember their dependence on those in power. Those nominated at the head of big museums, the opera, theatre and numerous cultural institutes, are all still answerable to the client-oriented government. ... This specificity is not to the advantage of France. It represents a peril for culture. It is time to lift it. ... Is culture too serious a business to entrust politicians with? The question is in any case worth asking in a presidential election campaign where it has hitherto been remarkably absent." (12/02/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Exposiciones / Museos, » Política Cultural, » Francia, » Oriente Próximo y Medio

The journalist Tasoula Karaiskaki considers how "our ravenous consumer appetites" extend to a range of 'cultural products' that constitute "aspects of a social profile built upon the sterotypes of the wealthy, stylish, literate and 'in'". She refers to "the work of French literature professor Pierre Bayard, whose recently published book 'How to Talk About Books One Has Not Read – although destined for a narrow circle of university professors – has become a best seller and copies are selling like hot cakes at supermarkets and airports. His method is simple and established. Even if you haven't read the dust jacket of a particular book you can criticize it perfectly using pompous and abstract expressions which will impress the ignorant and flatter the author. ... In reality, one merely ends up replacing ignorance with cliches. There is no substitute for concentrated reading, listening and the soul-searching that accompanies these activities." (12/02/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Literatura, » Global
Todos los textos disponible de » Tasoula Karaiskaki

"One strange Sunday", is how the journalist and writer Emanuela Audisio sums up Sunday, February 11th, when football matches took place without spectators in all of the country's stadiums. The decision was taken by the Prodi government following the assassination of a policeman at a match in Catana, Sicily, last February 4th. "It was a Sunday without: without Raciti (the policeman who was shot dead], without spectators, without flags and even without shame, other than a few whistles blown in Rome during the minute of silence. ... A Sunday of absence, a Sunday reduced to silence, a Sunday in the shadows populated with almost literary ghosts, a bit like the tennis game without a ball in Antonioni's film 'Blow Up'. Grand Stands were empty, but imagination brimming." (12/02/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Deportes, » Italia
Todos los textos disponible de » Emanuela Audisio

Arno Makowsky watched British star cook Jamie Oliver, the "Robbie Williams of saucepans", perform his cookery magic for an audience of 4,000 enthusiastic fans in Frankfurt. According to Makowsky, live cookery shows on a rock concert scale could be the next big thing. "It's easy to see that a star like Jamie Oliver is just the person to give the cookery boom an ideological boost. Nowadays, if you can cook you're practically a member of the avant-garde. Just a couple of years ago, school graduates specialising in 'home economics' were laughed at. Times are really changing. Today, hobby cooks are regarded as creative and politically correct; as people who make a conscious stand against the convenience food industry. The figureheads of the movement achieve hero status. For example, the crazy Spanish chef Ferran Adrià, who serves his dishes in test tubes, is taking part in the next Documenta contemporary art exhibition. And Jamie Oliver gets front-page stories in the arts sections of highbrow papers." (12/02/2007)

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Más de la revista de prensa sobre el tema » Cultura cotidiana, » Movimientos sociales, » Alemania, » Global