"One year after the revolution organised, financed and encouraged by the EU and the Atlantic alliance, Ukrainians are returning their t-shirts to the sender. Better, or worse, depending on one's point of view, they are reiterating their confidence in the pro-Russian party - the very same party that was said to be so retrograde and virulently antidemocratic," writes Nicolas Verdan. "Masochistic, this nation fresh from the grips of post-Soviet dictatorship? No, simply realistic, ripe for this democracy that they were offered on a silver platter in November 2004. Whether the godfathers of Brussels and Washington like it or not, the Ukrainians were all too quickly able to taste the bitterness of the orange potion. ... And it must be said that the godfathers of progress in the East couldn't care less these days about the fate of the Ukrainians. ... One year has been largely sufficient for the EU and the Atlantic alliance to consolidate their foothold in Ukraine." (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Ukraina
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Nicolas Verdan

"Yesterday's legislative elections in Ukraine prove that the 'Orange revolution' was not in vain," the daily observes in an editorial. "The election campaign went off without the slightest hitch, and Russia did not interfere, at least not as overtly as in 2004. ... The pro-Russian party [of Viktor Yanukovich] has itself evolved, abandoning its past brutality and its intransigeant message in order to recruit American advisers and advocate a more middle-of-the-road agenda. ... The fact is Ukraine, like Belarus, cannot escape its geography. These nations straddling the border of two worlds must be able to develop their teis with the European Union without constituting a threat for Russian interests. To resist Moscow's pressure without having too many illusions about the West's good intentions. It's a delicate balancing act." (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Ukraina
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Pierre Rousselin

"Ukraine's parliamentary elections come just one week after the presidential elections in Belarus, but it's as if we were dealing with two completely different worlds," Slawomir Popowski comments. "In Belarus, where dictator Alexander Lukashenko dreams of an anachronistic Soviet paradise, the elections ended with the jailing of opposition supporters who protested against the rigged elections... One can only hope that Ukraine – despite its change in strategy – will remain true to the European elections held earlier, because this is the only path that guarantees the country full sovereignty and a strong position in its dialogue with partners – particularly Russia. Another reason why these elections are so important is that this is the first time that they are truly free and democratic, which means that today Ukraine is much closer to Europe than it was a year or two ago, and that's a great achievement for the people of Ukraine." (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Ukraina
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Slawomir Popowski

The Ukrainians are weary of politics, Eastern Europe expert Per Dalgard observes. "The whole country has simply had enough of the revolution, of politics and of the authorities. On the one hand, fierce political controversy and accusations have put a damper on the country's economic development, on the other, people are disappointed at the lack of perseverance in the battle against corruption. Once more, there are widespread accusations of corruption against high-ranking government officials. There are rumours that many of the 40 parties taking part in the elections are in the hands of wealthy oligarchs." (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Ukraina
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Per Dalgard

The former Czech president, Vaclav Havel, reflects in an interview distributed by the 'Project Syndicate' association on the outcome of the legislative elections that saw Yushchenko, the hero of the 2004 'Orange revolution', go down to defeat. "All revolutions end up passing from euphoria to disillusionment. In a revolutionary climate, based on solidarity and self-sacrifice, people tend to think that once absolute victory has been achieved, paradise on earth will be within reach. But given the fact that paradise on earth will certainly never be attained, disillusionment is inevitable. This is a bit like today's situation in Ukraine, where citizens voted to renew their parliament just a little over a year after the success of the 'Orange revolution'. The reasons for this disenchantment are psychological." (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Ukraina
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Vaclav Havel

Rana Dasgupta, an author based in New Delhi, asserts that third-world metropolises in India, Africa and China are supplanting New York, London and Paris as the paramount symbols of modernity. "If, for the better part of the 20th century, it was New York and its glistening imitations that symbolised the future, it is now the stacked-up, sprawling, impromptu city-countries of the third world. ... Western tourists have been commenting for decades on the ingenuity they find in third-world streets - 'I never knew there were so many ways of making money' - but now they see the improvisational ethos of these bricolage cities elevated into a form of global ambition, and realise that the unlikely potential of the third-world city was never unlikely at all. It is conceivable, in fact, that the cities from which the grand thoughts of the future will flow may look entirely unfamiliar to Americans and Europeans." (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Społeczeństwo, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Rana Dasgupta

Jacek Prusak, a Jesuit priest and psychotherapist, talks to Marcion Bosacki about the Poles' religiousness. "After the fall of communism there were fears that the advent of the free market economy and EU membership would also bring the West's secularisation to Poland. This wasn't the case. There has been no drop in the number of baptisms and church wedding ceremonies since the 1980s... On the other hand, these very same studies show that Polish religiousness is strongly ritualised and of little intellectual depth. When Poles are asked why they go to mass on Sunday, many reply: 'Because it's part of our tradition'... Therefore, if we see the fact that Poles still go to church as sufficient reason to rejoice, then we may do so, but if we're looking for the answer to the question of why they go, we should be concerned." (25/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Społeczeństwo, » Polska
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Jacek Prusak

The weekly publishes an investigative report on the place of modern thinkers in society. "In their dreams, intellectuals disturb, rattle the established order, influence those in power. In reality, they bother nobody: the political world is not afraid of them, and the citizens barely listen to them. Belgium, humble and pragmatic, has hardly any inclination, by definition, for controversy and grand debates about ideas. When it comes to defending good causes, we prefer Bono, the singer from the rock group U2, to intellectuals. And Belgian politics? The obsessive discussions about communities elicit more of a weary shrug than passion among 'ordinary' people and 'our' intellectuals alike. But the latter are playing an active part in their own extinction. Save for a handful among them, they often lack courage, ambition and imagination." (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Belgia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Isabelle Philippon

Columnist Barbara Coudenhove-Kalergi sees the protests of the "bad-luck generation" in France and Germany as a sign of hope: "Increasing numbers of experts are saying that the protests in France are not just about the reduced protection against dismissal for young employees, and that the slight increase in working hours is the trigger, but not the underlying cause of the strikes in the public service sector in Germany... People fear that their interests are second to those of big business. It's true that there is no stringent theory behind all these protests, and that demonstrators have failed to come up with a sound alternative to the liberal market economy, but neither did the machine wreckers of the 19th century when, in their desperation, they destroyed the machinery which was gobbling up their jobs. And yet these furious protests resulted in the birth of the modern labour movement and ushered in a new economic era." (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Społeczeństwo, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Barbara Coudenhove-Kalergi

German regional elections were held in three German Federal states last weekend – with a noticeably low voter turnout. Claus Christian Malzahn analyses the election results, which to a large extent confirm the current federal government's grand coalition. "Now, as before, Germany is not in the mood for experiments – not even, it should be noted, for taking refuge in political extremism. The right-wing extremists in Saxony-Anhalt haven't got any seats, and the left-wing populists have so far failed to make an impression in the west. In Baden-Württemberg, the statistics even suggest that a black (CDU)-green government could be in with a chance - a constellation that would rock the current situation. But have no fear: there will be no black-green government in Stuttgart. In the words of Konrad Adenauer, this was an evening of 'no experiments'." (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Niemcy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Claus Christian Malzahn

The progressive daily says the West's "calibrated response" to Alexander Lukashenko's lopsided victory in Belarus's presidential election - including plans to impose 'smart' sanctions on key governmental figures - "is right, at least for now. Much as the West may deplore Mr. Lukashenko's thuggery, his popularity at home has to be taken into account. His contempt for democratic norms, a free press or an independent judiciary is an affront to European standards, but it does not appear to worry most Belarussians, many of whom prize jobs and regular pensions over abstract-sounding promises of greater civil liberties. Mr. Lukashenko's eccentric brand of socialism has, moreover, profited from popular dismay over the kind of 'wild capitalism' practised in Russia, which has seen obscene amounts of wealth falling into the hands of a clique of so-called entrepreneurs while millions sink into poverty." (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE

Alison Wolf, a professor in public sector management at King's College London, has just published an essay in the British monthly magazine, Prospect, in which she defends the idea that the new generation of women driven by work and professional success has killed feminism. Journalist Maria Laura Rodota comments on the essay. "The age-old solidarity among women has vanished. The desire to succeed and win has lured talented women away from historically feminine occupations such as teaching, because they are underpaid. Moreover, women no longer waste their time in voluntary jobs, another expression of feminine altruism. After several millenia, women from across the social spectrum who have shared the same life experiences are no longer a homogenous group." (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Społeczeństwo, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Maria Laura Rodota

Civil rights activist and political scientist Peter Tölgyessy notes regretfully that although Hungary has one of the largest budget deficits in Europe, the various parties in the current election campaign are outbidding each other with unrealistic pledges. "During the last legislative period, real income grew twice as quickly as the economy, yet there is hardly a single person in this country who is satisfied with his life... Given the already dangerously large budget deficit, the new government will not be able to count on economic growth. Not one more year should pass without the introduction of major reforms, because Hungary urgently needs new impulses. However, if populism becomes the most important component of our political system, introducing reforms will be virtually impossible." (25/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Węgry
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Péter Tölgyessy

"Migrants have a much better image of Europe," observes Italian sociologist Ettore Recchi, the coordinator of 'Pioneur', a European research project on mobility in the EU, in an interview with Sonya Faure. "Our study shows that these mobile workers feel greater attachment to the EU and political Europe. This is normal: their status depends on it. They are pretty much obliged to take an interest in European social assistance. ... They do not participate in national elections as much as other Europeans, but they take part more in European elections. Politically, they tend to be left-leaning and anti-liberal. In the final reckoning, European identity means being able to move about freely. We also realised that the European identity they adopt, rather than replacing national identity, supplements it." (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Ettore Recchi

Sabine Berking reviews the art project "Last & Lost", which is about "Europe's lost and sinking places". The project includes the publishing of a German-Polish book and a photo exhibition in Munich. This weekend there were two readings and a concert in Berlin. "Nobody would deny that the morbid has aesthetical appeal... 'Last and Lost' has become a celebration of the return of a part of Europe, spirited on by its literature... Minsk, Limberg, Breslau, Vilnius – all these places belong to a new sentimental empire, a memory-scape for the West, but also for their inhabitants. In the eyes of cultural anthropologist Artur Klinau, Minsk is the Stalinist version of a sun city and, at the same time, a Potemkinesque village. Built on the cemeteries of the European wars, the facades of the people's palaces lining its 15 kilometre-long main thoroughfare conceal nothing but crumbling ruins. A city idyll like this cannot exist in a democracy. The best a democracy can do is to preserve it as a gesamtkunstwerk." (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Kultura, » Europa Wschodnia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Sabine Berking

"Before the establishment of the Casino, Luxembourg had no public structure dedicated to presenting contemporary creation. The creators had their work cut out and today the gamble has paid off. Over the 10 years of its existence, the Casino has given Luxembourg a place on the European artistic stage," writes Sophie Richard-Reusen, retracing the evolution of this creative space that was officially inaugurated on March 22, 1996. "More than a decade after emerging from the artistic slump under which Luxembourg had been languishing, can its arts scene find anything new to say? Following the opening of a new long-awaited museum and a second year of cultural celebration in 2007, what new artistic challenges will lie in store for the country? Is Luxembourg in danger of cultural overload?" (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Kultura, » Luksemburg
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Sophie Richard-Reusen

The revelations about the Stasi past of Istvan Szabo und Gabor Body mark a turning point in Hungarian film history, says film producer György Durst. "The prizes awarded at this year's Hungarian Film Week indicate the beginning of a new era. The international jury was able to look at the films objectively and awarded the major prizes to the new generation, ignoring the old network. Now that Istvan Szabos Stasi past has been revealed, there will be no going back on the change of system in the film industry." (25/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Kultura, » Węgry
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » György Durst

In Finland, not enough men are taking advantage of their parental leave. For this reason the state, employers and trade unions have now agreed to introduce a new model which entitles fathers to 50 working days of paternity leave during which they receive 80 percent of their normal salary. "The fact that everyone is prepared to join in and pay their share of the costs is a great step towards achieving equality in working life. The question now is whether Finland is mature enough to take the next huge and logical step of giving all employees 100 percent compensation while on parental leave, irrespective of sex or area of employment." (27/03/2006)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Finlandia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Barbro Teir