In a commentary, Austrian military expert Erich Reiter explains the vehemence of Vladimir Putin's reaction to the US missile defence system: "In reality Russia is no longer a superpower; it's just a huge country with enormous problems whose economic boom is based on raw material exports rather than modern technology. Its population is shrinking and its once vast military power is crumbling. The only claim it has to being a superpower is its strategic nuclear arsenal. In this respect it has already de facto lost its equal standing with the US. But it's still capable of retaliating. And it may be able to maintain this capability for some time - if it weren't for the construction of the missile defence shield. This is why Russia will go to any lengths to prevent this happening. In particular it will try to undermine the resolution of the US's new allies, its former vassals in Eastern Europe." (26/02/2007)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Rosja, » Europa, » USA
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Erich Reiter

"Poland and the Czech Republic would have been better off choosing a European security policy", suggests the daily, regarding American plans to install an anti-missile shield in these two countries. "An anti-missile shield sounds good, especially when the missiles come from Iran, or North Korea. ... But there are some serious questions to be answered. The three States [Poland, the Czech Republic and the United States] have made a decision excluding any consultation of the EU, or even NATO. ... Poland and the Czech Republic could have chosen a better path. The EU and NATO would have been better equipped to coordinate regional solutions to exterior threats coming from Russia, or countries such as Iran and North Kora. European security policy is of course still only in embryonic stages, but it does not deserve to be condemned to death before it even sees the light of day." (26/02/2007)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Rosja, » Europa, » USA

The daily regrets that the EU is dependent on the United States for the guarantee of its defence. "The Americans maintain that the anti-missile system could also serve, should the need arise, to defend Europe. This is reassuring. However, if this shield remains purely American, Europeans will find themselves more than ever dependent on the United States for their defence. The 27 Member States may well be tempted to convince Washington to finance a programme that costs considerably more than the European Union can afford, but, once again that would involve several obstacles. Lacking a strong political will, nascent European defence policy is turning a blind eye to the nuclear dimension of security, once again leaving the field clear for the Americans." (24/02/2007)

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"Tony Blair has been discreetly waging a campaign since last autumn to secure the missile-interceptor site for Britain", the weekly has learned. "[Blair is] apparently convinced that missile-defence technology - long derided in polite European circles as an expensive 'Star Wars' fantasy - now works. Mr Blair believes that hosting the interceptors will make Britain as well as America more secure. ... Twice in recent weeks he has urged Britain to retain its ability to exercise 'hard', or military, power if it wants to exert the 'soft' power of diplomacy and peace-keeping that many of his European neighbours prefer. ... The system is a work in progress: it has been deployed even as parts are still being invented. America has gambled $90 billion so far that imperfect insurance is better than none in a risky world. Not for the first time, Mr Blair shares America's view. A British missile site - built only after a battle royal at home - would bind Britain to that world-view for a generation. That may be exactly how Mr Blair wants it." (23/02/2007)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Wielka Brytania, » Europa, » USA

The Muslim community in Spain would like to see the Great Mosque of Cordoba, converted into a cathedral in 1236, converted into an ecumenical place of worship. The bishop of Cordoba, Juan José Asenjo, rejected the last request for this that was made in 2006. The Spanish theologian, Juan José Tamayo, deplores this refusal. "It must not be forgotten that Cordoba was for centuries the town most emblematic of cohabitation between three religions. Its mosque is without shadow of a doubt the main historical reference point of European Islam. Muslims lived in Spain for almost eight centuries. 781 years, to be precise. ... Is there any better meeting place than the mosque-cathedral of Cordoba, heritage of humanity and mingling place for three religious traditions: Jewish, Christian and Muslim ? And is there any better action than common prayer to express inter-religious sentiment ? Prayer is the very essence of religon and an element shared by all existing religions. Why is the Bishop of Cordoba so fiercely set on serparating what unites religions ?" (26/02/2007)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Architektura / Miasta, » Religia, » Światopogląd, » Hiszpania
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Juan José Tamayo

"In the course of a decade the two topics of aerial warfare and escape, have superseded each other," comments German literary critic and historian Gustav Seibt. "We have not yet reflected on the anthropology of Germany's post-war society. But whoever attempts to write about it must start with the elementary experience of homelessness and flight of hundreds of thousands of people. Is this experience not deeply embedded in the visible surface of this society? Is it not evident in the hundreds of thousands of immaculately kept homes, in their uprooted, cold uniformity and their overheated living rooms? In the pedestrian zones and shopping centres, the scrubbed orderliness, durability and solidity of people's living conditions? Our neighbours say that for Germans comfortable living is more important than good food. This may, unless I'm very much mistaken, be a response to the expulsion and homelessness that were made the subject of metaphors in the intellectual slogans of the 1950s." (26/02/2007)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Architektura / Miasta, » Literatura, » Styl życia, » Historia, » Niemcy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Gustav Seibt

The EU constitution process is moving ahead, Nils Jansons observes. Jansons points out that although it's unlikely the old text will be revived, the ratification of a "mini constitution" advocated by France does seem increasingly likely. "Up to now the statements of both presidential candidates, Ségolène Royal und Nicolas Sarkozy, appear to indicate that there are two opposing positions in France. These can be summed up as 'more constitution' and 'less constitution'. Royal stands for the 'more constitution' model. This would mean the adoption of more generous social provisions in the text in order to overcome voters' Euroscepticism. On the other side you have the mini constitution concept advocated by Sarkozy. "Whatever his motives are, other EU states are listening. Great Britain may support this proposal." (26/02/2007)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Konstytucja UE, » Europa

Recent revelations about the secret service past of former Prime Minister Josef Tosovsky and popular singer Jaroslav Nohavica have revived the subject of collaboration with the secret services in the Czech Republic. The Czech Minister of the Interior, Ivan Langer, now wants all files to be made public and the names of former informants to be published on the Internet. Dalibor Dostal comments: "Czech society still hasn't dealt appropriately with its communist past. On the one hand former spies are being treated like second-class citizens and not allowed to occupy certain positions. On the other, the Communist Party (KSCM) remains a fixed component of the political scene. At a local level the Conservative Civic Democratic Party (ODS) works together with the Communists, and President Vaclav Klaus owes his current post to communist votes. If Czech politicians don't adopt a clear stance regarding the legitimacy of the KSCM, the persecution of small-time Stasi spies will increasingly become a ridiculous symbol of hypocrisy." (26/02/2007)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Historia, » Czechy

"Recently, we have seen incredible claims by Turkey over the right to oil and gas that is said to lie between Cyprus and Egypt", notes Michael Paraskos. "After years of proclaiming the north of Cyprus to be an independent country, it appears that the prospect of oil dollars has changed Turkey's mind. They now say Cyprus is one country and all its citizens, north and south, should benefit from any oil discovery. ... The root of Cyprus' problem with Turkey lies in the incomplete process of decolonisation that the island underwent. ... We might call ourselves the Republic of Cyprus but with three colonial powers, Britain, Greece and Turkey, still claiming the right to dictate our political system, our international relations and even, it seems, whether we can prospect for oil, we are not an independent nation. ... In a Cyprus in which one is first and foremost a Cypriot we can all belong to this land. No more longing for Greece or Turkey, no more agonising over foreign interference, and no more Turkish warships threatening oil explorers in our waters." (25/02/2007)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Rozszerzenie UE, » Energia, » Historia, » Grecja, » Cypr, » Turcja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Michael Paraskos

A dispute over the construction of a motorway which cuts right through the Rospuda Valley nature reserve is currently the most important subject of debate in Polish domestic policy. Despite continuous protests from environmentalists and criticism from the EU, which designated the region a protected area under its "Natura 2000" programme, the Polish government plans to go ahead with its plans for building the Augustow bypass that will constitute the Polish part of the Via Baltica motorway. Sociologist Jadwiga Staniszkis comments: "All the problems in Polish public life are reflected in the discussion about the Rospuda valley. Instead of both sides working together to find a solution, for the one side the problem has become a symbol of the struggle against the government and for the other - especially Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski - a matter of status. People are tired of seeing words contradicted by deeds and the government insists on its power to have the final say, which means that genuine social problems remain unresolved." (25/02/2007)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Środowisko, » Infrastruktura / Komunikacja, » Polska
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Jadwiga Staniszkis

Following numerous protests, Antonio Correia do Campos, Portuguese Minister of Health, has gone back on his plans to close down emergency casualty departments in different hospitals, especially in rural regions of the country. For the editorialist Luis Delgado, "Correia de Campos has always had 'big' ideas for health in Portugal. The problem is that he imports sterilised models from other countries, where reality is neither comparable nor transferable to the national situation. ... The Minister Correia de Campos unfortunately almost always forgets basic details such as the fact that an emergenc (!) casualty service, even if little used, has two essential functions: to be easy to access and to offer real and psychological secutiry to a population that depends on it. Otherwise this service would be called something else or would function otherwise." (26/02/2007)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Zdrowie, » Portugalia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Luis Delgado

"Last week, after complaints from competitors - and just a fortnight after a £1bn public investment into the struggling Royal Mail - Brussels announced a probe to establish whether illegal state aid was being provided", notes the daily."This is a reminder of how tough the EU can be in enforcing competition in liberalised markets, but would it ever extend such zealotry to core public services? Traditionally it has not done so. Member states have enjoyed autonomy over health, and the European court continues to accept that countries have a right to organise healthcare on non-market lines. However, the court has recently been stressing that if countries decide to run their healthcare as a market then they must play by market rules. And, as new research from the Centre for Health Economics concludes, a host of government reforms in the English NHS - from business-style bankruptcy rules to official classification of hospitals as commercial bodies - effectively invite the court to deem the service a market." (26/02/2007)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Zdrowie, » Wielka Brytania, » Europa

Russia's gas exports have gone down for the first time since 2001. Peteris Strautins explains that they are expected to sink by a further two percent in 2007, and sees Russia's problems with countries where "coloured revolutions" have taken place as the reason for these reductions. He points out that this may lead Russia to reconsider its strategy: "It's well-known that Russia has been unable to set up new storage facilities. This is why Gazprom no longer has sufficient resources to carry out the Kremlin's ambitious expansion plans and create a new energy empire. However, there is a distinct possibility that Russia will join forces with Iran, Algeria, and perhaps other states to forge a kind of gas OPEC against which the EU's anti-competition authorities would be powerless. A gas cartel like this would be in a much better position to dictate gas prices in Europe than Russia alone." (26/02/2007)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Energia, » Handel, » Przedsiębiorczość, » Rosja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Pēteris Strautiņš

Journalist Martin Karbovski welcomes the introduction of a new democratic selection procedure for Bulgaria's national Eurovision 2007 song contest preliminaries. "This time the selection of Bulgaria's song for the European stage was a fair process. This is great progress... BNT [Bulgaria's state television broadcaster] has taken an important step and disproved claims that the Eurovision contest is unfair. This year there were clear instructions for the voting process which led to the selection of Stojan Jankulow, nicknamed 'Stundschi'. It was high time that we had a clear winner. It was also high time for it to be the audience that made the decision... We've waited a long time for a modern music project like Stundschi's - one that features elements of Bulgarian folk music." (26/02/2007)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Muzyka, » Bułgaria
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Martin Karbovski

On Saturday, February 24th, the English rugby team played for the first time in Croke Park, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Dublin, a place that for years, symbolised the rejection of all things British. During the Irish War of Independence in 1920, the British army shot into a crowd of Gaelic football fans and killed 15 of them, plus one player. The Irish daily delights in how, "following the hospitable respect that was shown for the British national anthem [God save the Queen], one sensed that the Irish people in the crowd were never more proud of being Irish. They demonstrated this with a passionate rendition of Amhrán na bhFiann [national anthem of the Republic of Ireland] that brought tears to the eyes of a number of the players. ... The occasion was a victory for sport, for sanity, and most of all, for co-operation between Irish people. Many individuals deserved credit for their contribution to what was a great symbolic occasion. ... The fact that Ireland enjoyed a record victory [43-13] in the match was a fitting climax, because it was a great day to be Irish." (26/02/2007)

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Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Historia, » Sport, » Wielka Brytania, » Irlandia