Commentator Bob Fielder reacts calmly to the reports of Moscow's most recent missile test which, according to President Putin, are Russia's response to US plans to build bases for its missile defence shield in Poland and the Czech Republic: "Putin has made the decision of whether to allow the US to station a radar base [for the missile defence shield] in our country easier. Putin's logic is emotionally rather than rationally based. For him Poland and the Czech Republic are not sovereign nations but former satellite states of Moscow, which Russia still feels belong to its sphere of influence. And since he can no longer impose his will using tanks, he thinks threats might do the job. Although our politicians are not intimidated, unfortunately our people are." But support for the radar project is growing and "even Moscow will soon be forced to realise that it no longer controls Central Europe." (01/06/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, czeski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Czechy, » Rosja, » USA
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Bob Fiedler

"Washington claims that the shield is designed to defend against renegade states such as Iran and North Korea. But why would Washington persist with a controversial plan that clearly cannot neutralize the Russian arsenal ?" queries the journalist Petros Papaconstantinou. "Apart from the military advantages (the bases in Central Europe will allow Washington to spy across Russian air space as far as the Urals), there are also political reasons: It's the continuation of Donald Rumsfeld's idea of splitting Europe into old and new and dragging the continent into a new Cold War-style alliance against Russia. Another instance of collateral damage is the collapse of non-proliferation treaties, particularly after the US withdrew from the ABM Treaty [The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty] in 2002. Two decades after the end of the Cold War, the demand for disarmament remains strong." (01/06/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Rosja, » Ameryka Północna
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Petros Papaconstantinou

In the dispute over defence and armament policy between Russia and the US, Berthold Kohler accuses Germany of "preferring to be afraid of American missiles and intentions than those of the (neo-) Soviets... This leaves Moscow to shoot its wonderful, modern missiles and think aloud about their new targets beyond the Vistula and the Vitava while Washington is still waiting for Warsaw and Prague to give it the go-ahead to set up military bases. Yet there's still hope that that Putin will fail with the Czechs and the Poles, where he has succeeded all too easily in Germany: in selling off the Kremlin's renewed claims to power over Central and Eastern Europe as an act of higher justice in world politics." (01/06/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Czechy, » Europa

In an interview with Jacek Zakowski, US political scientist and Poland expert David Ost of the Hobart and William Smith Colleges, talks about the corrosion of the values of the Solidarnosc freedom movement and the triumph of anti-liberal forces in Poland: "Human emotions don't just disappear when you ignore them. They gather force and sooner or later they find an outlet in politics. The drama in Poland and most of the countries of Eastern Europe is that the rationalist liberal intellectuals have yet to grasp this, and the increasingly radical and blatantly irrational right is exploiting this... The group that came to power after 1989 was liberal - in the truest sense of the word. It was committed to economic and political liberalism but was unable to deal with the growing signs of violent class hate." (30/05/2007)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, polski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Historia, » Polska, » Europa Wschodnia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » David Ost

"In an enlarged Europe, which often has difficulty conciliating the interests of all its members, most states have chosen to develop relations with their next-door neighbours", notes the columnist Thomas Ferenczi. "Nicolas Sarkozy has just launched the idea of a Mediterranean Union aimed at associating southern Europe with countries on the opposite shore. In the north, the neighbouring Baltic states are emphasizing their differences. In the East, former soviet block countries are also displaying their solidarity. The Central European Initiative (CEI), an organisation created in 1989, two days after the fall of the Berlin wall, to help bring together the states freed from communism and favour their transition towards democracy, today includes 18 countries, 9 of which belong to the Union. ... The central European states have in common a recent part of history which has led them to turn away from the 'Euro-Asian' security zone, previously embodied by the URSS, to become a part of the 'Euro-Atlantic' system'." (01/06/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Thomas Ferenczi

In an article published by Projet Syndicate, Tom McCabe, Member of the Scottish Parliament and former Finance Minister, pleads in favour of Scottish nationalism. "When people nowadays speak of nationalism, sinister images from another era come to mind. But nationalism is, of course, not inevitably violent: it flares into conflict only in places with a flammable legacy. The break-up of the Soviet Union and its satellite empire shows that the way to address such a legacy is not to force unhappy peoples to live together in one country. ... Moreover, unlike East European or Balkan nationalism, the Scottish variety has little to do with ethnicity or religion. ... What is arising is a different Scotland, and a different Britain, and this is Scotland's lesson for Europe. Britain's highly centralized political culture has been irreversibly changed. It is being replaced by a more diverse sort of politics, in which different regional and national identities gain encouragement and expression." (01/06/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Wielka Brytania
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Tom McCabe

On Thursday May 31st, the New French president Nicolas Sarkozy met up with the leader of the Spanish government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The daily comments on one of the issues covered during this visit, the project of a Mediterranean Union defended by Nicolas Sarkozy. "The desire to create a Mediterranean Union is giving a new dimension to Franco-Spanish collaboration. The fact that both leaders recognise a need to make policies on immigration coincide with one another ... allows us to envisage strategies that will convert the Mediterranean arena into a space where neighbouring countries work together for development and security. Right now this implies solidarity and a common response to the most pressing problems Spain is facing, which means the massive influx of illegal immigrants from the south and many others via French territory used as an open door to access our country." (01/06/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, hiszpański)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Migracja, » Francja, » Hiszpania, » Europa

David Portante ponders the way the idea of a 'simplified treaty' is gaining ground in the EU. "Not so long ago, last January, the Grand Duchy and Spain were still leading an initiative that united in Madrid the eighteen countries who ratified the 'Constitution' and whose declared goal was less to dilute the already adopted text than to incite recalcitrant members to take another look at it. … If the Madrid meeting wasn't aimed against 'no' vote countries, it was intended to encourage them to pause for reflection. It was very specifically aimed at allowing the European policy contained in the Constitutional project to become a reality. ... A second meeting was indeed due to take place the following February in Luxemburg. It never happened. The French electoral campaign no doubt has something to do with this. Nicolas Sarkozy's victory definitely dampened the ardour of the more engaged 'friends of the Constitutional treaty'." (31/05/2007)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, Le Jeudi)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Konstytucja UE, » Hiszpania, » Luksemburg, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Jean Portante

In a report published on May 31st, Swiss authorities salute the positive effects that immigration is having on its economy. Caroline Zuercher recalls how "the free flow of people between Switzerland and the EU and then its extension to new members gave rise to the worst possible fears. There was fear that mass immigration from the East would come to shatter the market. It must be noted that this is not the case. People of German nationality represent the biggest movement of foreigners to Switzerland, well ahead of the Portuguese and the French. ... The economical demand is mainly for workers with average and higher qualifications. These arrivals are therefore not a bad thing for companies. But above all it is the shadow of the Polish Plumber which seems very remote today: according to early experience, immigration from the East is 'moderate'. That 'enemy' brandished by some isn't coming from where it was expected..." (01/06/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Migracja, » Szwajcaria
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Caroline Zuercher

In Romania former members of the Securitate play an active role in everyday politics and in Bulgaria, former secret police members are running for election to the European Parliament. Is Europe witnessing a revival of KGB ideology ? asks commentator Alexander Andreew. "It's no coincidence that the only European politician who dares to voice her opinion about Putin's system is Angela Merkel, who grew up in socialist GDR. Like millions of Eastern Europeans she can distinguish between official democratic government and secret power... I don't know whether there will be a new Cold War but I'm convinced that the societies that continue to tolerate the despotism and arrogance of the so-called Chekists [the name given to members of the secret services in the states of the Warsaw Pact] are in danger of being disgraced within democratic Europe and also of falling victim to a creeping restoration like the one in Russia." (01/06/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, bułgarski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Bułgaria
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Alexander Andreew

Latvia has elected Valdis Zatlers, a doctor and virtual no-name on the the political stage, as its new president. Despite all the criticism being hurled at him - Zatlers was once involved in a financial scandal at the hospital where he works - the Estonian newspaper sees certain potential in his election: "The political greenhorn Zatlers offers Latvia opportunities for change. This is exactly how it was ten years ago when Vaira Vike-Freiberga, an unknown psychology professor from Canada, returned to her home country to become head of state. She proved to be a successful leader and very adept at foreign policy. Both her visit on 9 May 2005 and her role as host of the NATO summit in Riga made a lasting impression. The President elect's announcement that he wants to promote unity in the Balkans also gives us hope - provided he follows through on his promises." (01/06/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, estoński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Łotwa, » Europa, » Kraje Nadbałtyckie

On the other side of the barbed wire the climate will be hot, but on this side it will be icy-cold," writes Berlin correspondent Edit Inotai on Germany's preparations for next week's G8 Summit. "Merkel and her team are trying to keep expectations as low as possible, although she knows that a hollow statement would only tarnish her prestige in both domestic and foreign politics... An unsuccessful G8 Summit would suit the anti-globalisation camp just fine. It would prove that the leading politicians of the world's most powerful nations have neither the right to negotiate the world's problems nor the ability to make sound proposals - in contrast to the 'dissidents'; environmentalists, alternative movements, NGOs, trade unions and religious groups who are astonishingly well-organised in their preparations for the counter-summit." (01/06/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, węgierski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Środowisko, » Energia, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Edit Inotai

Rachida Dati, French Minister of Justice, was brought into question yesterday, May 31st, by the leader of the French National Front party, Jean-Marie le Pen. Naming the minister, he expressed his desire for all people eligible for dual nationality to make a choice between France and another country. Laurent Joffrin, the daily's director, stands by Mrs. Dati. "Even if the expression sounds a bit familiar when referring to a Minister of the Republic, it is clear that Rachida Dati appears in every respect to be a decent young lady. From a North African background that suffers unduly in our France of human rights she was brought up in the poverty of a very modest home and owes her upward mobility to her talent and hard work, a quality that macho and racist prejudice will contest. Le Pen's base attacks, questioning her nationality further underline the merit of this ascension." (01/06/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Migracja, » Integracja, » Francja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Laurent Joffrin

Romania's success in Cannes has taught the country that it can export films as well as footballers to the West, writes Rodica Culcer. "It's hard to believe that the pompous and affected West, which turns up its nose at all things Eastern, is taking a closer look at Romanian films that force it to confront the dark, inhuman universe of communism... But one of the lessons we have learned from Cannes is that we need to think about state cultural funding... What if the main criterion for cultural funding were to honour the courage to deal with difficult topics that don't just present the country in a favourable light, but tell the truth about us as a nation, as a society and as human beings? The films of our young directors reveal more about communism and post-communism than any politician." (01/06/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, rumuński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Film, » Polityka kulturalna, » Rumunia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Rodica Culcer

"The desertification of East Germany is not affecting both sexes equally; it is affecting one sex more - the male one. It is mainly women, young women, who are the driving force behind the exodus from East Germany. They go to seek their fortune in West Germany or abroad, leaving behind a landscape disfigured by unemployed, beer-guzzling males who hang around chip shops or watch sport on TV all day. The only thing that thrives here are neuroses," writes Martin Schlegel after reading a study conducted by Berlin scientists according to which there is a 25 percent surplus of men in the former East German states. The study concludes that since the fall of the Berlin Wall 1.5 million East Germans - many of them young and educated women - have left their homes for West Germany and other destinations in search of work. "If we look closely at the facts the future does indeed look frightening. Where there are no women, there is no future." (30/05/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Demografia, » Niemcy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Martin Schlegel

The journalist Christina Patterson reflects on the British community in Spain as 100 of them are standing for public office in the Spanish local and regional elections this week to voice their criticism of the country without bothering to learn its language. "They've thrown their money and their often considerable weight into their new home, and what do they get ? Crap schools, apparently, poor infrastructure and mass corruption. ... In the old model of British colonialism, we didn't bother with the tiresome business of democracy and negotiation. No, waving guns and barking orders, we just chucked out the quaint chintz of local traditions and steamed ahead with our own. A seductively simple system which some of our own citizens ... are keen to replicate. ... We need to find ways for immigrant communities to be democratically represented, but ones which respect the complexities of the host culture and its traditions. What we don't need is a new colonialism. And especially not one which repeats itself as farce." (01/06/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Integracja, » Wielka Brytania, » Hiszpania
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Christina Patterson