"If the summit is important, it's because African heads of state, massively present with the unfortunate exception of President Kabila, have not allowed themselves to be divided", considers Colette Braekman. "Courted or threatened individually and asked to sign agreements separately, African countries have together joined forces and obtained an extension for negotiations. ... This being said, in addition to its economic power and the scope of its aid, Europe has other assets that are admired by Africans: its exemplary integration, human rights values, tolerance and respect for minorities. If Europe is capable of exporting its values as well as its finished products, the dialogue opened in Lisbon, albeit frank and even confrontational, remains rich with possibility." (10/12/2007)

» Dalsze informacje (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka UE, » Afryka, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Colette Braeckman

The EU-Africa summit has failed to produce concrete results on concrete issues, in particular trade, writes Ladislav Kryzánek. "Some African countries have made it clear that they prefer to work together with China or India. Half a century after colonial rule came to an end, relations between Africa and Europe are still sensitive and complex. And the competition is very much on the ball. The EU may still be Africa's most important trade partner, but China is aggressively trying to supplant it. It's less complicated for Beijing: it has no scruples and unlike the Europeans doesn't ask awkward questions about human rights - it just gets down to business." (10/12/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, czeski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Afryka, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Ladislav Kryzánek

For Teresa de Sousa, the EU-Africa summit has marked a "new frontier" for Europe and an opportunity for Africa. "Europe has turned the page. It has adjusted its Africa policy to new global conditions, to its new interests and ambitions. It has made proposals that are specific to Africa's exterior policy: a multilateral approach, a political dialogue subject to certain conditions and the sharing of values and interests. It has yet to be put to practical test and the pressure of public opinion, sensitive to African dramas, has yet to be dealt with ... . But summits cannot be judged by their 'concrete' results. They function as indicators of change. In Lisbon there has been a change of agenda, of discourse and of political engagement. That is already quite something, even if it is not perfect." (10/12/2007)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, Público)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka UE, » Afryka, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Teresa De Sousa

The daily takes stock of the EU summit and is not impressed. One weakness it highlights is "the incapacity to place at the top of the agenda two of the most brutal crises of the moment that have been completely forgotten: Zimbabwe and Darfur ... . Europe does not speak as one when it comes to Africa. It continues to have bilateral relations with this continent that it divided up and shared in 1885 and this will continue into the future. This is why the ex-guerrilla Robert Mugabe, an exemplary oppressor who has savagely bled Rhodesia, and Omar Al-Bachir, no less a dictator, who is orchestrating the Darfur genocide and has been for years torpedoing UN envoys, have been able to arrogantly parade along the corridors of the Lisbon meeting venue." (10/12/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, hiszpański)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka UE, » Afryka, » Europa

Political scientist Sebastian Wadle of the Berliner Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (Berlin Foundation for Science and Politics) calls for the strengthening of multilateral relations between the EU and the countries of Africa in an interview with Sonja Fercher. "The African Union (AU) is problematic from several points of view. For one thing, a multilateral organisation like the AU can only be as good as its member states. We know this from our experiences with the UN and the EU, and one should always bear it in mind. Secondly, it is a young organisation still in the process of development and is both institutionally and financially weak. The EU's history supports the idea of promoting the AU: those who cooperate don't shoot at each other. But multilateral cooperation can be complicated: the EU has 27 member states while the AU has 53, all with different interests which must be taken into account. This entails highly complex negotiation processes, which is why institutionalisation is so important for achieving coherent agreements." (10/12/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka UE, » Polityka gospodarcza, » Afryka, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Sonja Fercher, » Sebastian Wadle

The columnist Jenny McCartney reflects on an enduring  polemic fuelled by English novelist Martin Amis's repeated remarks linking Islam to terrorism. "Amis described his own remarks as 'a thought experiment' ... . Yet the lingering notion of an entire community's culpability sporadically crops up among Amis's 'urges', ... . There is a world of difference between encouraging a minority community - and what a mercurial concept 'community' can be - to help defeat terrorism originating from fanatics within its ranks, and holding it communally accountable for that terrorism. ... The tentacled concept of communal culpability was precisely what plunged us in Northern Ireland into sectarian squalor for nearly 30 years. Individuals found themselves reinterpreted, frequently against their will, as crude symbols of their community. ... Contentious religious and political ideas are like live explosives: you have an obligation to handle them responsibly." (09/12/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Literatura, » Religia, » Wielka Brytania
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Jenny McCartney

Under the title "Web 0.0" Bernd Graff attacks the Internet and in particular the leading players in the "participative Web". "They start 'quickie debates', get into an almighty uproar about arbitrary things and then rush on screaming to the next issue. They accomplish little and destroy a lot. These web debaters are the death of discourse, driven by nothing but a passion for indignation. Did I say indignation? Substitute that wherever desired with sabotage, conspiracy, malice, denunciation, contempt, scorn or mockery. .... The victim page internetvictims.de lists countless cases of defamation, insult, calumny and slander. It's almost enough to make you a fan of the elites, and certainly an advocate of the difference between responsible and - in multiple senses of the word - irresponsible knowledge." (10/12/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Media internetowe, » Cały świat
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Bernd Graff

Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi is paying a controversial five-day visit to France, starting this December 10th. Pascal Aubert considers that "in the big economic competition, Sarkozy's choice of diplomacy is quite clear, he has opted for efficiency. It is true that if we were obliged to stop frequenting China ... or Saudi Arabia because people are decapitated in public there, we would only be able to sell nuclear reactors and high-speed trains to our immediate neighbours! You have to admit that the spectacle of the President of the Republic patting the former, unrepented godfather of international terrorism on the back is shocking. But it is no more than that, no less shocking than François Mitterrand welcoming the same Gaddafi in Crete or Jacques Chirac going out of his way to Baghdad, then a haven for Palestinian terrorists. Nicolas Sarkozy is merely up-dating a traditional French real-diplomacy." (10/12/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Polityka gospodarcza, » Francja, » Libia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Pascal Aubert

The 31-year-old Romanian Justice Minister, Tudor Chiuariu, has announced his resignation after just eight months in office. He is suspected of having privatised a piece of land belonging to the national post service with the intention of selling it off for a dumping price. Ioana Lupea comments: "The mission for which he was appointed, namely the destruction of the legacy left by his predecessor Monica Macovei, has been partially accomplished. ... In January the European Commission will react to his work with a negative report on the rule of law in Romania, and if the situation doesn't improve a protective clause could enter force next summer. There have been several Cabinet reshuffles as a result of the permanent political struggle between President Traian Basescu and Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu. The next justice minister will be the third under Tariceanu's government. He must restore the trust of justice officials and the Romanians in the independence of the judiciary as well as that of the EU in Romania." (10/12/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, rumuński)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Rumunia
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Ioana Lupea

"Whilst awaiting the new judicial framework of the European Union that is to be signed by 27 governments in Lisbon in a few days time [on December 13th], what is on the horizon for today's Europe?" wonders the editorialist Alberto Ronchey. "This is a somewhat unambitious empirical compromise. There has been no more mention since the tormented Brussels summit in June, European Constitution rejected in 2004 through referendum by France and the Netherlands, contested by London and only ratified by 18 of the 27 EU members. The governments of the European Union now have to deal with too many disparities between the different stages of development, between divergent interests and distinct cultures. This context is hardly encouraging, as is recognised by the Euro-federalists themselves, who aren't so optimistic anymore." (10/12/2007)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, Corriere della Sera)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Konstytucja UE, » Europa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Alberto Ronchey

The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights shoud be signed on December 12th. Poland and Great Britain have opted for exemption clauses. Ewa Siedlecka criticises the new Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's right-wing liberal Civic Plaform (PO) party for giving up the charter without a fight and even refusing to recognise the values it enshrines, all for the sake of maintaining a fragile peace with the conservative Polish President Lech Kaczynski and the main opposition party, the PiS. "The PO has manoeuvred itself into an awkward position regarding the charter. It is trying to achieve the impossible: on the one hand maintain its image as a defender of civic rights, and on the other not provoke the PiS. ... The PO is caught up in the intricate dance over the charter. That's what happens when you let yourself be blackmailed instead of sticking to your principles." (10/12/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, polski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka UE, » Konstytucja UE, » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Polska
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Ewa Siedlecka

Today, the little-known Latvian politician Edgars Zalans of the People's Party, who may well become the country's next head of government, is meeting Latvian President Valdis Zatlers. Zatlers, too, was relatively unknown until his election a few months ago. Laila Pakalnina comments: "Today Zatlers must decide whether he will instruct Zalans to form a new government. But both politicians must also decide whether they have more in common than just the first letter of their surnames. Should Zalans be nominated, it would mean that once again it's not the best candidate who is chosen but the one who is least known." (10/12/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, łotewski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka wewnętrzna, » Łotwa
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Laila Pakalnina

The daily considers that "political xenophobia has reached its apogee under President Tassos Papadopoulos, who during his term has calculatingly cultivated public distrust and suspicion against foreign countries and their officials. ... Speaking to journalists last Sunday, Papadopoulos implied that Bildt's [Carl, Sweden's Foreign Minister] support for the Turkish Cypriots' demand for direct trade was not in line with the position of the Swedish government. In other words, Bildt was ignoring his Prime Minister ... The Swedish government did not take kindly to the insinuations. ... Papadopoulos seems to be on a mission to wreck Cyprus' relations with the outside world and, regrettably, he has been doing a good job of it. His total lack of diplomatic skills – exemplified by an excessively confrontational attitude in dealings with the UN Secretary-General, the Council of Europe, the European Commission – ... [has] left Cyprus completely isolated." (09/12/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, angielski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Stosunki międzynarodowe, » Cypr

In April 2007, the French daily Le Monde published an article by the journalist Guillaume Dasquié, in which he revealed the fact that France had been aware of the risk of a terrorist attack in the United States and had informed the latter in January 2001. Accused of having divulged information derived from confidential reports, he was held in police custody for 38 hours last week,  before being charged with 'compromise of the defence secrets principle'. "I am wondering about the right to inform people in a modern democracy", explains Guillaume Dasquié in the weekly. "The role of investigative journalists is, by cultivating networks, to divulge information covered up by public authorities. But often the press is fed with leaks that are actually organised by those in power. In recent times, all those who, like me, avoid being manipulated and provide striking contradictions to what is publicly communicated by those in power are treated to a terrible backlash." (09/12/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, francuski)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Polityka bezpieczeństwa / Kryzys / Wojna, » Media drukowane, » Francja
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Guillaume Dasquié

Composer Karlheinz Stockhausen died on December 5th at the age of 79. Eleonore Büning writes about this pioneer of electronic music. "With his messianic claims, his immense business acumen and the fanatical exclusiveness with which he pioneered his cause, Karlheinz Stockhausen managed to bring the New Music out of its ivory tower and introduce it to a larger audience. ... In 1977 he began the 'LICHT' cycle with his Opus summum, which gobbled up huge technical and human resources and has been performed bit by bit up to very recently. One of the final pieces was the celebrated 'Helicopter Quartet' for four helicopters, four strings and electronic instruments, which was presented in Salzburg in 2003 and which with its combination of technological complexity and musical detail cast its spell over an audience that isn't normally interested in these new sounds." (10/12/2007)

» Strona www (Link zewnętrzny, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Muzyka, » Niemcy
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Eleonore Büning

For years now, Indian film teams have used the Swiss Alps as a setting for their Bollywood-style sing-and-dance love movies. But now "Helvetia is striking back", Susanne Ostwald reports. Swiss director Oliver Paulus is shooting "Tandoori Love", a joint production between Switzerland, Austria and India, in the Bernese Oberland. Ostwald visited the film set: "While the story picks up on some elements of the traditional Indian family film - for example the harmonious relations between different generations which are shattered by the arrival of a newcomer - other elements constitute a departure from this kind of film. 'The typical Bollywood mystic interests me less than the colourful confusion of India', Paulus explains. He was particularly interested in culinary aspects. 'I've spent a lot of time in Indian kitchens looking over the cooks' shoulders, hobby cook Paulus recounts over (an Italian) lunch. This is what got him interested in cooking his own Bollywood soup. And this is why the 'Zum Hirschen' guesthouse, which is at the centre of the plot, features Indian statues instead of traditional alpine art. And it's also why there's chicken curry on the menu instead of Mistkratzerli (roast spatchcock)." (10/12/2007)

» Artykuł (Link zewnętrzny, niemiecki)
Więcej z przeglądu prasy na temat » Film, » Szwajcaria
Wszystkie dostępne teksty » Susanne Ostwald