Society and Civil Activism in Belarus
20. Oktober 2008 _ Nastia Matusevich
The existence of civil society in post-Soviet Belarus remains in question. The authoritarian regime creates the specific conditions for its existence, namely, the impossibility of civil activity by means of a large number of restrictive measures undertaken by the authorities. The handful of existing civil organizations are ineffective due to the biased public attitude towards them, and, generally, due to the pronounced unwillingness of citizens to participate. mehr
Helmut Schmidt at 90 - A great European statesman
13. September 2008 _ William E. Paterson
A clue to the measure of Helmut Schmidt’s greatness is that it cannot be captured by association with a single event or defined by a single quality. His stature and influence is multifaceted and rests on a range of human qualities which taken together give him a good claim to be the most impressive of Europe’s post-war leaders. mehr
Europe: Be Careful What You Wish For
9. September 2008 _ Simon Green
The eight years of George W. Bush’s Presidency have not been easy for the traditionally close relationship between the United States and Europe. As well as the obvious external threat of terrorism, which has both united the US and Europe in its severity and divided them in their respective responses, significant friction has also been caused by differences over climate change and global trade. mehr
Good Bye Musharraf
27. August 2008 _ Ole Frahm
Musharraf is leaving. Maybe he is going to exile like so many politicians and generals before him in Pakistan’s short, brutal history. Maybe he will one day return to the political scene - also like so many others before him. While it’s too early to write an epitaph on the decade-long leader of the second biggest Muslim country in the world, it is high time to consider what Musharraf’s exit means for the future of international relations in the "Asiatic hemisphere”. mehr
South Ossetia - What on earth were they thinking?
14. August 2008 _ Ole Frahm
Most of the fighting in the short and turbulent war in Georgia has ceased, President Medvedev has announced that his troops are going to withdraw and the last Georgian soldiers have retreated from their positions in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. While the smoke is settling on the level of "high politics”, Germany and Europe are left to ponder the war’s consequences: their relations with Russia and the Caucasus, their stance on separatist minorities and their energy supply. mehr