Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
It's a thick soup of nepotism and corruption, but could be worse. "Nobody in Ukraine gets involved in politics without remuneration, and you’d be hard pressed to find a member of parliament with firm political views and convictions"
"They fear both external invasion and internal subversion. Their frontiers are very long and open. They have suffered invasion many times. Russians will support almost any regime which offers them security from attack"
View from Estonia. Europe demanded solidarity among its members without also enforcing responsibility. Profligate countries got a free ride on the back of thrifty ones. At last the thrifty are crying "enough", and rightly so
"There has been no central European response to the euro crisis. Its impact on the region differs from country to country, as do perceptions of its risks and remedies." Here's how Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic have coped
Germany has excelled in examining, criticising, publicising, learning from and apologising for its record in World War II. Can it export those skills to other countries, such as Poland, also reckoning with difficult histories?
Historian Norman Davies surveys euro-area crisis, thinks central and eastern Europeans will come out of it with a relative advantage, may even provide EU with new leadership. They're more flexible, more accustomed to hard times
"Putinism" is what the headline writer means. Some wishful thinking even then. But Aron makes the case that Russia is moving to a post-authoritarian democracy, just as southern Europe did in the 1970s, east Asia in the 1980s
Viktor Orban and his right-wing Fidesz party have rewritten Hungary's constitution to entrench themselves in power. How did they get the chance? Blame the outgoing Socialists, who ruined the economy and lied to the voters
Interview with Czech foreign minister Karl Fürst zu Schwarzenberg. Aristocrat. Returned emigré. "I'm home again. I've survived the 20th century." Interesting throughout, especially on Merkel, Germany, Europe.
Polish writer reflects on his country's character, history, place in Europe. "Someone has to dominate, that's how it is. Of course, the Poles would rather play this role. But the situation being as it is, Germany will dominate"
Europe could end energy dependence on Russia by exploiting domestic deposits of shale gas, especially in Poland. But will the EU allow that to happen? Russia, France, Germany, greens, nuclear industry are all opposed
"A good politician should be able to explain without seeking to seduce. He should humbly look for the truth of this world without claiming to be its professional owner. He should alert people to the good qualities in themselves"
Image from Wikimedia Commons
