The Guardian writes that the new leaders of Pakistan bring the country no closer to stability: "But although he has finally bowed out - there remained no other option once both the army and the US refused to back his bid to stay in power - Pakistan is not really in any condition to be euphoric. Suicide bombings are rampant, the Taliban have control over parts of the country, and the economy is in free fall. ...  Zardari and Sharif have given the nation ample reason in the past to deeply mistrust their governance. ... So great is their unpopularity that there exists a vociferous segment of Pakistani society that continues to believe that Musharraf was the better option. ... But even among the strongest supporters of democracy there is anxiety about what tomorrow brings. The removal of Musharraf means Sharif and Zardari no longer have common cause, and the jostling for power between them is likely to get very ugly, just when the country most needs them to put aside personal enmities and deal with the problems at hand. ... The fragility of Pakistan's democracy makes the months ahead particularly perilous. If things get worse, as they may well do, it will be easy to blame democracy itself."   (19/08/2008)

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All available articles from » Kamila Shamsie

The resignation of the Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf holds out hope for the entire country, writes the Jyllands-Posten: "The situation is also critical for the US. America's support for Musharraf was greatly frowned upon in Pakistan. Now the US must take a clear stand towards a new president and his attitude to the US. But one thing is clear. Musharraf's resignation brings new hope for Pakistan. For the first time in years there is now the chance that Pakistan will become a democratic state and that its citizens will attain the rights to which they are entitled." (19/08/2008)

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El Mundo newspaper calls on the West to encourage Pakistan's stability following the resignation of President Musharraf. "For years Musharraf was the main US ally in the fight against Islamic fundamentalism in the region. But his fall was clearly foreseeable from the moment he refused to implement the democratic reforms demanded of him. Added to that was his inability to fight the Taliban, which was able to act unhindered along the long mountainous border with Afghanistan and keep the Nato forces stationed there in check. For the international community, much is at stake in Pakistan, both because of its geostrategic position and because it is the sole nuclear power with an Islamic majority. For these reasons the West should commit itself with full force to the stabilisation and democratisation of the country, above all because al-Qaida has long been trying to destabilise it." (19/08/2008)

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For Austrian daily Die Presse, the political career of Pakistan's former President Pervez Musharraf has not yet ended: "Can things ... only get better? Yes, because with the departure of Musharraf, who was chief of staff for many years, the first step has been taken towards getting Pakistan out of a permanent crisis. Musharraf, allegedly a close ally of the US in the fight against terror, had long since become a liability for everyone: in recent times he showed little respect for the country's democratic institutions, the independence of its judiciary and its civil society, and he ultimately failed in the battle against militant Islamists. All Musharraf can do now is try to save face. For the ex-general and now also ex-president knows only too well that in Pakistani politics a comeback can never be ruled out. Nawaz Sharif was prime minister before he was exiled to Saudi Arabia - today he is once again among those pulling the strings in Islamabad. So can Musharraf also hope to return to power - perhaps a couple of years from now?"  (19/08/2008)

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All available articles from » Thomas Seifert

Czech President Václav Klaus has come out in support of Russia in the Caucasus conflict and incurred the wrath of the Czech government, which accuses him of being blind in one eye. The business newspaper Hospodářské noviny comments: "Finally a voice of reason on the war in Georgia. President Klaus is free of anti-Russian hysteria and resentment. Klaus is right - you cannot progress on the basis of lies. Neither in Iraq nor in Georgia. Yet in modern wars a quick glance is not sufficient to identify the culprit. ... The eye of reason sees both sides, the crazy Georgians and the mad Russians. If the president fails to see the second, it is because he is looking through Moscow's glasses." (19/08/2008)

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All available articles from » Petr Fischer

The daily Politis argues that the Caucasus conflict will also influence the Cyprus problem. "From now on ... Russia will exercise greater influence on international problems. The times when [US] policy was the one and only policy have come to an end. Our country will also be ... affected. Some argue that if South Ossetia is granted the right to independence and sovereignty, the same rights should be granted to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Those who demand this are ignoring the fact that Turkey's position is more contradictory now than it was in the past. On the one hand it backs the US and Europe and calls for the withdrawal of the Russian army from Georgia, but [in doing so] it puts itself in the position of having to explain its refusal to withdraw the army it has had stationed in Cyprus for 34 years now."    (18/08/2008)

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All available articles from » Sever Levent

Ukraine will most likely present an even bigger trial of strength between Western Europe and Russia than Georgia, writes Postimees newspaper: "The Kremlin has never really gotten used to the loss of the Baltic states, and so it is all the less keen on having Ukraine become a member of Nato or the EU. However to this day the promises made to Kiev have not been honoured, and nothing has come of Western integration for the last four years. ... Ukraine is the largest European state in terms of area, and number five in terms of population. This will certainly have an effect on Europe's geopolitical situation. 'Ukraine' means borderland. And that is what it is, seen from both Brussels and Moscow. ... Whether it ever becomes a member of the major Western organisations is by no means certain. But whatever its orientation, it will not fail to have a noticeable effect on the rest of Europe." (19/08/2008)

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All available articles from » Enn Soosaar

Der Standard writes that the EU lacks a unanimous foreign energy policy. Not surprising, the newspaper comments, because "the differences between the member states are based on their energy markets. ... In fact there we have 27 different energy markets and 27 different import dependency structures. ... The much proclaimed 'speaking with one voice' will only be achieved when the 27 member states have aligned their external energy policy interests. This can be attained in two ways. On the one hand by creating a functional European domestic energy market, and on the other by establishing mutual crisis reaction mechanisms. Increasing the cross-border alliance of energy networks, removing barriers to market entry for foreign competitors, obliging member states to stockpile a minimum of gas, and encouraging mutual aid in the event of a crisis would automatically lead to a Europeanisation of energy policy perspectives for every government. ... This would make it impossible for a supplying country to put pressure on a single EU member state, because the country could be supplied at any time by its European partners. In addition, a 'united domestic energy market' would bring far greater diversification for all EU states than any new pipeline project." (19/08/2008)

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German experts are to advise the Bulgarian government on how to improve its management of EU funding. The daily Sega sees a conflict of interests here: "What could be better - German consultants, who are regarded as the Mercedes Benz of the branch, in management. Those in power have long had a preference for the Mercedes brand, and spend plenty of money on it. For their part the German consultants also have no intention of tightening their belts. Experience has shown that the German consultants who serve the Bulgarian government generally go easy on their clients on official occasions. However in their reports to their main employer, the German government, they complain that their advice is not being followed. That's the way it is when one serves two masters at the same time. ... Such diplomatic games do no one any good. If Germany wants to achieve something by putting Bulgaria under pressure, its consultants are welcome. Because what Bulgaria really needs are monitors. The government does not need to be taught - it needs to be forced to work. One should call things by their proper name: even German brooms will be no help if we continue to sweep the problems under the carpet."  (19/08/2008)

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All available articles from » Svetoslav Tersiev

The German author Dieter Segert, who has just published a book on the Prague Spring of 1968, laments in an interview with the liberal weekly Respekt the Czechs' broken ties with the events of 1968. "The invasion [of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact troops] was certainly a traumatic experience, even to this day, and one with which Czech society has never really been able to come to terms. The problems are also connected to the change in the political elite in 1989. After twenty years of 'normalisation' the former reformers were too old to play an active role once more. The new representatives who came to power from a grey zone had no interest in an intensive confrontation with the past. ... What we see here is yet another example of the typical Czech way of interpreting its own history. Instead of being proud of having had the courage to reform socialism the Czechs are drowning in self-pity. They don't want to see themselves as anything but a small nation that has always been a victim of its larger neighbours." (19/08/2008)

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In its leading article, Le Monde casts about for a way out of the recession looming in Europe and France: "Economic slowdown and stagnation are real. France is not the only country to suffer from an economic crisis which it did not bring on itself. The causes are primarily the sub-prime crisis and the rising price of raw materials, above all petrol. ... Without seriously waiting for an economic plan coordinated on an European level - which is only envisaged hypothetically - the countries of Europe are looking for answers on the national level. Economic logic would demand that France take counter-cyclical measures, or to put it another way, that it encourage entrepreneurial activity and household consumption. But unlike its neighbours, France lacks the financial means." (19/08/2008)

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Slovak head of government Robert Fico has threatened to expropriate foreign utility companies if they seek to overcharge their customers. The Swiss daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung says the threat has populist motivations: "This threat from Fico, who was elected head of government in the summer of 2006 on the strength of an anti-liberal platform, is both ill-conceived and implausible. The Slovak state budget could not afford to carry through an expropriation process that would necessitate massive payments of damages. Fico must also be aware of what a devastating message this would send to foreign investors who make a significant contribution to the economic growth of the country. If Fico appears enthusiastic about the economic policy methods [of Venezuela's socialist president] Hugo Chávez, this is primarily for electoral policy reasons. It was not least the promise to protect citizens from steep price increases which brought the head of government his election victory two years ago. The introduction of the euro scheduled for the beginning of 2009 has fanned the people's fear of considerable increases in prices - a fear that Fico is trying to allay among other things with stringent price regulation." (19/08/2008)

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Pope Benedict XVI condemned new forms of racism in various countries in an appeal last Sunday. The liberal left-wing news magazine Polityka complains on its website that the Catholic Church in Poland has failed to express similar views to those expressed by the Church in Italy. "What a contrast between Ratzinger [Pope Benedict XVI] and the bishops in Poland. In recent days Catholics in Poland were warned ... about the relaxation of the abortion laws - which is not foreseen anyway - rather than about the evils of intolerance and racism. ... We are living in times in which it would be a pleasant surprise to find a Catholic publication in Poland that was prepared to criticise the government as the [Italian weekly] Famiglia Cristiana has done, in other words from a leftist standpoint rather than a right-wing position. Or if a Polish bishop were to express his opinion on a Polish affair, but not from a partisan standpoint in conformity with the Church and party policy but in a way which is Christian and universal, as Ratzinger did in Castel Gandolfo on racism." (19/08/2008)

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All available articles from » Adam Szostkiewicz

The Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) in New York has been harshly criticised in recent days for an exhibition in which swastikas and penises were featured. Now a parliamentary committee is to assess the quality of the ICR. The weekly newspaper Revista 22 criticises the decision. "Politics is entering a domain where it has no reason to be. Contemporary art can please us or not, it can inspire us or leave us cold, it can challenge our values or pass by unnoticed. It is governed by its own laws, and politics should have no say in the process. Every attempt to define art with political criteria or terminology (here we recall Soviet and Nazi art and the oppression of the avant-garde), has led to blatant political errors and has discredited politicians who every now and then like to play the defenders of values and traditions. ... It is discouraging that in Romania everything is politicised: an art exhibition ... the potholes in the streets, the dubious quality of our food or educational programmes. Politics is everywhere, in everything that exists and will exist in times to come. That is a pathological situation the consequence of which is that politics means everything and nothing." (19/08/2008)

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All available articles from » Mihai Maci

The Italian Catholic weekly Famiglia Cristiana recently criticised Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's domestic policy and warned of the danger of a new wave of fascism in Italy. The daily Süddeutsche Zeitung does not share these fears. "Famiglia Cristiana, Italy's major Catholic weekly, has provoked an uproar by warning in a commentary about the danger of a new wave of fascism in Rome. ... But this fascist alarm is clouding the issue rather than clarifying it. ... Berlusconi is no militarist, no imperialist and no nationalist. He is preoccupied with assets rather than 'national values'. Rather than megalomania he is driven only by vanity. ... This permanent spectacle keeps us entertained and diverts our attention from the country's problems. It blunts the citizens' critical awareness. This alone, without the threat of fascism, is sufficient cause for concern. But vital counteracting forces are at work in Italy in politics, society, the media and the Church. Among them are magazines like Famiglia Cristiana and critical members of the clergy in the diocese and at the Vatican." (19/08/2008)

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