Voltaire Network

Source

#Der Standard (Austria)

48 articles

français English Español русский

“Is an orange revolution really necessary to establish democracy?”

by Vjatcheslav Nikonow

14 January 2006

Liberal groups abroad and in Russia consider Putin’s way of ruling authoritarian and inefficient. Taking into account that regimes, which liberals don’t like and which are ruled by a strong personality are usually labelled as fragile, the logical consequence would then be a sort of a «color (...)

“In Bosnia, Europe is a cohesive factor to unite the three peoples”

by Wolfgang Petritsch

2 December 2005

With the imminent beginning of discussions about the accession to Europe, the EU has an instrument to progressively replace the powers of the High Representative. The numerous reforms and adjustments which are necessary to enter Europe will very soon blow up Dayton’s incomplete framework. That (...)

“Redeeming the United Nations”

by Shashi Tharoo

23 September 2005

The Heads of State and Government meet today in New York to discuss the reform of the institutions. Ambassadors work hard to give the finishing touches to the proposals for reforms. In 27 years at the service of the UN, I’ve seen many transformations. When I joined the organization, no one (...)

“Not going into a religion war”

by Heinz Fischer

19 July 2005

Peace is resolving the issues without violence or ignoring the conventional rules. The Rule of Law is a life in common based upon well-defined rules of the game. This is applicable at the national level, but it should also be so at the internationally. The survival of the fittest should not (...)

“The seeds have started to slowly germinate”

by Walter Posch

19 July 2005

Europe has been the target of terrorist groups for a long time. We don’t know how related structures are, though. We must think of Al Qaeda as a company with exemption and not as a closed organization. Registered trade mark Al Qaeda has become attractive. It is hard to believe that it is (...)

“The old south of Tehran talks”

by Bert Fragner

4 July 2005

I will start by quoting The Economist : “Those who try to understand Iran are ill-informed. The results of the elections showed once again that Tehran is one of the most unpredictable countries from the political point of view. Frustration is big; the political parties originally under Jatami (...)

“There is no longer an order in the world”

by George Soros

30 June 2005

I think Europe is closer to chaos than the United States. I do not make long term statements; I am Keynesian. In the long run, we will die, that was what he used to say. Anyway, in a short run, the United States has built a strong State. A group of radicals or extremists have taken control of (...)

“Europe, take a deep breath please”

by Ursula Plassnik

29 June 2005

We did not give a good image at the European Council. For weeks, there was the impression that it was simply an accounting period. Who could save more? At the end and after the meeting, disappointment was obvious. The summit was a failure, not only in terms of the finances of the European (...)

“On the Disquiet Caused by the German Appeal"

by Burkhard Müller-Ullrich

17 May 2005

Our dear friends in Germany have tried to frighten the French through a letter published in the newspaper Le Monde: It seems to be in style to launch media appeals across borders as soon as elections are in sight. The Germans are in their element when it concerns giving political lessons to (...)

"Against the Horsemen of the Apocalypse of the European Constitution"

by Manfred Rotter

17 May 2005

Texte:
The agitation around the issue of the European Constitution is limited in a significant way to the political class of the EU. The constitution was developed, sparing no expenses, and signed October 9, 2004 after numerous last minute modifications. Since then, the governments of the (...)

“What would be Benedict XVI’s Contribution?”

by Helmut Schüller

22 April 2005

I was shocked by the speed of the vote, which means there was no real debate. I would have thought the spectrum of opinions was wider but the fact that such a decision was taken in less than a day is significant. It seems they went for continuity. The group that favored alternatives was not (...)