Articles

China and the European Union: Ambivalent Relations

Indigenous People in Ecuador. Living between Institutional Influence and Street Fighting

Zwischen institutioneller Einflussnahme und Straßenkampf

In Ecuador, political daily routine has for a long time been characterized by road blockades, protest marches, and uprisings of the indigenous population. In March of this year, the indígenas organized violent demonstrations to express their protest against the policy of the Palacio government. Most of the 14 indigenous ethnics groups registered in the South American country, which make up 30 to 40 percent of the total population, live close to the subsistence level.

Magic, Vitality, and Tristesse in the Barcelona of the Early Franco Era

Lizard Tails arguably is one of the most gripping novels of Barcelona-born Juan Marsé in which he, as in his earlier narratives, perpetuates the memory of his Catalan hometown in literature. The novel is set in the Barcelona of 1945, a metropolis marked by the traces of poverty, hunger, and dictatorship; a city in which the henchmen of the regime chase their opponents, and life and survival are impossible without sacrifice.

Problems and New Challenges in East and Southeast Asia

It appears that Asia and particularly China, India, and Japan have a claim on the future. There is no denying that large portions of east and southeast Asia as well as, to an increasing extent, India are rising swiftly in the political and economic sphere of the world.

The Reconciliation between Germany and Poland

The Vision of Europe Seen from the Perspectives of John Paul II and Benedict XVI

Communism would not have collapsed in Europe had it not been for Solidarnosc (solidarity), Lech Walesa, and, not to forget, the Polish pope. For Europe, the 21st century began at the Gdansk Lenin Shipyard; for Germany, the present began when the Wall came down at the Brandenburg Gate.

The Saudian Kingdom after Transition

Slumbering Giant or Powerless Great Power?

On August 1, 2005, Fahd Bin Abd al Aziz, the king of Saudi Arabia, died. Since it had been known for a long time that the monarch was in bad health, his half-brother, Crown Prince Abdallah, had taken over the business of government as early as 1995. Immediately after the death of the head of state became known, Abdallah was appointed his successor. Prince Sultan, another half-brother of the deceased as well as of the new ruler, became minister of defence.

American Neoconservatism

When George W. Bush was re-elected president, if not earlier, neoconservatism took over in the United States. This, at least, is the impression you are bound to get from reading some German papers. Aggressiveness in American foreign policy and ,cowboy‘ capitalism are two characteristics of the ,neocons‘, facets that are symbolic of what ,we Europeans‘ reject.

Parliamentary Elections in Azerbaijan in 2005

A Test of Democracy for the People and the Political Elite as well as for the West

The parliamentary elections held in Azerbaijan last November were the political highlight of the year 2005 in the former Soviet republic. The event was observed by the West with some interest, Azerbaijan being generally regarded as that post-communist country whose path to democracy appears particularly rocky, a country where the president, who is elected every five years, possesses enormous power, while parliament is extremely weak.

Stability in Instability

The Situation in Poland Six Months after the Parliamentary Elections

As expected, the government of the left was voted out of office in the elections of September 2005. The performance of the PiS, the strongest party at 27 percent, came as a surprise, while the liberal-conservative Civic Platform (PO) obtained no more than 24 percent. The PiS now holds 155 of the 460 seats in the Polish parliament, the Sam party holds 56, the LPR 34, and the PSL 25. The election result supported a strong social-paternalist state as well as the ongoing struggle against post-communism.

Strengthen Europe's Role on the Gulf!

Security-policy Developments and Economic Interests Cry out for Action

The European Union is far from arriving at a common policy on the Gulf. This is as sobering as it is alarming, particularly in view of the open question of Iran’s use of nuclear power, the need to secure Europe’s energy supply, and the economic boom on the Gulf. Europe has a vital interest in political stability based on regional integration, and its active engagement is theoretically more than overdue.