Blätter
Eurozine
Blätter
2011-09-19
Summary Blätter 9/2011
Hans Küng
The moribund church
The well-known priest, theologian and critic of the Catholic Church Hans Küng analyses the current politics of the Catholic Church in the context of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Germany in September -- and notes a profound moral breakup. The ongoing restoration of the politics of the church illustrates that the Vatican has long since committed itself to a Roman Catholic fundamentalism.
Faltering superpower USA
Articles by William Pfaff, Noam Chomsky and Joseph Stiglitz
Although the imminent insolvency of the United States could be prevented just in time, the American economy and in its wake the world economy are still on the brink of disaster. At the same time, the US are isolating themselves. Blätter-columnist William Pfaff demonstrates why Barack Obama does not really want to be president and leader of the country at this moment. The writer Noam Chomsky locates the numerous reasons for the "American decline" in the neoliberal hegemony of the last decades. Finally, Joseph Stiglitz, winner of the Nobel Prize, argues for a reversal of economic policy towards sustainable growth for the benefit of all citizens.
Rudolf Hickel
Unlimited Aid? The ongoing European debt crisis
Despite massive cost-cutting measures and billions made available to various bailouts, the turmoil in regard to the European single currency persists. Rudolf Hickel, former professor of finance at the University of Bremen and co-editor of Blätter, examines the causes of the euro crisis. Since rescue packages have not been able to ease the markets, he argues for a radical debt cut and the introduction of common European government bonds ("Euro-Bonds").
Christoph Butterwegge
Black-yellow misery. A mid-term review of the Christian-liberal social policy in Germany
Half way throught the bourgeois "custom-made coalition" (German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle) it is necessary to ask whether the government has fulfilled its social policy proclamation. Christoph Butterwegge, professor of political science at the University of Cologne, draws a sobering conclusion: The politics of the coalition has further eroded the social welfare state and promoted the social division of the German society.
Ulrich Schneckener
From Wesphalia to "West failure". The crisis and the future of global governance
In the light of the crisis of global political order, the traditional Westphalian state system faces new challenges. Ulrich Schneckener, professor of International Relations at the University of Osnabrueck, analyses why the West -- especially after 9/11 -- has not been able to further develop this system towards a "post-Westphalian" order.
Stefan Weidner
Watershed year with pitfalls. What the "Arabellion" requires from the West -- and what new possibilities it opens up
It took Western governments a long time to decide to support the young Arab liberation movements. Stefan Weidner, editor of Fikrun wa Fann, a magazine on Arab cultural affairs published by the German Goethe Institut, analyses European politics vis-à-vis the new political leaders in the region. Has the West learned any lessons from mistakes in the "lost decade² after 9/11?
Tony Klug
Turning point September: Palestine before independence?
With the beginning of the Arab Spring, international politics has lost sight of the Middle East conflict. Yet the topic is back in the spotlight due to the planned declaration of an independent state by the Palestinian authority in the course of September. Tony Klug, a Middle East expert at the University of Oxford and vice-president of the British Arab-Jewish Forum, examines the risks and chances of this undertaking and asks for possible alternatives.
Evgeny Morozov
Back to the roots: Cyberspace as a public sphere
Today, the promise of an internet as a public sphere seems to be more illusionary than ever. Because of increasing commercialization it has become more of an invidualized club project. The renowned Belorussian blogger Evgeny Morozov takes a look at the roots of cyberspace and pleads for a return to the internet as a public sphere.