BlätterEurozineBlätter2012-09-20Summary Blätter 09/2012Robert B. Reich
Mitt Romney and the new gilded Age
With the nomination of Paul D. Ryan, a supporter of the Tea-Party, as candidate for the vice presidency the election campaign in the US gathers pace. Robert B. Reich, professor for politics, publicist, and employment secretary under Bill Clinton, takes a close look at the potential president Mitt Romney. With him, according to Reich, the personification of casino capitalism -- the modern reincarnation of the robber baron -- is up for election.Rudolf Hickel
Euroland about to collapse? The monetary union at a crossroads
The European monetary union is drifting deeper and deeper into the biggest systemic crisis of its history. The economist and "Blätter"-co-editor Rudolf Hickel analyses the background of the crisis and settles a score with the austerity policy of Angela Merkel. For him the only exit strategy is a political union -- and the economic restoration of the crises-hit countries. Heiner Bielefeldt
The dispute about circumcision. The verdict of Cologne and the freedom of religion
Since the verdict of the district court of Cologne a bitter cultural struggle is being fought about whether the circumcision of boys for religious reasons is right or wrong. Heiner Bielefeldt, Professor for Human Rights and United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief examines the complex situation. His result: The German justice system took this decision too easily -- at the expense of the individual right to freedom of religion.Heike Kleffner
"We only see the tip of the iceberg".
The National Socialist Underground and the role of the secret services
The NSU-investigation committee holds meetings since half a year now, another year will follow -- time for an interim balance. The journalist and consultant for the left parliamentary group in the investigation committee comes to the following result: The failure of the secret service is striking and obvious, joint knowledge of or even complicity with the crime has not been proven yet -- but it is not out of question either.Otto Köhler
Always on duty. President Gauck and his brave new army
With his speech to the Armed Forces Staff College in Hamburg President Joachim Gauck declared the history of the German army as a "miracle of democracy", from the very first day on. Publicist Otto Köhler does away with such myths and reveals the long lines of history -- starting with the "final battle" of the first General Inspector Adolf Heusinger to Manfred Wörner's Philippic against the "absolutization of survival" to Joachim Gauck's verdict against the "happiness-addicted society ".Norman Paech
The battle for Damascus: Syria and the international law
While the civil war in Syria keeps escalating the debate about whether or not the rebels should be supported with military means is gathering pace. The lawyer Norman Paech outlines the legal framework of the conflict in Syria. His conclusion: The advocates of an intervention are hogtied/ prevented from action not least because the rebels are not acknowledged by international law. Robert Kurz
Father State and Mother War: The birth of money
Capitalism succeeded not in times of industrialism -- as Karl Polanyi states -- but way before -- that is the conclusion of the recently deceased marxist and theorist of crisis Robert Kurz. In his last big contribution he analyses the disembedding of the economy. He comes to the conclusion that the contemporary state, modern warfare and the accumulation of money together have brought about the Great Transformation. Arundhati Roy
Capitalism: A ghost story, Part 3.
The gravediggers of the planet and the reconquest of the night
At first glance they seem to finance peace movements and to support the poorest of the poor, but de facto big corporations and NGOs often take advantage of social movements all too often. In the last part of her trilogy the Indian writer Arundhati Roy analyses the flexibility of modern capitalism. Everywhere, where it appears without regulation exploitation (even with warlike methods) becomes legitimate -- at the expense of the environment and human rights.