Where to, ForeignPolicyFocus?

Nine years after I've launched this blog, I had more than one reason to decide closing it. Not that I am no more interested in watching and writing about foreign affairs, but somewhere, in the middle of my personal journey, I've got stuck trying to figure out where my writing plans in the domain of foreign affairs will lead to...

Besides a couple of books about foreign policy and the usual news watching on my computer, I haven't dedicated too much quality time to international affairs. My concerns were rather relevant to the everyday simple citizen than to the scholar with a passion for conflicts, their resolutions and international actors. After being a journalist for over ten years, with an intensive activity in the field of international conflicts and resolutions, EU affairs and democracy progress, it seemed that, at least for a short while, I got more interested in personal growth and development, travel adventures around the Globe and fashion vanities. Nothing wrong with any of them, but not too much time for chewing properly the international news, in order to put together all those valuable information that help you see beyond the daily layers of immediate interaction. 

But I am that kind of person that hardly gives up. As I am litle by little planning to be back to my academic routine, I still hope this blog can be easily the best medium for sharing my impressions and ideas about the latest relevant international facts. I do have lots of books that can't wait to review on the blog soon, a short book project about to be finished in the next two months and many other topics I would love to approach from probably a different angle. I honestly can't wait to, and I am looking forward to celebrate in 12 months a 10 years ForeignPolicyFocus bloganniversary with a dramatic makeshift and many writing pleasant surprises!

Until then, let's cheer up for a 2018 full of personal and professional achievements! And a lot of good news and less dictatorships, corruption and violence in the world!

The History of Cold War in 100 Objects

The Museum of the Allies - Alliirte Museum - in Berlin hosts until the 28th of January 2018 an exhibition aimed at telling the history of the Cold War in the divided city through 100 objects. 

The museum in itself - which can be visited for free - is an interesting testimony of the post-WWII times, with interesting stories and artifacts told through an interactive, well documented exhibition which includes movies and extensive documentation. In the case of this exhibition, the accompanying leaflet was extremely heavy, at least 100 pages - explaining every artifact in English, German and French - the main languages of Western Berlin during the Cold War. 

Only one quarter of the artifacts are part of the permanent exhibition. As a historian of the mentalities, I am always fascinated by the small stories told by every single simple object, even as humble as a road sign. Or the small pocket shaped piece of paper with the credo of the American soldiers in Berlin. Both the West and the East are covered in the exhibition, which make it a full picture of those times, through the small daily things in life.

You can write perfect Cold War novels by only matching some of the objects. The famous tunnel discovered in the 1990s in the Pankow area of Berlin, aimed at being used as a listening station or for sending spies to the East, is part of the permanent exbition at the Museum and it has its well deserved place among the other 100 Objects of the Cold War. 

For me, it was very interesting to notice how each of the three communities stationed in this city - French, British and American - settled, by the re-creation of their home communities. The French, for instance, had Quartier Foch, which I visited a decade ago, after its residents left long ago. It looked like a ghost city, with its supermarket and street names in French abandoned in a rush, but still there to remember of the recent times. West Berlin was a city with many cities inside, and this exhibition outlines some of the physical - not only mental - border of the time. 

A must see for anyone interested in the Cold War history and histories and Berlin in general.

Book Review: Rescue. Refugees and the Political Crisis of Our Time

As Foreign Secretary in Gordon Brown's government, David Miliband was an atypical chief diplomat, especially by introducing social media into the daily life of foreign service, a domain that is usually very reluctant when it comes to transparency and public exposure. 

After finishing his mandate and losing the political battle in his own Labour party against his brother, Ed, he is currently the CEO of the US-based International Rescue Committee (IRC). In this quality, he become acquainted with the refugee crisis in the Middle East and often visited the various conflict areas in Africa. Out of around 25 million official refugees and asylum seekers in the world, only 4 million of them are in camps which creates a need for offering support, especially at the policy level for those seeking a new citizenship status. 

His experiences and warnings in this respect are the subject of a book recently published: Rescue. Refugees and the Political Crisis of Our Time, which outlines pretty accurately the main challenges and reform directions in this field. Easy to read and appealing to a diverse public, the book is especially recommended to anyone interested to get an idea about the problem, but further development and references are more than necessary. It outlines the historical processes and the need to have a coherent response to populism, but equally a bussiness mindset aimed at obtaining adequate funding. 'Support for refugees is not only about high ideals and global leadership. One of the complex challenges for countries in this crisis centers around responsibility'. The more countries, institutions and individuals are involved the better for offering a proper answer to the current crisis and challenges, shaped not only by political circumstances, but equally by social and human responsibility.

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review 

Jerusalem of Gold

The announcement of president Donald Trump officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital city of the state of Israel confirmed a situation the facto, creating more noise than necessary. When all the main institutions that made the backbone of a state are situated in a city which happens to be the most important place on Earth for Judaism, mentioned in prayers for thousands of years, it means that this city is the capital city, regardless what America or other countries say - or not.

The moment is important from many points of view though which might complicate the aftermath of the historical announcement: the competition between different Palestinian factions is harsh and only a conflict against the eternal enemy could separate the winners from the losers; the official division lines between the Muslim countries in the region - never in fact great allies, but never so openly expressing their inanimities either - are bigger than never and, as usual, the common 'enemy' is what they need to assume in the face of the world their common front; the distance between the president and the other institutions like State Department and intelligence community is getting wider, with an opposition between the two block which cannot lead to a win-win situation - it happened in a milder form during the mandate of Pres. Bush Jr. The embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem - and the way in which various bureaucratic evolutions would take place is the most interesting so far, because the success or failure of relocating the diplomatic mission is the litmus test of the political determination to officially recognize the capital city of Israel. The fact that other countries - such as the EU-member Czech Republic and the Philippines - announced a similar move might be only the beginning of a step-by-step progress towards accepting the reality. After all, the accreditation letters of ambassadors are received in the same Jerusalem, not in Tel Aviv.

Will the 'peace process' undefinitely put on hold? Long before the declaration of president Trump, the negotiations were blocked as, among others, president Abbas was incapable to calm down its own people and convince any potential partner that he can really bring peace. This is less likely to happen in the near future. The different terror Palestinian groups were already set for a war for a couple of months, at least since the summer tensions regarding the metal detectors at Temple Mount. The fact that tensions are reignited those days is just a trick aimed to offer more and more fuel to a Western media set against Israel because the journalists are mostly used to see a black-and-white reality, not necessarily because lacking the proper sources of information.

On the Israeli politics home front, prime-minister Netanyahu and his close allies are facing file after file of corruption accusations. Bibi is a maven when it comes to conflicts and he is smart and fierce enough to get the best credentials in successfully managing a security crisis. And this is just how things are on the ground, in the capital city of the state of Israel, Jerusalem. 

A journey into America's Alt-Right

After the election of Donal Trump as the new American president and the outburst of populist and far right discourses into the mainstream media, alt-right is a term widely - and not always correctly used - in referrence to the concotion of conservative trends predominant in the heart of the Capitol and beyond. However. as usually in the case of such movements, they did not appear from nowhere, being in fact the final result of radicalisation in American politics starting early in the 1990s.

David Neiwert is an expert in extreme right movements in the USA, and I personally expected a throughout analysis of the phenomenon, and eventual connection with the similar phenomena in Europe and elsewhere. However, most of the book is offering a very detailed repertoire of the genesis and orientation of the various movements and mental patterns associated with the alt-right. Especially if you are not familiar with the actors and movements, radio hosts and Internet tools spreading the news and fake-news. From this point of view, the book is a very valuable database that can be used for further analysis and evaluations.

The theoretical approach is made only in the last chapter where the patterns of American 'fascism' are identified and the need for a change of the liberalist approach is recommended. 'Donald Trump may not be a fascist, but with his vicious brand of right-wing populism, he is not just empowering the latent fascists elements in America, he is leading his followers merrely down to a path that leads directly to fascism. If the final result is fascism, the distinction between right-wing populism and fascism is not really significant, except in understanding how it happened in the first place'.  I have my methodological reservations about various terminological implants and extension, preferring rather terms that better describe the reality, although it might involve the creation of new terms. Especially the reliance on new media and the various targets aimed at minority groups, plus the strong religious basis in many cases made it completely different from the usual European-based movements typical for the WWII period. 

The US radical right is getting a first row on the political stage and both the theoretical approach and the activist-oriented actions are needed. 

A book recommended to political scientists and curious scholars about the historical trends of the radicalization in the USA, as well as for knowing both the main actors and the pawns of this new political trend.

Rating: 3 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Metal detectors and safety measures at religious sites around the world

After many months of relative peace in the Israel, a new artificial crisis outbursts after the decision of Jerusalem authorities to install metal detectors at the entrance of Temple Mount. The measures were set after two Israeli police officers were killed by armed Palestinians who entered the area. The metal detectors are aimed at offering highest security and preventing people to bring weapons used not for improving their concentration for praying, but for harming other people. 

This is apparently the trigger the Palestinians - especially their 'authorities' - waited for preparing a so-called 'Day of Rage'. Pretending that there are special religious requirements against going through metal detectors - apparently nothing is said about carrying weapons for killing other people - they are ready to set up just another Hollywood-inspired political soap opera. 

However, the increased safety measures are not uniquely used at the Temple Mount. Big religious sites around the world - especially Muslim ones - set up such systems to deter and prevent terrorist attacks. Given the usual high price of such a system - which starts from 12,000 and can easily reach around 73,000$, plus the usual maintenance, not all the religious sites are able to afford such an investment.

Here is a short overview of the main such measures at main religious sites around the world. 

- Mecca

Around 4 million Muslims visit Mecca every year to perform the Islamic pilgrimage of Hajj, and more millions are going there throughout the year. In order to offer high-security to the pilgrims and avoid armed attacks - the last armed takeover took place in 1979 at the Grand Mosque, but another possible attack was foiled a couple of weeks ago, as since 2014 Saudi Arabia is under constant threat of attacks from ISIS - and over-crowding, over 800 cameras were installed only near the Grand Mosque in order to track the pilgrims. For years, there are discussions for the creation of sophisticated metal detectors, and the guards are prepared to intervene at any time to easy congestion and jostlings. The security forces deployed during this time of the year are impressive, with over 100,000 personnel available to intervene.

Plain-clothes officers are often mingling with the worshippers to stop them from carrying unauthorized foots into the mosque. The private cars are not allowed to enter the area. Pilgrims should also wear special bracelets provided with ID and medical details, allowing the tracking of every single individuals.

Although metal detectors are not provided at the entrance to Mecca and other holy sites, the pilgrims are going through systematic controls at the border and when going in and out of the airports.

Sources: 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/15/explosives-detectors-mecca-holy-mosque

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/british-company-handle-security-measures-hajj-saudi-arabia/

- Vatican and the Pope

In order to enter the Vatican Museum, visitors are going through metal detectors. Knives, umbrellas or weapons are not permitted. According to my own journalistic experience, when the Pope is visiting abroad, high-security measures are taken, especially given the repeated attacks to life of Paul II. Usually, the Pope travels in the bullet-proof Papamobile. The entry in the area near the pope for the usual gatherings is done after serious security checking, including metal detectors.

Sources: 

http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/consigli-utili.html

- Imam Reza Shrine in Mashdad, Iran

The largest mosque in the world according to capacity, Imam Reza Shrine was more than once the target of terrorist attacks. The security checking is done through two separate entrances - one for men and one of women. Big backpacks are not allowed, as well as cameras. The site is permanently surveilled by cameras. 

- Hagia Sofia, Istanbul

The principal mosque of Istanbul for 500 years, Hagia Sofia, a former Byzantine cathedral allows access following the passage through complex security checkings, among which X-ray and metal detectors. Turkey, in general, set up a very strict control system of entrance to religious and institutional buildings, following the wave of Kurdish separatists attacks in the 1990s.

- Synagogues in Europe

Most of the big synagogues and Jewish institutions in Europe do use metal detectors systems in order to avoid terrorists attacks. The controls are aimed at preventing terrorism and protecting people who are visiting or praying from being the innocent targets of terrorists.

- Hindu Temples in Varanasi, India

Varanasi is the spiritual capital of Hindu, and the permanent threats and attacks on behalf of various Muslim denominations in the area lead to a severe increase of security. At Vishwanath Temple, for instance, the queues are permanently controlled by soldiers with riffles and the entrance is done through metal detectors. 

- Christian Churches in America and elsewhere

More and more churches in America decided to increase the security measures after being under threat of terrorist attacks. Hiring guards and installing video surveillance cameras are the new realities of the religious institutions. After the deadly attacks in Egypt against Coptic churches, the authorities in Greece decided to introduce strict ID controls and surveillance near the religious sites belonging to this group. During the winter holiday season, several churches in Singapore introduced bag checks and patrols at the entrance. 

Sources: 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/08/15/churches-take-new-security-measures-in-face-terror-threats.html

http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2017/04/12/security-measures-coptic-churches-greece/

http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapore-churches-step-security-christmas

A Literary Account of the Tunisian 'Spring'

A literary account and a novelist point of view on the dramatic events at the end of 2010 and 2011 in Tunisia, Tahar Ben Jelloun's By Fire doesn't add new interpretations of the historical account. The two essays translated from French are aimed to multiply the memory of the so-called Jasmine Revolution, that started from the self-immolation act by the young unemployed graduate Mohamed Bouazizi. 

Unable to cope on his own with the injustices and corruption in the country, Bouazizi, harassed by the police for the only fault of trying to honestly gain his existence selling fruits from a cart in the market, decided to end his life in a symbolic way. By putting himself on fire he wanted to send a desperate message to the public. He died of his wounds a couple of days later, and his act made history, as president Ben Ali left the country following the revolt that spread all over the country.

The death of Bouazizi, as well as the change of the corrupt president didn't change on the long term the situation of the country, but at least opened a window for hope. Of course, hope it is not enough to bring bread on the table but this might encourage change, both individual and at the society level. Bouazizi didn't have any hope any more hence his desperate act. Ben Jelloun recognizes that one single voice it is not enough: '(...) isolated voices can never bring down dictators; it took many incidents, clashes with the police, glaring injustices and intolerable acts for the spark to finally ignite'. The 'Arab Spring' was a hope not necessarily leading to dramatic changes, but literary minds and writers in general are always tempted to dream.

However, the short essays are realistically written, more focused to describe facts and events than to make comments and projections. It offers important historical background and information not only for the novel reader, but also for anyone interested to have a short but comprehensive understanding on the 'Jasmine Revolution'.

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Book review: Daring to Drive, Manal al-Sharif

Manal al-Sharif is worldwide known for her bold decision to face the traditional anti-women approach of Saudi authorities of forbidding women to drive. But it is more than that, although, her stubborness turned her into a symbol of women self-awareness not only in her country, but in the entire Middle East and the world. 

In her memoir, Daring to Drive, she tells her story, sharing her experience about growing up as a girl and being the target and victim of men's hate and opression. I was thinking twice before using this word, opression, but this is how the women situation in this country looks like: a slave that should silently follow the rules created by men. 

Manal al-Sharif dares not only to drive, but also to challenge those absurdities, some of them not necessarily part of the religious teachings, but recent time inventions. An educated women, with a traditional background and her own history of religious observance, she is carefully observing the changes undergone by the Saudi Arabia while noticing the constant marginalization of women from the public sphere. From discrimination at school and at the market place to physical violence within the family, women are always the target and never properly protected by the law against abuses. 

But in a inter-connected world as ours, it is hard to keep the situation without raising protests and inspire online social unrest. Manal did her part, and her achievements is an example for other women in the area to dare too, because cowards have all to lose. Her resilience and decision to go forward is an encouragement for women all over the world, but particularly in women-unfriendly countries like Saudi Arabia.

A recommended read to anyone interested in this part of the world, but also curious about women rights movements in the time of the Internet.

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The business of news

More than 10 years ago, after I decided to give up my dream-job I always wanted to have - journalism - I was deeply disappointed by the business of news as such. Under the pressure to become a profitable industry, journalism degenerated in a business-driven enterprise, where economic interests were dictating the angle of news and even the coverage or not of certain sensitive information for the owners. For me, as a young dreamer, such an approach was inacceptable and thus, I decided to give up the dream.

Fortunately for me, the online medium was developing rapidly and shortly enough I've found my perfect environment to share my ideas and interests, without the pressure of the profit and enjoying the professional independence I was so hungry for before. I was my own boss, spending as much time as I wanted to document a news and writing fully about issues that I was interested in. But it was no profit involved and, at least in the case of foreign affairs reporting, I decided to avoid completely to associate any financial implications to it.

Blogging was starting to develop, and more and more people were entering this environment to share their opinions and ideas. As in the case of any beginnings, there were some funny episodes, and not all the content aired was professional. Especially if you start as a lone blogger, taking into consideration the ethical standards and the golden rule of 3 sources seems to be not necessarily a main concern for the writers. Sharing was more important and if in the case of travel and leisure news, checking the facts is easier and doesn't require too much time, for foreign and home news, creating a reliable news report is always a matter of time. The longer, the better, as in the case of the good wines.

A new category of journalism was developing: citizen journalism. With the new wave of social media and high-tech tools, anyone was able to report and create the news. The most important thing was to report and share it with the world instantly, before the crew of the classical media outlets were able to reach the premises. In war areas - with limited access and sometimes without any presence of foreign journalists - or when spontaneous riots started, the rapid share of information might be the unique available reporting. But even in such cases, the documented reporting should use those snaps of information in order to create reliable news features and check directly with the authorities about various facts. Citizen journalism doesn't have the access or the desire to do this, but can provide an important piece of information, although not the full information itself.

Observing all those developments made me happy. I was jealous of all the resources available at the time dreaming about how my hard start in the field of news reporting would have been. But I was experienced enough to notice the risks as well, but was almost convinced - contrary to the pessimistic thoughts from The Net Delusion - that the good guys - aka the good journalism will always win. After all, it was the first time in history when there were enormous possibilities to do good and keep doing your job.

But the search engines and the Internet networks such as Facebook, were silently pursuing another revolution: that of the algorithms, according to which some content is more visible that the other, often promoted in exchange of minimal fees. When the amount of information produced is overwhelming, there should be a certain order to organise it, based on categories, key-words or other relevant mathematical - cold - rules. The SEO and search for visibility weren't necessarily promoting the best, but the most read news, where the visibility of a site was calculated up to the well chosen words used, based on the most searched words and expressions. It doesn't mean that this excludes the quality content to be found and read, but it requires a lot of extra work, not necessarily of journalistic nature and very often, when faced with the choice between checking facts and figures and becoming a SEO-Samurai, you rather prefer to publish an impeccable piece of news. Again, the risk might be that no one will see your story.

The phenomenon of the 'fake news' so popular during the last American elections isn't new. It is at least 8 years old when during the presidential elections in the same USA were bombarded with information about the unclear ethnic and citizenship origin of pres. Obama. I am not taking any stance for or against him, I just notice facts. The method was used in the next elections and the fact that right now it is a matter of concern is the result of the high standards the web techniques themselves reached. The fact that president elect Trump complains of being himself a victim of 'fake news' is pretty ironic, as in the last years and months, he was the main beneficiary of such campaigns. Practically, nowadays, everyone with a basic SEO knowledge and some $$ in the pocket can play with the news and support its own version of truth. The more resourceful financially and logistically, the better for a definitive version of it, even for a couple of hours or even days. Most probably, many people will prefer to keep in mind the first variant offered, without bothering to check the further developments. It is normal too, as time is limited and our attention nowadays is extremely split.

What is to be done? It is the end of journalism as we know it and the beginning of the informational chaos? The media landscape obviously changed and challenged. The business of news were never a good profitable one, unless people used blackmail and yellow media - which was all so popular at the beginning of the news too. The 'fake' news will continue to exist alongside serious information for now on and people will keep reading it, with the same appetite as they read gossip magazines. It is not a matter of human nature, but of readability and curiosity. 

However, people in the business of news do have serious obligations. First, they need to keep respecting their standards and regardless of the pressure and the stakes, to continue offering verified quality information. Second, it is important to educate both public and producers of news discernment, through online classes, books and media reports. To share experiences about how to separate 'real' from 'fake', about how to write and read responsibly. After all, there are so many people able to distinguish between a real luxury brand and a fake, because they got the proper education to do it. And if they choose to buy the fake one, they do it responsibly, aware of their choices. It is a difficult but not impossible task.

Book review: They say we are infidels, by Mindy Belz

I've rarely read a book that made me feel so bad for not paying too much attention to a lot of small phenomenon taking place in the Middle East. Of course, I am reading daily about the latest political and geopolitical positions about the war in Syria but in a sea of information I am rather tempted to look at the big picture. In this big picture the plight of Christians and the tremendous efforts to survive and challenges to escape are rarely featured.

Mindy Belz, editor of the Christian-oriented publication World Magazine, traveled often to Iraq, Jordan and Syria and got in touch with leaders of the faith or simply believers telling their stories and trying to escape. Not many are successful, among them many community leaders, brutally killed, kidnapped as a way to terrorize entire communities. 'Wherever there are Christians, they come and chase them', is one of her many observations from the intensive ground reporting work. The sense of the everyday life is completely distorted, and simple facts and gestures are read differently, based on the current terror threats. For instance, after explosives were often hidden in packages of spices, 'Residents grew to fear the smell of cinnamon' in the Mosul area. There are many more examples which offer a different view on the everyday life in this part of the world, that doesn't often appear in the big media. 

Personally, I've found extremely worrisome the huge number of lives took away during this what seems to be a neverending conflict. Just think about how many people are affected when one person dies. What happens then when thousand of people are killed just in a couple of hours? Terrible.
When it comes to the political decision makers, the author is outlining also the failures of the current and past American policies, that although pledged in favour of a non-involvement, ignored the human aspects and created a vacuum of power where nothing was put after the intervention to put an end of the Saddam Hussein regime. 

It is a book well documented and written, with many details and facts. To be read because we are humans that should not be indifferent by the fate of other humans.

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange of an honest review

The past, present and future of News Media

What is the future of the news in the era of instant communications? What is the future of journalists in general? Too much available information does not mean an informed public and highly professional journalists and books about media and its news industry are always welcomed, for their efforts to go beyond the daily informational shots.

Through a historical investigation into the domain, done by authors with journalistic experience themselves, The News Media - to be released this September - aims at offering a view into the future. With the fast forward development of communications in general, the curiosity is legitimate and especially for the journalists themselves, it requires at least some minimal forecasts. 

With an almost exclusive focus on the US media history - although other countries are incidentally mentioned - it presents the struggle of the media to get recognition and access to information from the etablished authorities and a fair overview of the current state-of-arts of the digital information era, this book is a reliable source of information for political science and journalism students. It can interest as well anyone curious to get a short update about the history of journalism. the chapters are structured based on short snapshots of information, which make the lecture easy and focused. 

When it comes to the future, the predictions, as expected, are careful. An interesting remark though: 'It is hard to be totally certain about anything related to the future of news. But if there's one thing we can say with same degree of confidence, it is that national (and even international) news organizations and brands will probably be more economically successful than local or regional media outlets'. However, I think that in fact media are getting more localized and focused on micro- rather than on global events, and the audiences tend to be more fragmented and thus setting their own local agendas.

 The domain is vast and the selection is always problematic. This book gives interesting insights into the field, but fails elegantly to open too many perspectives.

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher via NetGalley.com

UK tutorial: What you need to know about the EU referendum

As a knowledgeable EU citizen, with a big love for the city of London and the British culture in general, what is happening now on the other side of the European pond, especially the perspectives that the UK will leave the European institutional framework is of high interest for me. As a journalists that covered often EU affairs, especially EU Councils and bigger than nights discussions on the budget, I reckon that there are many problems within the Union, especially when it comes to coordination of policies and efficiency of the vast bureaucracy. However, the freedom of movement and the working rights as well as the children benefits and food prices are strong incentives for the need of Europe, although a reformed one.
On 23 June this year, British voters are expected to decide if to 'leave' or 'remain' part of the EU, a referendum decided after many intensive discussions for criticism against the Union. Besides the political discourses and rhetorics, it is the right of the voters to know what each of the choices does involve. A Guide for Voters, by David Torrance is aimed to offer exactly this missing milestone from the public debate: a balanced, documented perspective about the EU institutions, the relationship between EU and UK and all the big policy issues at stake, such as sovereignity, education, employment, environment, migration and trade. It also explains what are the EU institutions and how they work, covering even the most 'exotic' institutions for the large public, such as the European Court of Auditors or European Data Protection Supervision.
In a neutral, journalistic style, it approaches one by one, the main points of debate about 'Brexit' - abbreviation for Britain and Exit - such as: 'How much does the EU costs?', the real costs of migration, the advantages of the free trade agreement and the ways in which British citizens rights living abroad will be affected.
It also overviews the points of view among the voters from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, the beneficiaries of many structural and regional EU funds.
There are several possible scenarios if the UK will finally decide to 'leave': either a Norway model, or a Swiss solution, becoming part of the European Free Trade Agreement, entering the EU customs union, an increased role in the WTO, or looking forward to being as strong as the BRIC countries.
The 'remaining' solution will mean anyway a renegotiation of some EU agreements, as decided this February in Brussels.
As for now, the opinion polls are unclear about any of the options. Around 20% of the voters are undecided. Three big TV debates are scheduled, the first one on BBC, this Thursday, in Glasgow aimed at the young voters.
I will carefully keep in eye on everything because either decision will have a dramatical influence on the EU future.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange of an honest review

Book review: The Killing of Osama bin Laden

Seymour M. Hersh is a careful investigative journalist that, among others, created the debate about Abu Ghraib prisons. His investigations are based on high-level sources and very often he brings out to life truths the establishment want it hidden. This is part of the check-and-balances game, that should be fully functional in order to have a healthy democracy. Even if the journalists may make mistakes and can be biased in their evaluations, or even manipulated by their sources, the democratic institutions should do their work and give an answer to the issues raised by the media. 

A collection of articles covering the killing of Osama bin Laden and some aspects of the US involvement in Syria, this book echoes Hersh disappointment with Obama's incapacity to really offer a different perspective on US politics after Bush administration. Disappointment is a feeling, but sometimes it does not offer the right tool of evaluation of politics. While wathing the promises made by Obama during the first presidential campaign I wondered often how someone can really think - belief is a different side of the story - that one can, just overnight, stop many of the politics started by the Bush administration, the result of planning and involving budgets and various layers of the administration. But it seems that enthusiasm is over too. 

Hersh is particularly unhappy with the maintenance of the politics of relying on special operations, especially in the case of Osama's killing, as well as on the persistence of the Cold War rhetorics regarding Russia and China, especially in the case of the war in Syria. If in the first case, there may be some omissions and confusions  and inaccuracies regarding the public stories delivered - such as the impossible to believe that in fact Pakistan did not have any involvement in the success of the operation - in the second case, the reality may be a bit complex. In the last 8 years, America is lacking a coherent foreign policy - in terms of politics not symbolic gestures - offering willingly the floor to global stakeholders who were waiting for a long time to outline their presence. Woke up from his mediatic beauty sleep, Obama is using the old Cold War language because he does not have any other perpective on his own to use.

If you ignore the very frequent name dropping, Hersh offers a lot of snipets of information about the behind the curtain connections during the Syrian war, to be taken as such or compared with other official and even media reports - an approach strongly recommended in the case of the sarin gas debate, with more than one report contradicting Hersh assumptions. After all, journalists can be also the victims of their own informants, not only presidents. 

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher via NetGalley.com in exchange of an honest review.

Quo Vadis, Poland?

Source: Wikipedia
The Polish Parliament

Poland, the biggest EU state in Central and Eastern Europe, is going through a strong nationalist revival in the last two years, rising many questions and worries about the future of the country within the Union. Poland is the second, after Hungary, to join the new wave of nation-centered politics from the former communist block, but by far the most important from the point of view of the decision making processes within the Union. 

The dramatic changes took place after May 2015 presidential elections, when  Lech Kaczynski won the elections and the Party for Right and Justice (PiS) gained control over the both chambers of the Parliament. Lech's twin brother, Jaroslaw, former prime minister, died in a controversial airplane accident in 2010, together with more than half of the Polish political leadership at the time. 

PiS is the first party to govern the country alone since the end of communism, a situation which gives considerable leverage in the internal decision making process. This rule of the unique party comes after the disappointment brought by many of the post-communist coalitions. 

Policy of thought

With 4 out of 10 people living in the countryside and over 90% of the population of Catholic faith, Polish politicians started an aggressive campaign, both on the home and foreign front aimed to reinstate a different leadership. Many observers assume that such a return to identity politics is the consequence of a total and non-critical adhesion to the Western values after the fall of communism.

Kaczynski - and not only - are often building their discourses by blaming the German influence into their media and politics. Cultural happenings that do not comply with the overall directions confirmed through the religious channels are welcomed with protests and threats of outlaw. The public TV and broadcast were purged by bringing people close to the establishment. The Polish leaders categorically refused to accept any refugees. This February, Patrik Jaki, deputy minister for Justice proposed baning the sentence 'Polish death camps' under the threat of a 3-year sentence. And the examples can continue...

Where to?

Poland joined the EU in 2004, and since then the country's economic situation improved permanently. The unemployment was reduced, the highway network extended from 76.5 to 3000 km. The current government made more economic promises too, one of them being to increase the child subsidy to around 129$, an encouragement for extended families too. From the same family register, the authorities seek to completely outlaw abortions and birth control, a decision that rose protests in the country.

The Venice Commission, a legal body in charge with overviewing the constitutional changes within the EU, warned the country that many of the previsioned constitutional changes are contrary to human rights.

As the EU's sixth largest country, Poland is important from a strategical point of view too, for its border with Russia and for its voted and influence on the climate change policy of the Union, as the biggest coal producer in the EU.  

This July, NATO is supposed to have its regular summit in Poland and the current situation worries both sides of the Atlantic.

Within the EU, Poland can be subject to the rule of law mechanism adopted in 2014, leading to the suspension of the voting rights, following successive breaches of the EU Treaty. Kaczynski is trying to play hard the Hungarian card, whose far-right leader Orban he met recently. 

He wants to keep Poland in the EU, but without the euro, dreaming to be, maybe, the UK of the East. Meanwhile, it risks to be more isolated within the democratic partners. On the other side of the border, the man from Kremlin may be just a little bit happier.  

Hollande in Lebanon, what to expect

source: sightcall.com

When things are not going on as expected on the home affairs front, the foreign policy can help. At least when it comes to such a special relationship as the one between France and Lebanon.

French president, Francois Hollande is expected in Beirut the 16th of April for a working visit, part of a tour in the region between 16-18 April which includes also Egypt - state visit -and Jordan - meeting with King Abdullah II regarding the regional partnership and the fight against terrorism.

The current situation in Lebanon

Since the end of the mandate of the previous president Michel Suleiman in September 2014, the presidency of Lebanon is vacant. Compared to other situations when the various factions haven't reach an agreement for the next presidential candidate that lead to open conflicts, this time things seem to be less explosive. Hollande is supposed to express during his visit the support for coexistence and proper functioning of the local institutions, including the presidency.

The country was also affected by the Syrian civil war, with refugee camps in the country. France kept a very low profile in the issue of refugees, compared to the German EU partner and the French president is interested in helping the country with intelligence and financial support for diminishing the war repercurssions.

In most situations to be addressed, the French president is expected to offer commitment towards stability without offering concrete solutions. Another surprising fact is that during the war in Syria, the country remained stable.

In the post-war Syria, France would prefer a minimal influence of both hungry for more regional power actors Iran and Turkey, a trend which on long term can positively influence the internal situation in Lebanon too.

However, under the curtains, France keeps a permanent contact with Iran, an important player in the country with high interests through the support for the terrorist organization Hezbollah. The influence of France in this case is however limited, a major influencer being rather Russia, with good relations on both sides. In an interview with Al Mayadeen TV on March 21, the secretary general of the terrorist organisation, Hassan Nassrallah, noticed the 'common goals' between Hezbollah, Iran and Russia. It is the usual terrorist propaganda for the consumption of the Arab public, as an experienced diplomat as Lavrov sees much further than this. As for now, Russia can help the settlemet of an agreement for the election of a new president. For example.

Another important aspect of the French-Lebanese agenda is the delivery of French weapons, part of a $3 billion grant by Saudi Arabia, the highest ever given to the military sector. France also encourages Saudi Arabia's influence in the country, as a counter-balance to the Iranians. 

French-Lebanese strong connections

Out of the many others former French colonies, Lebanon always remains a special partner. Besides the interest of so many wealthy countries to get involved in the local affairs, not only for a good cause, France remains the main source of foreign direct investment. Thanks to France, Lebanon is one of the main Mediterranean beneficiaries of financial and technical assistance from the EU. Again, the friends for benefits from the region do not hurry up to support the economy, only the croonies from Hezbollah.

In addition, thousands of French-Lebanese citizens live and work in Lebanon, and around 250,000 people of Lebanese origin live in France. 

France continues to be influential but not the predominant power in the region. The effects of this visit, scheduled for last year but delayed for security reasons, are not to be seen immediately, but France keeps playing hard games in the Middle East and given the comptitors, it is preferably to many, if not most of them. 

Relics of the Cold War at the History Museum Berlin

Although it is a modern city that grows up every day and sooner or later the traces of the past will be nicely covered by white new buildings for rent, Berlin remains a relic of the Cold War. And I am not talking only about the physical presence of the Wall that can be still admired and photographed in its friendly colourful form in the Eastern side of the city. I am talking about mentality differences and architectural traces that ca be noticed especially if you walk at length the streets over and over again.

Traces of the recent history are present everywhere in Germany, but especially in the Brandenburg area, a department surronding Berlin that used to be part of the Eastern Germany. Very often during my travels I stumble o monumental statues in the honour of the Soviet Army and cemeteries of the Soviet soldiers who died during their stay or fight in Germany. Not mentioning the many abandoned barracks and the famous Teufelsberg CIA listening station in Berlin. 

This year, Berlin is hosting three important events about this important historical epoch. One is hosted at the German History Museum: exhibition of photographies taken by the Dutch photographer Martin Roemers between 1998 and 2009 from both East and West parts of Europe, featuring relics of the Cold War. Mostly, there are ugly tunels and bunkers aimed to offer protection during a possible nuclear attack. It covers Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Lithuania and Latvia, on one side, and Great Britain, the Netherlands and Belgium on the Western side. The pictures are documentaries of a specific architecture and memories of a historical context. With some ironical notes not sure if intended by the photographer, with the details of the stomatological chair ready to be used by the communist leaders in case of nuclear attack. The exhibition is open to the public until 14 August.

Another event related to the Cold War is 14th of July exhibition at the Aliirten Museum that will last until January 2018 about 100 Objects. Berlin during the Cold War. It will feature various objects associated with that period and I will be curious to have a look at it soon. 

A research institute dedicatede to the Cold War was inaugurated the last year and regular events are supposed to take place here in the next weeks and months too. Berlin Center for Cold War Studies is part of Humboldt University and hosts an important archive covering this period. I hope to pay a visit soon and find out more about.

Shortly, it seems that the Cold War is still part of the daily German reality and an episode that still needs in depth consideration.

Machiavelli's advice to citizens for the coming American Elections

The coming American elections are an inspiration not only for journalists and power brokers, but also for political scientists. Maurizio Viroli is an Italian expert in Machiavelli whose writings are given a different spin than the usual focus on the leader: the electing citizens. Not extremely appreciated in the US and rarely associated with open and transparent democracy, the author of the Prince is now given an enriched interpretation. 

One of the most important assets of a real leader is to be voted by citizens involved in the everyday life of the Republic. Peacefully, they have to use the public meetings, rallies and debates for expressing their opinions about government and leadership in general and getting to know the candidates. With the democratic republic preferable to any other forms of government, Machiavelli's advice to the voters in Viroli's interpretation is to 'judge by the hands, not by the eyes'. In other words, to avoid evaluating politicians by their appearance. Although, we have to remember that one of the features outlined by the author of the Prince is eloquence but in this interpretation it is the role of the citizens to put facts and words together. 'Machiavelli's advice to citizens' is to choose that leader able to understand when the common good prevails over particular interests and able to adapt its politics to the changing context. Equally, they have to be careful with candidates that promise to achieve bold gigantesque political projects. Also, first priority of a president of a democracy is to promote peace and avoid war. Separation between state and church and religion in general is recommended for a democracy, as well as the need to have leaders knowledgeable about history and admiring 'the right people'. In the opinion of the author: 'The USA is the most successful example of a republic that has a strong civic religion, is acceptably tolerant and has been able to preserve a good separation between state and church'. Citizens should intend to limit the power of their leaders and avoid keeping them in power because power is a source of corruption and Machiavelli is not the only one to have outlined that.

An important asset of the book is also relying on various examples from the US history, offering a practical perspective on the political science texts.  

The book is expected to be published the 26th of April.

Disclaimer: I was offered the book by the publisher via NetGalley.com, but the opinions are, as usual, my own

EU-Peru Visa Waiver

High representatives of Peru and the EU signed the 14 March in Brussels an agreement for short-stay visa waiver. The agreement, that is applied from March 15 on a provisional basis until voted by the EU Parliament, provides visa free travel for EU citizens when travelling to the territory of Peru and for the citizens of Peru when travelling to the EU territory for a period of 90 days.

The provisions apply for valid ordinary, diplomatic or special passports, for all category of persons on any purpose - tourism, cultural visits, family, business - except for carrying a paid activity. Through this agremeents, both part hope to improve cultural connections, as well as political and economic improvement of the bilateral relations. 

EU is Peru's third trade partner after the US and China, and the largest foreign investor, with a 50% share of the total foreign investments. Between the two parts there are several cooperation programmes ongoing. During the 2007-2013 programe of 135 million Euro, Peru was supported to reduce the children malnutrition in remote and poor areas, to fight against illegal drugs and to create alternative development solutions and encourage ecological trade. During the various elections taking place in Peru, EU deployed Electoral Observation Mission.

Voices of conscience in the Middle East: Raif Badawi

Raif Badawi is famous for a sinister occurence: he was condemned by the Saudi Arabia authorities to 10 years of prison and 1000 lashes - yes, we are still in the 21st century - plus fines of an amount of the equivalent of 194,00 Euro, for his texts published on his blog. His wife, Ensaf Haidar, who is a strong militant for his release, run the country together with their 3 kids and is a Canadian resident. 

His only guilt is to have been approached sensitive issues for the theocractic Saudi Arabia, such as secularization, need to get rid of religious extremism, liberalism, pluralism, respect for diversity of religions and freedom of thought. The texts published on his blog between 2010 and 2012 were erased by the high tech authorities who are meanwhile maintaining a strict control of the www, in order to prevent any actions or writings against the predominant Islam. Some of the short written interventions were gathered in a thin book. Pledging for the adoption of a secularist model similar to that introduced in France after the French Revolution, he approaches various issues at stake in the Middle Eastern and particularly Saudi society: the contradictions between religious assumptions and scientific reality, the chutzpe of wanting a mosque close to the ruins of the WTC destroyed during the terrorist attacks of 9/11, equality between men and women, the rejection of autocratic movements such as Hamas. He also warned about extremists and the danger of the 'Caliphate'. There are a lot of interesting ideas and concepts outlined but unfortunately this is only the beginning of a larger discussion and clarification of concepts that as long he is in prison cannot be continued or developed. The original texts were published in Arabic, but translated in several languages. Personally, I've read the German version.

In December 2015, Badawi was awarded the prestigious European Sakharov prize by the European Parliament for freedom of thought. His condemnation is going on, with the last January 50 of the 1,000 lashes being done, although medical warning about Badawi's health situation were issued. At the end of the last year, he went on hunger strike for a short while.

He is not the only member of the family persecuted by the authorities. His sister, Samar Badawi, a human rights avocate was shortly detained this January. 

Meir Dagan, almost the end of an era

The picture of his grandfather before death used to be in his office

The death of the former cheif of Mossad for nine years, Meir Dagan, can be almost the end of an era, of an old generation of public personalities in Israel whose personalities were defined by the World War II. Dagan, born as Huberman, on the train between Soviet Union and Poland in 1945, used to have in his office the picture of his grandfather down on his knees before being killed by Nazis, made a life mission that Holocaust 'will never happen again'. 

Dagan served as director of the Israel's most powerful intelligence agency beetween 2002 and 2011, under three prime-ministers: Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert and Benjamin Netanyahu. He ended his mandate on medical reasons, although during the exhange of declarations during the last years elections, Netanyahu affirmed that in fact he refused to extend his mandate. Dagan offered to the media the proof of his letter resignation letter where he requested the replacement. 

Officer of the Israeli Defense Force - IDF - he fought during the Yom Kippur War and the 1982 Lebanon War. As chief of Mossad, he ordered several operations, some of them together with other secret services, aimed at killing terrorists who put in dangerous the state of Israel. During one of them, for instance, operated together with the CIA, was killed Imad Mughniyeh, the so-called Minister of Defence of Hezbollah. After becoming a public figure, he often criticised Netanyahu for the way in which he managed the Iran problem and was a harsh opponent of the idea of an Israeli attack against Tehran. In Dagan's opinion, the then and current prime-minister turned Iran into an Israeli problem, thus limiting the interest of the rest of the world in the issue. During the last elections, he supported Isaac Herzog, part of a tandem with Tzipi Livni that used to work for the Mossad during his mandate.

Dagan was also active in the business sector, and was an amateur painter and a vegetarian too.