Europa

A hospital volunteer from Estonia crafted this monument in Kostiantynivka to honor those who died on his watch. It is made of their photos, parts of their uniforms, tourniquets and equipment. (Anna Husarska)

Europa, , ,

There was something surreal in discussing the possibility of a wider Middle East war while outside, in the most exposed of Ukrainian towns, the air-raid sirens were wailing, signaling a threat of a wider European war.

Last weekend in Kharkiv, as in so many other places, Iran’s attacks on Israel were the talk of the town. Standing on the city’s empty Freedom Square, my friend Olga Shpak — a volunteer with Assist Ukraine — and I were weighing what the possible scenarios mean for Ukraine. The optimistic approach went: If Israel hits Iran, perhaps there will be fewer Iranian-made Shahed drones for Russia to use against Ukraine?…  Seguir leyendo »

Ukrainian troops on a shooting range near Kyiv in April. (Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

Europa, , ,

Critics of the proposed $60 billion package of U.S. aid for Ukraine in Congress, Mar-a-Lago and beyond ask what the beleaguered country could do with the money and associated ammunition and new weaponry. Would it give Ukrainian forces the wherewithal to beat Russia? It’s a good question.

The answer is a solid maybe. Given restored U.S. support and ongoing help from Europe, Ukraine might be able to turn the tide. It wouldn’t be easy, but the possibility is great enough that, before letting Vladimir Putin notch a partial victory in this war, the world should help Ukraine try once more to take its territory back — if that’s really what Ukraine wants.…  Seguir leyendo »

Emergency workers at a destroyed building after a Russian strike, Chernihiv, Ukraine, April 2024. Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters

Europa, , ,

After more than two years fighting one of the world’s most powerful armies, Ukraine has enacted a new mobilization law—a move hailed by the West as an urgent reform. Signed into law on April 16, the legislation comes at a time when Ukraine faces a series of growing challenges in its defense against Russia, from shortages of Ukraine’s soldiers and ammunition to wavering Western support. In this view, the new law could make it easier for the government to replenish its forces as it prepares for a major Russian offensive this summer.

For Ukrainians, however, the law also represents something else.…  Seguir leyendo »

The Five Futures of Russia

Europa

Vladimir Putin happened to turn 71 last October 7, the day Hamas assaulted Israel. The Russian president took the rampage as a birthday present; it shifted the context around his aggression in Ukraine. Perhaps to show his appreciation, he had his Foreign Ministry invite high-ranking Hamas representatives to Moscow in late October, highlighting an alignment of interests. Several weeks later, Putin announced his intention to stand for a fifth term in a choiceless election in March 2024 and later held his annual press conference, offering a phalanx of pliant journalists the privilege of hearing him smugly crow about Western fatigue over the war in Ukraine.…  Seguir leyendo »

An employee of the public health care makes noise with a cooking pot as she takes part in a protest rally during a warning strike in Stuttgart, Germany, on March 13, 2023. THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP via Getty Images

EuropaUnión Europea

The German word mitmachen has no exact English translation because the concept sits uncomfortably in the Anglo-Saxon mindset. It’s a verb that means “to get involved” or “do your bit”, and it depends on a sense of communitarianism, something deemed to be lacking in more individualistic societies.

The so-called economic miracle that defined postwar Germany was based in the concept of mutual responsibility. The army of family-run small- and medium-sized businesses, the fabled Mittelstand, was usually based in small- and medium-sized towns. The chief executive would sponsor the local soccer club or youth orchestra, helping out with community events on a Saturday morning.…  Seguir leyendo »

The plaque next to the "slave huts" near the Oranje Pan, on the Dutch Bonaire island: a romanticized, incomplete and outdated account of the colonial past. Photo: Anne Van Mourik

EuropaUnión Europea,

The plaque stands adjacent to the ‘slave cabins’ (kasnan di katibu, in Papiamentu, the local language on Bonaire’s island), shelters for enslaved individuals built from 1850 to 1863 as lip service to those criticising the living conditions of slaves. It depicts enslaved laborers toiling in the saltpans – vast, pink-hued pools where seawater evaporated, leaving behind crystallized salt. And it bears the following inscription:

“Captains on the salt exporting ships would describe the beauty of the island, the colourful salt ponds, blazing sunsets with pink flying flamingos and the singing women who looked like mermaids carrying the salt for the ships anchored off shore.…  Seguir leyendo »

La UE y Ucrania si gana Trump

MundoAméricaEuropa, , , ,

La Unión Europea debe prepararse para una victoria de Donald Trump. Con la guerra abierta en Ucrania -probablemente en el momento más crítico para la posición defensiva de este país y ante el chute de confianza que a Putin le ha brindado su reelección-, el riesgo para la seguridad y para el mantenimiento del apoyo a Kiev es alto si al mismo tiempo Europa debe afrontar una crisis dentro de la OTAN y con una eventual Administración republicana. Una crisis como la que ya se produjo con Trump a lo largo de su mandato, especialmente durante sus visitas a Europa en 2017 y 2018.…  Seguir leyendo »

The Case for Progressive Realism

EuropaInternacionalOrden Mundial

This year, voters in the United Kingdom will head to the polls as Keir Starmer’s Labour Party seeks to win power from the Conservative Party for the first time since 1997. It is difficult to overstate how much the world has changed in the intervening years. When former Prime Minister Tony Blair entered Downing Street 27 years ago, the British economy was larger than India’s and China’s combined. The United Kingdom still administered a major Asian city, Hong Kong, as a colony. The increase in global temperatures from the long-term average was less than half what it is today. And American dominance was so striking that some people saw the spread of the liberal democratic model as inevitable.…  Seguir leyendo »

Un soldado ruso en Balaclava (Crimea) en 2014. Reuters

Europa, , ,

Hace ahora diez años, en abril de 2014, la guerra ruso-ucraniana, que había comenzado con la ocupación ilegal de Crimea por parte de Rusia, el 20 de febrero de 2014, se convirtió en un gran conflicto armado.

Muchos de los analistas y comentaristas que hoy simpatizan con Ucrania y condenan la invasión a gran escala de Rusia del 24 de febrero de 2022 siguen siendo ambivalentes sobre su prehistoria. Ya sea por la propaganda rusa, por prejuicios teóricos, por simple ingenuidad o por otras razones, numerosos observadores extranjeros siguen haciendo una marcada distinción entre los combates en Ucrania antes y después de esa fecha.…  Seguir leyendo »

Elyxandro Cegarra/NurPhoto via Getty Images

EuropaUnión EuropeaDefensa y Seguridad

Muchas veces se cita la frase de Mark Twain de que “la historia nunca se repite, pero muchas veces rima”. Podría haber agregado que cuando, en efecto, la historia rima, los resultados suelen ser desastrosos.

De la misma manera que las ambiciones territoriales de las potencias del Eje -Alemania, Italia y Japón- prepararon el terreno para la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el actual bloque autoritario conformado por China, Rusia, Irán y Corea del Norte busca desmantelar el orden internacional liberal. Ahora, como entonces, varios conflictos en todo el mundo podrían escalar hasta desencadenar una guerra mundial si las alianzas militares se activan automáticamente en respuesta a acciones hostiles por parte de los adversarios.…  Seguir leyendo »

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators meeting via videoconference in March 2022. Photo posted to Telegram on March 14, 2022 by Vladimir Medinsky / Illustration by Foreign Affairs

Europa, , ,

In the early hours of February 24, 2022, the Russian air force struck targets across Ukraine. At the same time, Moscow’s infantry and armor poured into the country from the north, east, and south. In the days that followed, the Russians attempted to encircle Kyiv.

These were the first days and weeks of an invasion that could well have resulted in Ukraine’s defeat and subjugation by Russia. In retrospect, it seems almost miraculous that it did not.

What happened on the battlefield is relatively well understood. What is less understood is the simultaneous intensive diplomacy involving Moscow, Kyiv, and a host of other actors, which could have resulted in a settlement just weeks after the war began.…  Seguir leyendo »

Central de generación eléctrica de carbón en la localidad polaca de Bogatynia.Florian Gaertner/GRTTY IMAGES (Photothek via Getty Images)

EuropaUnión EuropeaEconomía

Las nuevas reglas fiscales de la Unión Europea suponen dar por acabado el periodo de la respuesta a la crisis derivada de la pandemia y posteriormente de la invasión de Ucrania, en el que, habiendo tomado nota del enorme precio pagado por las políticas de austeridad con las que abordó la crisis financiera de 2008, la UE dio un paso al frente no solo para proteger a la ciudadanía europea, sino para impulsar una modernización de la economía basada en la digitalización y el Pacto Verde Europeo. Las instituciones comunitarias entendieron que esta era, en efecto, la mejor manera de proteger a los europeos y a sí mismas.…  Seguir leyendo »

EuropaUnión Europea

En diciembre de 1974 Josep Vergés, editor de 'Destino', vendió el semanario a Jordi Pujol. Un año después, Josep Pla, colaborador desde 1939 con su 'Calendario sin fechas', era expulsado de la revista por Baltasar Porcel, el director nombrado por el nuevo propietario. El motivo: sus artículos hipercríticos acerca de la revolución portuguesa del 25 de abril, de la que se cumple medio siglo. En sus 'Notas del crepúsculo' Pla recuerda aquella defenestración: «En un momento determinado, Josep Vergés, en uso de su perfecto derecho, vendió 'Destino' a un 'milhomes' de gran ambición política, llamado Jordi Pujol, de la Banca Catalana.…  Seguir leyendo »

In Scranton, Pa., 155-millimeter artillery shells are being manufactured. Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Europa, , , ,

President Biden wants the world to believe that the biggest obstacle facing Ukraine is Republicans and our lack of commitment to the global community. This is wrong.

Ukraine’s challenge is not the G.O.P.; it’s math. Ukraine needs more soldiers than it can field, even with draconian conscription policies. And it needs more matériel than the United States can provide. This reality must inform any future Ukraine policy, from further congressional aid to the diplomatic course set by the president.

The Biden administration has applied increasing pressure on Republicans to pass a supplemental aid package of more than $60 billion to Ukraine.…  Seguir leyendo »

EuropaUnión EuropeaAmpliaciónEuropaUnión EuropeaUE a debate
L’entrée possible de l’Ukraine dans l’Union européenne [UE] est-elle une bonne idée ? Oui, mais à condition de reformuler par la même occasion le projet européen. Pour résumer, cela doit être l’occasion de redéfinir l’UE comme une communauté politique au service de l’Etat de droit et du pluralisme démocratique, et de sortir de la religion économique du libre-échange et de la concurrence comme solution à tous les problèmes, qui a dominé la construction européenne depuis plusieurs décennies.Si la défense de l’Ukraine face à la Russie a une importance vitale, c’est d’abord pour des raisons politiques et démocratiques. Contrairement à son voisin russe, l’Ukraine respecte les principes de la démocratie électorale, de l’alternance démocratique, de la séparation des pouvoirs et du règlement pacifique des conflits.L’entrée…  Seguir leyendo »

Europa, , ,

The war between Russia and Ukraine has been catastrophic for both countries. With neither side enjoying an overwhelming advantage and their political positions completely at odds, the fighting is unlikely to end soon. One thing is clear, though: the conflict is a post-cold-war watershed that will have a profound, lasting global impact.

Four main factors will influence the course of the war. The first is the level of resistance and national unity shown by Ukrainians, which has until now been extraordinary. The second is international support for Ukraine, which, though recently falling short of the country’s expectations, remains broad.

The third factor is the nature of modern warfare, a contest that turns on a combination of industrial might and command, control, communications and intelligence systems.…  Seguir leyendo »

El canciller alemán, Olaf Scholz, durante una visita oficial a Moscú en 2022.EFE

EuropaUnión EuropeaPolítica Exterior, , , ,

Las disputas más trascendentales en la política suelen ser las que tienen lugar dentro de los partidos políticos, no entre ellos. En Alemania, estas rupturas internas son muy poco frecuentes. La última tuvo lugar en 1959, cuando el Partido Socialdemócrata de Alemania (SPD, por sus siglas en alemán) rompió con el marxismo y se convirtió en uno de los partidos de centroizquierda más populares de Europa. El SPD podría estar a punto de sufrir otro cambio de este tipo, pero esta vez las fuerzas de resistencia son más formidables.

Un grupo de eminentes historiadores alemanes, todos ellos miembros del SPD, ha escrito una carta abierta para criticar la negativa del partido a distanciarse de Vladímir Putin y por no apoyar a Ucrania.…  Seguir leyendo »

Una escena de '20 días en Mariúpol'.

Europa, , ,

Que la población civil en democracia no comprenda cómo se produce el periodismo y para qué sirve es preocupante. Pero más preocupante aún es que alguien que dice ser periodista tampoco comprenda que el oscarizado documental 20 días en Mariúpol es periodismo del bueno y no una ficción en la que pondría o quitaría esto o lo otro para que quedara más cuqui. Que les pongan o les quiten figuritas a los pesebres sobre los que escriben es a lo que se dedican estos bien pagados.

Descubrí la columnita de marras a la que aludo porque varios compañeros se mesaban los cabellos en redes, aquí y aquí.…  Seguir leyendo »

EuropaUnión EuropeaEconomía

La mobilisation des agriculteurs qui vient de se terminer – sans doute provisoirement – ne peut se réduire à une simple révolte paysanne. Touchant plusieurs pays de l’Union européenne, cette crise met pleinement au jour la fin d’un modèle agricole, hérité des années 1960. Elle trouve son origine dans une dynamique structurelle, sur un temps long et dans une contradiction profonde qui s’accentue depuis les années 2000 entre le futur de l’agriculture et la mondialisation du commerce des produits agricoles à la faveur des accords de commerce international.
De quelle contradiction s’agit-il ? D’un côté, une perspective agroécologique répondant à des attentes sociétales fortes, à des impératifs nouveaux de décarbonation et d’endiguement des chutes de la biodiversité et des milieux naturels.…  Seguir leyendo »

Europa,

The results of the local elections held on March 31st are a milestone in Turkey’s history. With most local power now entrusted to the political opposition by voters, Turkey is no longer devoid of options; its trajectory is firmly set towards democracy again.

Despite unfair competition, especially in the allocation of state resources to the ruling party and its candidates and government control of the media, the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), of which I am a member, emerged victorious. In Istanbul, government officials and the president actively campaigned to support my opponent in the mayoral election. We won even though other opposition parties, which had allied themselves with the CHP in last year’s elections, abandoned our coalition and ran their own candidates.…  Seguir leyendo »