Jueves, 2 de agosto de 2007

EspañaCultura y Ciencia, ,

O guerra de religiones. En cualquier caso, estamos hablando de uno de los ejes fundamentales de la democracia moderna. Por eso tiene razón el presidente del Gobierno cuando afirma que la fe no puede estar por encima de las leyes, contestando a quienes plantean la objeción de conciencia ante la asignatura de Educación para la Ciudadanía. También tienen razón los obispos cuando replican que ninguna ideología puede estar por encima de las leyes. No se trata de eliminar la religión de la vida pública, sino de eliminar las religiones, sea cual sea el disfraz.

Es preciso tratar de rescatar el meollo de fondo en los debates políticos como el que afecta a esta asignatura en cuestión.…  Seguir leyendo »

InternacionalTerrorismo InternacionalEuropaUnión Europea

To be on the road with a new prime minister on his first big international adventure is to observe him before the habits and resentments set in. Things are always more interesting when they are still a little provisional, rough-edged and buzzing with new enthusiasm. This week we saw Gordon Brown feeling his way into the job, taking his band across the Atlantic to try and break America.It suits him. I think he is beginning to clock how much more appealing he is as a new boy than a know-all. One of the lessons he says he has learned in the past few weeks is that things happen, events come and go, you have to keep your focus on the fundamentals.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoÁfrica,

The decision of the UN security council to authorise the deployment of a new peacekeeping force of 20,000 troops in Darfur is a positive step forward after four years of lethal inaction by the international community. Particularly welcome is the greater moral urgency brought to the issue by Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy, who co-sponsored the resolution and seem genuinely determined that it should live up to the secretary general's description of it as "historic and unprecedented". It won't bring back the estimated 400,000 killed so far, nor will it remove yet another appalling stain on the conscience of the world, but it could bring an end to the conflict that is still causing 7,000 deaths a month - provided, that is, the political will exists to implement it to the full.…  Seguir leyendo »

EuropaUnión EuropeaDefensa y Seguridad,

Britain's armed forces greeted Gordon Brown's arrival in Downing Street with a shiver of apprehension. As chancellor, he displayed relentless scepticism towards defence spending. The army has been obliged to fight Blair's wars with threadbare resources. Treasury parsimony has cost lives. The word from Westminster was that soldiers, sailors and airmen would find no friend in the new prime minister.Yet last week, to the delight of the Royal Navy, Brown announced the government's commitment to the £4bn carrier programme. Following his chilly visit to Washington, there are hints that Britain could soon pull most of its troops out of Iraq. If these prove true, it will be the army's turn to rejoice.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAsia, , ,

China is about to emerge as the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gases, a position the United States has held since 1890. Now is the time for China to take the lead in finding a way to reduce global emissions, which the United States has thus far failed to do. It should start by imposing a sizable tax on the carbon content of its fossil fuel consumption and by heading an effort among other major trading countries to do the same.

China would gain in several ways from implementing a substantial carbon tax. By reducing its fossil fuel consumption, China would prevent the deaths of hundreds of thousands of citizens because of the short- and long-term consequences of air pollution from burning coal.…  Seguir leyendo »

MundoAméricaReflexionesNaturaleza, , ,

Successful laws to protect the environment are built on simple concepts. They discourage harmful behavior -- the dumping of sewage or industrial waste into bodies of water, the destruction of habitat, the emission of toxic chemicals -- by a variety of measures, all of which raise the cost of engaging in certain behavior. You can't develop land, and profit, if you're endangering a threatened animal. You have to dispose of chemical substances responsibly. And so on.

Good environmental law can also encourage good behavior: the development of alternative approaches, such as substances that cause less harm, or new technologies.

We should keep this in mind when discussing carbon.…  Seguir leyendo »

EspañaModelo de EstadoModelo Territorial

Hasta los 24 años fui leonés, pero un día, cuando me desperté, me dijeron que era castellano-leonés. Lo habían decidido en una cena el día anterior Rodolfo Martín Villa, por la UCD, y Gregorio Peces-Barba, por el PSOE. Desde entonces, arrastro ese apelativo sin saber qué significa y, como la mayoría de los leoneses, sin sentirme identificado por él.

No hace mucho, el presidente del Gobierno, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, leonés de crianza y sentimiento, manifestaba solemnemente, a propósito de la polémica suscitada en torno a Navarra en relación con la presunta negociación política existente con ETA sobre esa comunidad, que "Navarra será lo que los navarros quieran".…  Seguir leyendo »

EspañaAspectos Generales

«Pido respeto. Entiendan». Una mujeruca negra con el uniforme de guardas del cementerio sorprende con este ruego al bajar del autobús en aquel amable paisaje de césped impecable, árboles centenarios y lápidas. Con voz tenue, pero tan marcada y urgente que se antoja una orden y un grito escondido. «Pido respeto. Entiendan». Se lo pide todos los días a los visitantes del cementerio de Arlington -ahora en verano bajo el aplastante calor húmedo de Washington- esta mujer menuda, de edad imprecisa pero avanzada y marcada por una vida sin duda poco amable, probable habitante de alguno de los tristes bloques de viviendas que se extiende unas millas al sur del cementerio en el suburbio pobre del coqueto y acomodado pueblito residencial de Alejandría con su pintoresco puerto corriente abajo, en la margen derecha del río Potomac.…  Seguir leyendo »