International

The debate over mandatory military service in Germany is reaching an endgame; it appears that mounting governmental opposition to retaining conscription will likely result in the abolishment of the practice, in place since 1949. Germany is among the last remaining conscript armies in the European Union, and many argue that it is only a matter of time before they follow suit with other major European powers.

Ernesto Cardenal is a staunch Roman Catholic priest from Nicaragua who has been a thorn in the flesh of the Church. His political activism as a liberation theologist was of long standing, beginning many years before he was ordained in 1965. In fact, having been forced to flee his country at the end of the 1950s, he went to the U.S and considered becoming a monk. He spent two years as a novice in the Trappist monastery in Gethsemani, Kentucky, which he left because of ill health.

Barack Obama has often been described as the ultimate compromiser, continuously seeking to work with friends and foes alike. When addressing controversial issues, he usually begins with a respectful nod toward the view he’s about to reject – a line or two that suggests he understands and even sympathizes with the concerns of his opponents.

Commentary

The first demonstration of Soviet human rights advocates in the history of the USSR took place in the center of Moscow in 1965. It was a very short one. As soon as demonstrators in the mass gathering on Pushkin Square started to unroll their banners, the militia appeared and arrested them. At the police station, a KGB officer finally unfolded the sign carried by the rally’s organizer, Alexander Yesenin-Volpin. It read as follows: “Respect the Soviet Constitution”.

This year’s Ukrainian presidential elections could go down as a milestone in the history of democracy in former Soviet Union. What is apparent even now is the paradigm shift that has taken place in Ukrainian politics. The heroes of the 2005 Orange Revolution – former president Viktor Yushchenko and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko – have been voted out and reproached for their failures.

Considering recent events such as Operation Cast Lead – Israel’s controversial 2008-2009 military adventure into Gaza – as well as the current storm regarding the assassination of a top Hamas leader in Dubai, there have been considerable strains on Europe’s relations with the State of Israel.

What does Israel’s Ambassador to Austria think about the status of Israeli-European relations?

“In one word: good.  In two words: not good.”

In a time of an unstable global economy, with rising unemployment across Europe and corruption sweeping the Western Balkans, Croatia has chosen for president a newcomer to politics, who has promised to take on organized crime and strengthen the country’s troubled economy that could speed entry in the European Union.

We, expatriates and cross-culture kids, have the fortune of knowing a lot about the world and its people – but sometimes we have a little trouble knowing ourselves.

For many reasons, this is a good moment to reflect on the present state of transatlantic relations. Every day there is exciting as well as disturbing news from the other side of the pond.

Will Afghanistan, the proverbial “graveyard of empires” turn into Barack Obama’s Vietnam? Will elections across Europe be in any way influenced by Osama bin Laden’s threat tied to NATO’s presence in Afghanistan? Will the U.S.pledge to focus more on civilian protection rather than just combat, sell with the Afghan locals?

Those have been some of the questions recently voiced by media and analysts all across the globe as in August, 2009 became the deadliest year of the nearly eight-year war for American troops. And that’s with several months to spare.