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Joschka Fischer

Stories from Joschka Fischer

Joschka Fischer
Europeanising Europe
Nothing less than the United States of Europe can safeguard the continent’s wealth
Joschka Fischer
01/12/2011

The eurozone is at the centre of the glo

Which New Middle East?
While the “Arab Spring” leaves many in the media guessing, Turkey makes a bid
Joschka Fischer
03/10/2011

Regardless of whether democratization in the “new Middle East” succeeds or authoritarian forms of government prevail once again, one fundamental change has already become clear: no one will be able to govern without taking into account domestic public opinion.

This change will shift the foreign-policy parameters of the Middle East conflict (understood as both an Israeli-Palestinian conflict and as a conflict between Israelis and Arabs more generally). Despite wars in Lebanon and Gaza, and the intifadas in the occupied West Bank, these parameters have proven surprisingly stable for decades, anchored by the peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan and the Oslo accords with the Palestinians.

Middle East Awakening
Middle East Awakening
If 1989 is a guide, whether freedom prevails will depend on how the West responds
Joschka Fischer
29/03/2011

When the democratic revolt in Tunisia successfully ousted the old regime, the world reacted with amazement. Democracy from below in the Arab world?

After the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak’s 30 year-old regime in Egypt, the heartland of the Middle East, amazement has turned into certainty. The Middle East has awakened and begun to enter the globalized world of the twenty-first century. Up to now, the region (excluding Israel and Turkey) had more or less missed out on the epochal process of worldwide modernization.

Merkel’s Fear of Europe
Rather than moving toward an economic union and expanding the eurozone, Germany is reverting to national solutions
Joschka Fischer
16/12/2010

Ever since the global financial crisis erupted in September 2008, the European Union has been in turmoil. On the one hand, the euro protected the eurozone, particularly Germany’s export economy, from speculative attacks and the chaos of currency volatility. On the other hand, the second phase of the crisis mercilessly exposed the euro’s Achilles heel: the absence of economic or financial unification within the eurozone. Rising tensions within the EU have been the inevitable result.

The Risks of Withdrawl
The economic costs of the Afghan war are insupportable, and political support at home is dwindling. America must withdraw, but at what price?
Joschka Fischer
01/09/2010

Entering a war is easy; getting out of it is the hard part. That axiom is particularly true for the United States today, as it muddles through three wars – two of which were forced upon it (Afghanistan and the “war on terror”), with the third (Iraq) started unnecessarily by a U.S. administration blinded by ideology and hubris.

The U.S. has no prospect of a military victory in Afghanistan or Iraq; these wars’ economic costs can hardly be borne anymore, and political support at home is dwindling. America must withdraw, but the price – for the U.S., its allies in the region, and for the West – remains an open question.

03 European leaders
Our Post-Modern Crisis
Uncertain responses and lack of responsability: when dealing with public debts and bailouts, EU governments play roulette with history
Joschka Fischer
01/06/2010

On the weekend of May 7-9, the European Union gazed into the abyss of historical failure. The fate of the euro was at stake and with it European unification as a whole. Not since before the signing of the Treaty of Rome in 1957 had Europe been in such grave political danger. On the surface, the matter at hand was the financial stabilization of Greece and of the Europe’s common currency, but the real title of the play was “Saving the Banks, Part II.”

03 Angela Merkel
Angela Bismarck Thatcher
German Chancellor Merkel sent IMF money to Greece; was it really necessary to wreak such unparalleled havoc in Europe?
Joschka Fischer
01/04/2010

The European Union’s recent summit has brought about a typically European compromise on the Greek financial crisis, one that avoids the term “solution” and hides behind the idea of a “mechanism.” Whether it works will be seen in April, when Greece will have to refinance its debt once more.

High Noon in the Middle East
A Hitherto Latent Rivalry Between Iran and Israel Has Been Transformed into a Struggle for Dominance
Joschka Fischer
18/02/2009

 

Jerusalem -- As a result of misguided American policy, the threat of another military confrontation hangs like a dark cloud over the Middle East. The United States' enemies have been strengthened, and Iran -- despite being branded as a member of the so-called 'axis of evil' -- has been catapulted into regional hegemony. Iran could never have achieved this on its own, certainly not in such a short time.

Europe and the New World Order
The G-8, which excludes the key emerging-market countries, has lost its significance for good
Joschka Fischer
01/12/2008
On Nov. 15, history was made. For the first time the G-20, the world’s 20 leading economies, came together in Washington, D.C., to find an answer to the global financial and economic crisis. While the gathering resulted in nothing more than declarations of intent, it still marks a turning point.

Faced with the gravest financial and economic crisis worldwide since the 1930’s, the Western industrial nations (including Russia) that have previously dominated the world economy are no longer capable of an effective response. Hopes for mitigating or, indeed, overcoming the crisis rest exclusively with the emerging economic powers, first and foremost China.

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