The European Parliament elections saw a troubling swing to the extreme right across Europe. Parties like Golden Dawn in Greece and Jobbik in Hungary that promote racism and anti-Semitism had strong showings. In Germany, Angela Merkel's party won but the new Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which opposes the euro currency and bailouts for southern European countries, gained its first seats in the European Parliament. The AfD promotes a nationalist message and some see it as further to the right than Merkel's party, but its leader says it does not want to work with extreme right groups in other countries and will seek allies among conservatives.
The document provides analysis of the results of the 2009 European Parliament elections by country. It finds that the center-right EPP group won the most seats overall at 264. The center-left Socialists lost significantly, only winning 184 seats. Nationalist and populist groups made gains in some countries. Voter turnout declined slightly but remained high in some countries like Belgium where the European elections were held concurrently with regional elections.
Du bow digest american edition march 31, 2011dubowdigest
The document provides analysis and commentary on recent political events in Germany and their implications. It discusses:
1) Recent state elections in Germany that weakened Chancellor Merkel's coalition and hurt her Christian Democratic Union party. The elections were a success for the Green party.
2) Analysis of the elections' impact on energy policy and a shift away from nuclear power in Germany. The elections also boosted grassroots activism.
3) Germany's controversial abstention from the UN vote on a no-fly zone for Libya, which angered allies, and analysis of the German government's perspective on the issue.
4) Analysis of the growing distance in relations between Germany and Israel, and between Merkel and Netanyahu,
European parties' single candidates - EP2014euractiv
Contenders to become the European parties' single candidates in the campaign towards May 2014's European elections. These candidates serve as contenders for the European Commission presidency as well.
BRYNEN, David A Tale of Two Parties Assessing Similarities and Differences Be...David Brynen
This document provides a historical overview of the rise of far-right political parties in France and the UK, specifically focusing on the Front National (FN) in France and the UK Independence Party (UKIP). It details the emergence of the FN out of earlier far-right movements in France dating back to the 1940s. It also examines the historical development of far-right politics in the UK and the eventual founding of UKIP. The document then compares the ideological stances, trajectories, and political influence of the FN and UKIP.
DuBow Digest American Edition October 28, 2013dubowdigest
The document provides an overview of recent German political events, including the recent federal election. It discusses the results of the election, with Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU winning the most seats but falling short of a majority, requiring a coalition with the SPD. It notes two African-German politicians were elected for the first time. It also compares the German election process, with its short, low-cost campaigns focused on issues rather than attacks, to the highly partisan, long and expensive US system, suggesting the parliamentary coalition-building approach offers benefits over gridlock-prone divided government.
The document summarizes the results of the European parliamentary elections and the subsequent reactions and negotiations. The preliminary results show the EPP ahead of the S&D with 25 seats. Both Juncker and Schulz claim they have a right to seek a majority and become Commission President. The negotiations around who will fill top EU jobs, including Commission President, are expected to be long and complex with input from both the European Council and Parliament. National leaders and parties stake out their positions in the process.
The document summarizes the rise of populist and extremist parties in Hungary and Austria. It discusses how Hungary transitioned to democracy in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union, with liberal parties like Fidesz emerging. Fidesz and its leader Viktor Orban initially supported European integration. However, after winning elections in 2010 with a supermajority, Fidesz enacted authoritarian reforms that concentrated power and conflicted with EU values. The document also examines the rise of the far-right populist party Jobbik in Hungary and compares it to the Freedom Party of Austria led by Jorg Haider, which rose by promoting anti-immigration and Euroskeptic messages.
The document provides analysis of the results of the 2009 European Parliament elections by country. It finds that the center-right EPP group won the most seats overall at 264. The center-left Socialists lost significantly, only winning 184 seats. Nationalist and populist groups made gains in some countries. Voter turnout declined slightly but remained high in some countries like Belgium where the European elections were held concurrently with regional elections.
Du bow digest american edition march 31, 2011dubowdigest
The document provides analysis and commentary on recent political events in Germany and their implications. It discusses:
1) Recent state elections in Germany that weakened Chancellor Merkel's coalition and hurt her Christian Democratic Union party. The elections were a success for the Green party.
2) Analysis of the elections' impact on energy policy and a shift away from nuclear power in Germany. The elections also boosted grassroots activism.
3) Germany's controversial abstention from the UN vote on a no-fly zone for Libya, which angered allies, and analysis of the German government's perspective on the issue.
4) Analysis of the growing distance in relations between Germany and Israel, and between Merkel and Netanyahu,
European parties' single candidates - EP2014euractiv
Contenders to become the European parties' single candidates in the campaign towards May 2014's European elections. These candidates serve as contenders for the European Commission presidency as well.
BRYNEN, David A Tale of Two Parties Assessing Similarities and Differences Be...David Brynen
This document provides a historical overview of the rise of far-right political parties in France and the UK, specifically focusing on the Front National (FN) in France and the UK Independence Party (UKIP). It details the emergence of the FN out of earlier far-right movements in France dating back to the 1940s. It also examines the historical development of far-right politics in the UK and the eventual founding of UKIP. The document then compares the ideological stances, trajectories, and political influence of the FN and UKIP.
DuBow Digest American Edition October 28, 2013dubowdigest
The document provides an overview of recent German political events, including the recent federal election. It discusses the results of the election, with Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU winning the most seats but falling short of a majority, requiring a coalition with the SPD. It notes two African-German politicians were elected for the first time. It also compares the German election process, with its short, low-cost campaigns focused on issues rather than attacks, to the highly partisan, long and expensive US system, suggesting the parliamentary coalition-building approach offers benefits over gridlock-prone divided government.
The document summarizes the results of the European parliamentary elections and the subsequent reactions and negotiations. The preliminary results show the EPP ahead of the S&D with 25 seats. Both Juncker and Schulz claim they have a right to seek a majority and become Commission President. The negotiations around who will fill top EU jobs, including Commission President, are expected to be long and complex with input from both the European Council and Parliament. National leaders and parties stake out their positions in the process.
The document summarizes the rise of populist and extremist parties in Hungary and Austria. It discusses how Hungary transitioned to democracy in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union, with liberal parties like Fidesz emerging. Fidesz and its leader Viktor Orban initially supported European integration. However, after winning elections in 2010 with a supermajority, Fidesz enacted authoritarian reforms that concentrated power and conflicted with EU values. The document also examines the rise of the far-right populist party Jobbik in Hungary and compares it to the Freedom Party of Austria led by Jorg Haider, which rose by promoting anti-immigration and Euroskeptic messages.
Du bow digest american edition nov. 23, 2010dubowdigest
The document provides a summary of several news items related to Germany and Jewish interests:
1) It discusses Chancellor Angela Merkel's declining approval ratings but notes she still has 3 years left in her term. Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is mentioned as a potential future candidate.
2) It reports on the ongoing problem of neo-Nazi activity in the eastern German state of Thuringia, including attacks on Jewish memorials.
3) It notes the publication of the first Jewish children's book in Germany since the Holocaust as a positive step for the Jewish community.
- A Pew Research Center survey found rising Euroskepticism across Europe, with only 51% having a favorable view of the EU on average in 10 countries surveyed. Significant minorities in many countries want power returned from Brussels to national governments.
- Support for the EU has declined sharply in the past year in France, Spain, Germany, the UK, and Italy. Younger people are generally more favorable toward the EU than older citizens.
- Views are divided along partisan lines, with supporters of Euroskeptic parties much less likely to view the EU favorably. However, criticism of the EU by a party does not always translate to its supporters viewing the EU negatively.
- Overwhelming majorities disapprove
This document is a dissertation that examines the rise of single-issue parties in UK politics and whether they represent a new direction for representative democracy.
The introduction provides background on declining voter turnout and the emergence of new parties like UKIP, the Green Party, and NHAP. The literature review discusses the Power Inquiry report on declining political participation.
Chapter 2 discusses the UK's system of representative liberal democracy and how it has evolved from theories like Hobbes' social contract. It also examines the traditional two-party system and role of political parties in the Westminster model.
La aseguradora Coface a través de su publicación "Panorama" nos hace un análisis del riesgo político en Europa y de las consecuencias que puede conllevar.
This document summarizes key aspects of democracy in Norway. It explains that Norway is a constitutional monarchy with a sovereign king. Power flows from lawmakers to citizens rather than the other way around. Norwegians vote for political parties rather than individual candidates. While voters decide which parties get seats in parliament, lawmakers have significant autonomy and are not strictly bound by the will of voters. Coalition governments are common and can include parties rejected by most voters. Some argue this system does not prioritize adhering to the will of the majority.
- In the first round of the French presidential election, François Hollande received 28.63% of the vote to incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy's 27.18%, marking the first time an incumbent president failed to make it to the second round.
- Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Front received 17.9% of the vote, the highest percentage ever for her party, putting pressure on Sarkozy to move further right to attract her voters for the runoff.
- Opinion polls indicate Hollande is in a strong position to defeat Sarkozy in the second round in two weeks, having secured support from other left-wing candidates, while Sarkozy will aim to win over National Front supporters
DuBow Digest American Edition August 12, 2013dubowdigest
This document provides updates on several political issues in Germany. It discusses the upcoming German federal election in September, with Angela Merkel's party projected to win but potentially form a grand coalition. It also covers debates around Germany's role in Europe, including criticisms from philosopher Jürgen Habermas about Germany's austerity policies. Additionally, it discusses ongoing issues of confronting Nazi ideology in Germany, such as a magazine accused of glorifying WWII soldiers and two trainee priests kicked out of seminary for Nazi salutes and jokes.
This document outlines the history and government of Germany from the 1900s to present day. It traces Germany's transition from a monarchy to a democracy after World War I and World War II, and its division and reunification after the Cold War. It then describes Germany's modern parliamentary system, with a chancellor as head of government and president as head of state, as well as its multi-party system and three branches of government: ordinary courts, administrative courts, and the powerful constitutional court.
DuBow Digest American Edition December 20, 2013dubowdigest
The document provides summaries of several news stories from Germany:
- Germany has formed a new governing coalition led by Chancellor Angela Merkel for the third time. The coalition agreement focuses on economic and social policies but foreign policy is expected to remain largely unchanged.
- German states are attempting to ban the far-right neo-Nazi NPD party through the courts but the outcome is uncertain.
- There is ongoing debate about whether to publish an annotated version of Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" in Germany when the copyright expires in 2015.
- The German state of Baden-Württemberg signed a treaty recognizing the Sinti and Roma minority and their culture, the first such recognition after long
Referendum in Moldova: is it a failure and which are the implications?IDIS Viitorul
The referendum in Moldova on changing the constitution to allow for direct election of the president failed to pass due to low voter turnout of 29.05%, below the required 33.33%. While not a total failure, implications include political parties redrawing plans and the possibility of repeated early elections if the issue of presidential elections is not resolved. Key factors in the low turnout included a boycott by the opposition Communist party, poor campaigning by pro-reform parties, and polarization following April protests.
European Integration Index 2013 for Eastern Partnership CountriesGhenadie Sontu
This document provides an overview of developments in Eastern Partnership countries in 2012-2013. It summarizes the results of national elections that tested young democracies and notes some countries made progress with reforms while others experienced backsliding. It also discusses how the EU's transformative power depends on domestic political will, and how the EU is applying a "more for more" approach to incentivize reforms through its funding and agreements. The conclusion of association agreements including DCFTAs at the 2013 Vilnius summit would mark an important step on these countries' European integration path.
Events, data and price action in recent days have provided much debate and if anything reinforce my view that volatility in asset prices is unlikely to be tamed any time soon (see Be careful what you wish for, 1 November 2016). The odds of Donald Trump winning next week’s US presidential elections have gone up, the probability of the UK opting for hard Brexit has come down, US data have been mixed and global yields and equities have come off. But ultimately I do not think the underlying picture has changed as much.
DuBow Digest American Edition January 16, 2013dubowdigest
A new far-right political party called "Die Rechte" has emerged in Germany, seeking to establish itself as an alternative to the neo-Nazi NPD party. Die Rechte's program promotes preserving German identity and restricting rights of foreigners, and its leadership includes veterans of extremist far-right groups. Experts are monitoring whether the party will take a more moderate or militant direction. Separately, concerns have been raised that neo-Nazis are increasingly infiltrating sports clubs in Germany to recruit and radicalize youth.
The document provides biographies and profiles of several prominent Polish politicians who are members of the European Parliament from Poland. It discusses their backgrounds, careers, policy interests, and committee assignments. The politicians largely belong to the centrist Civic Platform party and represent Poland's major political factions in Europe.
Journalists and media in Ukraine - Reporters Without Borders - 2016DonbassFullAccess
The media landscape in Ukraine is dominated by a small number of oligarchs who control major television stations. Television is the main source of news for Ukrainians. While media ownership is officially non-transparent, in practice the public knows that the top stations are owned by oligarchs like Ihor Kolomoysky, Viktor Pinchuk, and Rinat Akhmetov. A new law aims to increase transparency of ownership, but there is skepticism about its implementation as oligarchs still wield political and business influence through their media properties.
Work the Switches Before the German Federal ElectionMSL
An era of relative stability in Germany’s political landscape is coming to an end. For some time, traditional party ties have been weakening, especially in Germany’s old eastern states – but increasingly also in the old west.
Our MSLGROUP Germany team is passionate about political communication and see through the fog of Germany’s diverse and de-centralized regulatory and media landscapes. Benefitting from an outstanding close-knit political network, we know what makes German policy-makers tick – offering our clients access to formal and informal decision-making processes.
For more information connect with our team on Twitter @MSL_Germany.
In 2009, the Republic of Moldova created an alternative to the communist
leadership. In 2013, the Alliance for European Integration was replaced by the Alliance for Pro-European Governance, which secured two issues: the signing of the Association Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, and
the interests of local oligarchs. After the parliamentary elections in 2014, as an alternative to the increasingly powerful Igor Dodon’s Party of Socialists, another coalition,
the Political Alliance for European Moldova was created and ‘sealed’ by embezzling
$ 1 billion from Moldovan banks (12.5% of GDP). The coalition formed in January
2015, was replaced by the re-launched Alliance for European Integration, and then by
another coalition without a definite name in January 2016. This extremely expanded
political activity is a backdrop for the façade of democracy and the subsequent parliamentary elections scheduled for 2018. The pro-European coalitions in the Republic of
Moldova discredited themselves in front of the society as strongly as their predecessors (the communists), causing a state of general disintegration.
Du bow digest american edition nov. 23, 2010dubowdigest
The document provides a summary of several news items related to Germany and Jewish interests:
1) It discusses Chancellor Angela Merkel's declining approval ratings but notes she still has 3 years left in her term. Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg is mentioned as a potential future candidate.
2) It reports on the ongoing problem of neo-Nazi activity in the eastern German state of Thuringia, including attacks on Jewish memorials.
3) It notes the publication of the first Jewish children's book in Germany since the Holocaust as a positive step for the Jewish community.
- A Pew Research Center survey found rising Euroskepticism across Europe, with only 51% having a favorable view of the EU on average in 10 countries surveyed. Significant minorities in many countries want power returned from Brussels to national governments.
- Support for the EU has declined sharply in the past year in France, Spain, Germany, the UK, and Italy. Younger people are generally more favorable toward the EU than older citizens.
- Views are divided along partisan lines, with supporters of Euroskeptic parties much less likely to view the EU favorably. However, criticism of the EU by a party does not always translate to its supporters viewing the EU negatively.
- Overwhelming majorities disapprove
This document is a dissertation that examines the rise of single-issue parties in UK politics and whether they represent a new direction for representative democracy.
The introduction provides background on declining voter turnout and the emergence of new parties like UKIP, the Green Party, and NHAP. The literature review discusses the Power Inquiry report on declining political participation.
Chapter 2 discusses the UK's system of representative liberal democracy and how it has evolved from theories like Hobbes' social contract. It also examines the traditional two-party system and role of political parties in the Westminster model.
La aseguradora Coface a través de su publicación "Panorama" nos hace un análisis del riesgo político en Europa y de las consecuencias que puede conllevar.
This document summarizes key aspects of democracy in Norway. It explains that Norway is a constitutional monarchy with a sovereign king. Power flows from lawmakers to citizens rather than the other way around. Norwegians vote for political parties rather than individual candidates. While voters decide which parties get seats in parliament, lawmakers have significant autonomy and are not strictly bound by the will of voters. Coalition governments are common and can include parties rejected by most voters. Some argue this system does not prioritize adhering to the will of the majority.
- In the first round of the French presidential election, François Hollande received 28.63% of the vote to incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy's 27.18%, marking the first time an incumbent president failed to make it to the second round.
- Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Front received 17.9% of the vote, the highest percentage ever for her party, putting pressure on Sarkozy to move further right to attract her voters for the runoff.
- Opinion polls indicate Hollande is in a strong position to defeat Sarkozy in the second round in two weeks, having secured support from other left-wing candidates, while Sarkozy will aim to win over National Front supporters
DuBow Digest American Edition August 12, 2013dubowdigest
This document provides updates on several political issues in Germany. It discusses the upcoming German federal election in September, with Angela Merkel's party projected to win but potentially form a grand coalition. It also covers debates around Germany's role in Europe, including criticisms from philosopher Jürgen Habermas about Germany's austerity policies. Additionally, it discusses ongoing issues of confronting Nazi ideology in Germany, such as a magazine accused of glorifying WWII soldiers and two trainee priests kicked out of seminary for Nazi salutes and jokes.
This document outlines the history and government of Germany from the 1900s to present day. It traces Germany's transition from a monarchy to a democracy after World War I and World War II, and its division and reunification after the Cold War. It then describes Germany's modern parliamentary system, with a chancellor as head of government and president as head of state, as well as its multi-party system and three branches of government: ordinary courts, administrative courts, and the powerful constitutional court.
DuBow Digest American Edition December 20, 2013dubowdigest
The document provides summaries of several news stories from Germany:
- Germany has formed a new governing coalition led by Chancellor Angela Merkel for the third time. The coalition agreement focuses on economic and social policies but foreign policy is expected to remain largely unchanged.
- German states are attempting to ban the far-right neo-Nazi NPD party through the courts but the outcome is uncertain.
- There is ongoing debate about whether to publish an annotated version of Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" in Germany when the copyright expires in 2015.
- The German state of Baden-Württemberg signed a treaty recognizing the Sinti and Roma minority and their culture, the first such recognition after long
Referendum in Moldova: is it a failure and which are the implications?IDIS Viitorul
The referendum in Moldova on changing the constitution to allow for direct election of the president failed to pass due to low voter turnout of 29.05%, below the required 33.33%. While not a total failure, implications include political parties redrawing plans and the possibility of repeated early elections if the issue of presidential elections is not resolved. Key factors in the low turnout included a boycott by the opposition Communist party, poor campaigning by pro-reform parties, and polarization following April protests.
European Integration Index 2013 for Eastern Partnership CountriesGhenadie Sontu
This document provides an overview of developments in Eastern Partnership countries in 2012-2013. It summarizes the results of national elections that tested young democracies and notes some countries made progress with reforms while others experienced backsliding. It also discusses how the EU's transformative power depends on domestic political will, and how the EU is applying a "more for more" approach to incentivize reforms through its funding and agreements. The conclusion of association agreements including DCFTAs at the 2013 Vilnius summit would mark an important step on these countries' European integration path.
Events, data and price action in recent days have provided much debate and if anything reinforce my view that volatility in asset prices is unlikely to be tamed any time soon (see Be careful what you wish for, 1 November 2016). The odds of Donald Trump winning next week’s US presidential elections have gone up, the probability of the UK opting for hard Brexit has come down, US data have been mixed and global yields and equities have come off. But ultimately I do not think the underlying picture has changed as much.
DuBow Digest American Edition January 16, 2013dubowdigest
A new far-right political party called "Die Rechte" has emerged in Germany, seeking to establish itself as an alternative to the neo-Nazi NPD party. Die Rechte's program promotes preserving German identity and restricting rights of foreigners, and its leadership includes veterans of extremist far-right groups. Experts are monitoring whether the party will take a more moderate or militant direction. Separately, concerns have been raised that neo-Nazis are increasingly infiltrating sports clubs in Germany to recruit and radicalize youth.
The document provides biographies and profiles of several prominent Polish politicians who are members of the European Parliament from Poland. It discusses their backgrounds, careers, policy interests, and committee assignments. The politicians largely belong to the centrist Civic Platform party and represent Poland's major political factions in Europe.
Journalists and media in Ukraine - Reporters Without Borders - 2016DonbassFullAccess
The media landscape in Ukraine is dominated by a small number of oligarchs who control major television stations. Television is the main source of news for Ukrainians. While media ownership is officially non-transparent, in practice the public knows that the top stations are owned by oligarchs like Ihor Kolomoysky, Viktor Pinchuk, and Rinat Akhmetov. A new law aims to increase transparency of ownership, but there is skepticism about its implementation as oligarchs still wield political and business influence through their media properties.
Work the Switches Before the German Federal ElectionMSL
An era of relative stability in Germany’s political landscape is coming to an end. For some time, traditional party ties have been weakening, especially in Germany’s old eastern states – but increasingly also in the old west.
Our MSLGROUP Germany team is passionate about political communication and see through the fog of Germany’s diverse and de-centralized regulatory and media landscapes. Benefitting from an outstanding close-knit political network, we know what makes German policy-makers tick – offering our clients access to formal and informal decision-making processes.
For more information connect with our team on Twitter @MSL_Germany.
In 2009, the Republic of Moldova created an alternative to the communist
leadership. In 2013, the Alliance for European Integration was replaced by the Alliance for Pro-European Governance, which secured two issues: the signing of the Association Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, and
the interests of local oligarchs. After the parliamentary elections in 2014, as an alternative to the increasingly powerful Igor Dodon’s Party of Socialists, another coalition,
the Political Alliance for European Moldova was created and ‘sealed’ by embezzling
$ 1 billion from Moldovan banks (12.5% of GDP). The coalition formed in January
2015, was replaced by the re-launched Alliance for European Integration, and then by
another coalition without a definite name in January 2016. This extremely expanded
political activity is a backdrop for the façade of democracy and the subsequent parliamentary elections scheduled for 2018. The pro-European coalitions in the Republic of
Moldova discredited themselves in front of the society as strongly as their predecessors (the communists), causing a state of general disintegration.
Du Bow digestamerican edition july 29, 2011dubowdigest
This document summarizes several news stories from Germany:
1) Germany is facing pressure over its stance on Palestinian statehood at the UN in September. Chancellor Merkel opposes unilateral statehood but European unity is important. Germany's position will influence isolation of Israel.
2) A project is returning books taken by German Jews fleeing Nazi Germany to Germany to teach students history. The personal histories in the books help students understand the human costs of Nazi era.
3) Despite low poll numbers, Chancellor Merkel has announced she will run for re-election in 2013 and challenges opponents to find strong candidates against her.
4) The FDP, junior coalition partner of Merkel's CDU, faces declining support which
GuideStar Webinar (01/30/14) - Weaving Financial Data Into Your Grantmaking P...GuideStar
Join us for a half-hour live demonstration of Financial SCAN, an online financial analysis platform developed in partnership by NFF and GuideStar. Learn about new features for enhanced peer benchmarking and data customization, and how Financial SCAN can help your institution save time and add insights to your grantmaking process and conversations with nonprofits.
The document discusses the importance of communication for entrepreneurs. Effective communication is crucial for establishing businesses, sharing information, coordinating activities, and achieving goals. Communication allows entrepreneurs to connect with employees, market their business, and pitch sales. To communicate successfully, entrepreneurs should clarify ideas, use simple language, and consider feedback. Developing listening skills and using communication technologies also helps entrepreneurs achieve effective communication.
Du bow Digest American Edition feb. 28, 2012dubowdigest
This document summarizes news from Germany related to politics and Jewish issues. It discusses the selection of Joachim Gauck as the new German president following the resignation of Christian Wulff due to scandals. It provides background on Gauck and notes that while he has integrity and strength, his views on issues important to Jews are unclear. The document also discusses differing views on whether Germany and Israel are growing closer together or further apart, with an Israeli politician arguing for closer ties but a German-Israeli historian disagreeing.
A empresa de tecnologia anunciou um novo smartphone com câmera aprimorada, processador mais rápido e bateria de maior duração. O dispositivo também inclui recursos adicionais como reconhecimento facial e carregamento sem fio. O lançamento está programado para o próximo mês com preço inicial sugerido de US$799.
Du bow digest g germany edition may 30, 2014dubowdigest
This document provides a summary of recent news articles on various topics related to Jews in Europe and America. It discusses growing anti-Semitism in Europe as far-right parties gain power in the European parliament. It also summarizes an extensive global survey on anti-Semitic attitudes that found over a quarter of the world's population holds intense anti-Jewish views. Additionally, it discusses the rejection of the Jewish advocacy group J Street's application to join an influential American Jewish organization and notes growing concerns about anti-Semitism from American Jews with family ties to Europe.
See how leading companies, Salesforce Foundation and Foundant Technologies, are taking advantage of APIs to power social impact. Attendees will learn about GuideStar APIs in the social sector, see specific working examples, and an overview of uses. Part 1 of a series on APIs.
Before you spend any more money on marketing or advertising, you should ask yourself these 10 marketing questions. This will help you develop your marketing plan, especially if you are a new business owner.
Du bow digest american edition april 2015dubowdigest
This document is a newsletter from Eugene Dubow providing updates on news related to Germany. It discusses several topics:
- Germany is still dealing with the aftermath of the Germanwings plane crash by a German pilot.
- Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl celebrated his 85th birthday and his legacy of reunifying Germany and supporting European unity is still praised today.
- Some Greeks and others in Southern Europe criticize Germany's economic dominance in the EU since the financial crisis, drawing comparisons to Nazi occupation. However, others argue Germany is just acting in its own economic interests.
- Germany has important economic ties with Iran and German companies would be negatively impacted by sanctions, so Germany likely sees the nuclear deal as
Du Bow Digest American Edition Sept. 24, 2013dubowdigest
The document provides a summary of recent news and events in Germany. It discusses Angela Merkel winning re-election as Chancellor but facing negotiations to form a new governing coalition. It also mentions racism and far-right extremism continuing to be problems in Germany, as evidenced by the ongoing trial related to neo-Nazi killings. Additionally, it notes that while differences remain between older eastern and western Germans, younger Germans are increasingly viewing themselves as simply German rather than identifying with East or West Germany.
The rise of populist and extremist parties in Europe can be explained by their process of normalization and institutionalization over the past 20 years. Previously marginalized parties have modernized their leadership, rhetoric, and policies to become more acceptable. They have also gained popularity by presenting themselves as entrepreneurs bringing new issues neglected by mainstream parties. Meanwhile, traditional parties have lost momentum by failing to offer meaningful programs, policies, and ways to engage and mobilize citizens. The economic crisis further fueled populist criticism of elites and the EU. However, populism is a complex phenomenon not limited to extremist fringes, but also reflecting broader anxieties in society about globalization, national identity, and the changing role of the nation-state
Du bow digest american edition march 19, 2012dubowdigest
The document provides updates on recent political events and issues in Germany. It discusses:
1) The election of a new German President and upcoming state elections that could impact the makeup of the national government.
2) Growing anti-German sentiment in Greece as the country struggles with its debt crisis, and Germany's role as chief lender.
3) Biographical details of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her rise to power from East Germany.
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union that, along with the Council and Commission, exercises the EU's legislative functions. It has been directly elected every five years since 1979. The Parliament has three places of work in Brussels, Luxembourg, and Strasbourg and consists of members from various political groups like the EPP and S&D. While it can amend or reject legislation, it needs the Commission to initiate bills. Its powers have expanded with each new treaty.
THE NEW CICLE OF THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS. MAY-NOVEMBER 2019 telosaes
More than 350 million people will be able to vote between 23 and 26 May to elect the new European Parliament (EP), the only institution directly elected by the citizens of the European Union. What’s at stake? What happens with Brexit?
Du Bow Digest Germany Edition Sept. 24, 2013 adubowdigest
This document provides a summary of recent news coverage of Angela Merkel's reelection as Chancellor of Germany. It also discusses two articles analyzing the future of European Jewry. One argues that anti-Semitism will lead to the end of Jewish life in Europe, while the other contends that low birth rates mean Jewish populations will decline demographically over time. Additionally, the document outlines how newly discovered natural gas and oil deposits off Israel's coast and in the Golan Heights could impact the geopolitical situation in the region.
The European People's Party (EPP) and the Party of European Socialists (S&D) retained their majority in the European Parliament following the 2014 elections. Turnout declined sharply in some Baltic states. There was an ongoing adoption of American-style online campaigning and canvassing, but complete replication of the US model was constrained by differences in political systems and campaign finance rules. Far-right parties had some success but did not gain significant influence at the EU level. Euroscepticism remained a powerful driver for radical forces. National interests and opposition to EU migration policies were prominent issues, though family values and abortion were not major agenda items. Germany had the most influence in the European Parliament after the elections.
DuBow Digest American Edition march 6, 2013 adubowdigest
The document is a newsletter providing updates on political and social issues in Germany. It discusses growing anti-Semitism in the country as expressed through increased anti-Israel sentiment. It also notes that Chancellor Merkel has lost her majority in the upper house of parliament, making it difficult for her to pass laws and giving more power to the opposition parties ahead of elections later this year. Finally, it highlights an article analyzing the complex relationship between legitimate criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism in Germany.
Du bow digest american edition may 8, 2012 adubowdigest
The document provides an overview of recent political events and issues in Germany:
- Election results in France and the German state of Schleswig-Holstein complicate Chancellor Merkel's political situation as the new French president favors more stimulus spending.
- A Salafist Muslim group distributing free Korans in Germany is causing controversy due to the group's radical interpretation of Islam and alleged threats against journalists. Politicians are concerned about the group's influence.
- Many Israelis and some American Jews are claiming German citizenship through laws granting citizenship to descendants of Jews who fled Nazi Germany. Some see Germany as a safe place for Jews today.
- The Pirate Party has become the third largest political force in Germany
Elections for the European Parliament take place every five years in the EU member states. Each country has its own voting system, but they must use a form of proportional representation and cannot have election thresholds over 5%. Most countries use party list PR across the entire state, but some like Belgium and the UK divide into constituencies. Europarties campaign EU-wide and must put forward a candidate for European Commission President. Voter turnout has declined in each election as some see it as a way to punish national governments. Reforms are being considered to make the elections more pan-European and increase voter engagement.
Du bow digest american edition september 25, 2011dubowdigest
This newsletter discusses recent political events in Germany. It summarizes an article stating that Germany's role at the UN has diminished after it abstained from a Security Council vote on Libya. Germany hoped to gain a permanent seat on the UN Security Council but this goal has receded. The newsletter also discusses the neo-Nazi NPD party gaining seats again in a state election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and argues that mainstream parties have neglected rural areas and failed to confront xenophobia, allowing neo-Nazism to spread. Finally, it notes Germany walked out during a speech by Iranian president Ahmadinejad at the UN.
For the past six years, the author has taught a seminar on European studies in Rome. This year, the students in the seminar surprised him by expressing eurosceptic views. Many did not trust the European Union or Brussels, seeing the EU as dominated by large states like Germany or viewing the European Commission as an undemocratic executive power. Some openly supported leaving the EU, like the British student, or admired Vladimir Putin, like the Bulgarian student. The author suspects many did not vote in the 2014 European elections. These skeptical student views reflect growing public distrust of the EU across Europe according to polls, despite the EU's increasing importance in citizens' lives. The rise of anti-European parties in the 2014 European elections
DuBow Digest American Edition September 2014 dubowdigest
1. The document is an American edition newsletter covering various news items related to Germany and Jewish/Israeli issues.
2. It discusses Germany spying on other countries like Turkey, the growth of right-wing populist parties in Germany, and Germany providing aid to Israel to help victims of trauma from the Gaza war.
3. It also covers Germany banning ISIS, adding more advanced submarines to Israel's fleet, providing additional Holocaust compensation funds, and the neo-Nazi NPD party failing to retain its seat in the Saxony state parliament.
A menos de três meses de eleições que podem fortalecer a representação da extrema direita no Parlamento Europeu, impulsionando ainda mais a onda antidemocrática global, a Fundação Fernando Henrique Cardoso, a Embaixada da República Federal da Alemanha e a Cátedra Martius de Estudos Alemães e Europeus (DAAD- USP) convidam para palestra de dois destacados intelectuais alemães, dedicados ao tema do ressurgimento do nacionalismo xenófobo na Europa.
PROF. DR. WOLFGANG MERKEL
Diretor do programa de pesquisa “Democracia e Democratização” do Centro de Ciências Sociais WZB (Berlim) e professor de Ciência Política na Humboldt University em Berlim. É membro de diversas instituições, entre elas, a Academia de Ciências e Humanidades de Berlim-Brandemburgo. É autor e editor de diversos livros, sendo os mais recentes “Democracies and Crisis: Challenges in Turbulent Times” (Springer, 2018), co-editado com Sascha Kneip, e “The Handbook of Political, Social and Economic Transformation” (Oxford University Press, 2019), co-editado com Raj Kollmorgen e Hans-Jürgen Wagener.
DuBow Digest American Edition oct. 16, 2012adubowdigest
The document provides an overview of recent political events and issues affecting Germany and Jewish communities. It introduces Peer Steinbrück as the new challenger to Angela Merkel for Chancellor in Germany's 2013 election. It also summarizes recent incidents of anti-Semitism in Germany, including the attack on a rabbi, threats against the Secretary General of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and a taxi driver refusing to drive a Jewish family to a synagogue.
The document summarizes German federal elections between 1928 and 1938, during which time the Nazi party rose to power. Some key points:
- In 1928, the Social Democratic Party remained the largest but failed to gain a majority. The Nazi party received less than 3% of the vote.
- In 1930, the Nazi party dramatically increased its seats from 12 to 107, becoming the second largest party.
- In 1932, the Nazi party became the largest party for the first time with 37% of the vote and 230 seats.
- The 1933 and 1938 elections after Hitler became Chancellor were not free and fair, with intimidation of opposition parties. The Nazi party was the sole party by 1938.
The document provides a comparison of the political party systems and governmental structures of the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany. It discusses the differences between presidential and parliamentary systems of government. It also analyzes the appeal and viability of far-right political parties in these countries, specifically exploring the National Front in France, British National Party in the UK, and National Democratic Party in Germany. Finally, it contrasts the constitutional development of Germany and France, examining differences in their executive branches, legislative branches, and judicial systems.
The battle Against Credit Card Fraud: Cooperation between Airlines and Law En...Shalini Levens
Online transactions represent a large majority of all Airline ticket purchases. This article discloses how Airlines are dealing with cybercriminals and how cooperation with other Travel Merchants, Banks and Law Enforcement is fundamental
What explains the cross-national variation in the radical right’s electoral
success over the past several decades? Challenging existing structural
and institutional accounts, this book analyzes the dynamics of party
building and explores the attitudes, skills, and experiences of radical
right activists in eleven countries. Based on extensive field research and
an original data set of radical right candidates for office, David Art
links the quality of radical right activists to broader patterns of success
and failure. He demonstrates how a combination of historical legacies
and incentive structures produced activists who helped party building
in some cases and doomed it in others. In an age of rising electoral
volatility and the fading of traditional political cleavages, Inside the
Radical Right makes a strong case for the importance of party leaders
and activists as masters of their own fate
Similar to Du Bow Digest American Edition May 30, 2014 (20)
El Puerto de Algeciras continúa un año más como el más eficiente del continente europeo y vuelve a situarse en el “top ten” mundial, según el informe The Container Port Performance Index 2023 (CPPI), elaborado por el Banco Mundial y la consultora S&P Global.
El informe CPPI utiliza dos enfoques metodológicos diferentes para calcular la clasificación del índice: uno administrativo o técnico y otro estadístico, basado en análisis factorial (FA). Según los autores, esta dualidad pretende asegurar una clasificación que refleje con precisión el rendimiento real del puerto, a la vez que sea estadísticamente sólida. En esta edición del informe CPPI 2023, se han empleado los mismos enfoques metodológicos y se ha aplicado un método de agregación de clasificaciones para combinar los resultados de ambos enfoques y obtener una clasificación agregada.
Your Go-To Press Release Newswire for Maximum Visibility and Impact.pdfPressReleasePower4
This downloadable guide explains why press releases are still important for businesses today and the challenges you might face with traditional distribution methods. Learn how [Your Website Name] offers a comprehensive solution for crafting compelling press releases, targeting the right media outlets, and maximizing visibility.
Essential Tools for Modern PR Business .pptxPragencyuk
Discover the essential tools and strategies for modern PR business success. Learn how to craft compelling news releases, leverage press release sites and news wires, stay updated with PR news, and integrate effective PR practices to enhance your brand's visibility and credibility. Elevate your PR efforts with our comprehensive guide.
Acolyte Episodes review (TV series) The Acolyte. Learn about the influence of the program on the Star Wars world, as well as new characters and story twists.
The Biggest Threat to Western Civilization _ Andy Blumenthal _ The Blogs.pdfAndy (Avraham) Blumenthal
Article in The Times of Israel by Andy Blumenthal: China and Russia are commonly considered the biggest military threats to Western civilization, but I believe that is incorrect. The biggest strategic threat is a terrorist Jihadi Caliphate.
Here is Gabe Whitley's response to my defamation lawsuit for him calling me a rapist and perjurer in court documents.
You have to read it to believe it, but after you read it, you won't believe it. And I included eight examples of defamatory statements/
Youngest c m in India- Pema Khandu BiographyVoterMood
Pema Khandu, born on August 21, 1979, is an Indian politician and the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. He is the son of former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Dorjee Khandu. Pema Khandu assumed office as the Chief Minister in July 2016, making him one of the youngest Chief Ministers in India at that time.
Howard Fineman, Veteran Political Journalist and TV Pundit, Dies at 75
Du Bow Digest American Edition May 30, 2014
1. 1
AN AMERICAN JEWISH – GERMAN INFORMATION & OPINION NEWSLETTER
dubowdigest@optonline.net
AMERICAN EDITION
May 27, 2014
IN THIS EDITION
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT (EP) VOTE: A swing to the (extreme) right.
THE AfD: WHAT KIND OF ALTERNATIVE? Extreme?
LISTENING TO PUTIN – Carefully please!
GERMANY & RUSSIA: REDUX – Implications for Jews & Israel?
COST OF REUNIFICATION – E. Germany & “The Old South”. Similarities?
ANTI-SEMITISM STUDY: GERMANY – The ADL Study. What it says.
THE SINS OF THE GRANDFATHER – How about the grandson?
ENVY & HOLOCAUST – Was this the real cause?
Dear Friends:
While the warm and beautiful weather has finally come to the Lower Hudson Valley,
enough in the way of awful news has put a damper on what should be a wonderful and
invigorating time. The murders at the Jewish Museum in Brussels and the attack on
Jews outside the synagogue in Paris were enough to bring about a psychological black
cloud. In addition, the swing to the extreme right in the European Parliament voting only
poured gasoline of the fire of depression at this troubling time.
However, on the good side of the ledger I had a great time at AJC’s impressive Global
Forum in Washington a couple of weeks ago. It was a tour de force with 2,000 people in
attendance and impressive presentations by many speakers including Hillary Clinton.
Since there is a lot to report, enough from me, let’s get on with the news…
2. 2
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT (EP) VOTE
What pray tell is the European Parliament? If you know (really know) you’re more
informed than almost everybody else in the U.S. or the rest of the world including many
in Europe itself. Why am I asking? Well, they’re just had an election incorporating a lot
of new members – including, of course, Germans and it didn’t turn out all that well.
Before going further, let’s try and understand what the EP is. According to Wikipedia,
“The European Parliament (abbreviated as EU Parliament or the EP) is the directly
elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU). Together with the Council
of the European Union (the Council) and the European Commission, it exercises the
legislative function of the EU and it has been described (by its own members) as one of
the most powerful legislatures in the world. The Parliament is composed of 766
members, who represent the second largest democratic electorate in the world (after
the Parliament of India) and the largest trans-national democratic electorate in the world
(375 million eligible voters in 2009).
It has been directly elected every five years by universal suffrage since 1979.”
If you want more details click here. http://www.dw.de/eu-election-will-reshuffle-reduce-
seats-in-parliament/a-17501569
By any test the European Parliament is important. Now down to the election itself.
Throughout much of Europe there was a very troubling swing to the right, much of it
extreme, in the voting. It is best explained in an Atlantic Institute press release. It
reported, “The AJC Transatlantic Institute expressed its great concern over the success
of extremist parties in a number of member states in the European Parliament elections.
While the center-right European People’s Party projected to finish first with 214 seats,
followed by the center-left Socialists & Democrats with 189 seats, several parties that
promote hatred had strong support.
Jobbik became the second biggest Hungarian party in the European Parliament with
14.3% (4 seats). Despite being under criminal investigations and with several party
leaders in prison, Golden Dawn entered the European Parliament for the first time,
coming in third place in Greece with about 9% of the vote (projected 3 seats). In France,
the far-right National Front became the strongest party with 25% (projected 25 seats)
and the far-right FPÖ in Austria came in a notable third with 20.5% (4 seats).
“The extent to which these parties will be able to unite to influence European policy
remains to be seen,” said Daniel Schwammenthal, Director of the AJC Transatlantic
Institute. “Nevertheless, their mere presence in the legislature for the next five years
will, at a minimum, provide a soapbox from which to propagate their vile hatred.”
Golden Dawn and Jobbik are openly racist, blaming the economic ills of their countries
3. 3
on minorities like Jews, Roma or immigrants. Their anti-Semitism also often spills into
vicious attacks against the state of Israel.
“These radical parties have been able to grow in their respective home countries for
quite some time and are now cementing their presence also at the European level,” said
Schwammenthal. “They must be confronted head-on or the danger will only continue to
grow.”
Jobbik’s European success follows an even stronger showing in April’s national
election, where it received 20% of the vote (up from 16% in the previous poll) and 23 of
the 199 seats in the Hungarian parliament, making it the third largest party. Other
parties, like France’s National Front and the FPÖ in Austria, are hoping to use the
momentum from the European elections to increase their presence on the national
political scene.
“MEPs from the shrinking pool of mainstream parties in the coming legislature will face
the challenge of standing up firmly to any statements of hatred in the European
Parliament,” said Schwammenthal. “Some European leaders, like Greek Prime Minister
Antonis Samaras, have already taken courageous stances, but only a strong, unified
voice against hatred can truly stem this dangerous tide.”
In Germany the results were not as bad. DW reported, “Chancellor Angela Merkel's
conservatives won the EU elections in Germany with final results putting them at 35.3
percent. But other parties had reason to jubilate - such as the euroskeptic AfD
[Alternative for Germany].
For the first time, Germany's contingent of 96 European Parliament deputies will include
euroskeptics: The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) was estimated to have won six of
the 96 German seats, as they won 7 percent of the vote.
Party leader Bernd Lucke was triumphant: "This is springtime in Germany," he said.
The AfD campaigned on a platform which included demands to expel weak southern
European economies from the eurozone, end bailouts and return central powers from
Brussels to the national level. It is "necessary to correct Europe," Lucke said Sunday.
"It is important for the electorate in Germany that there is such a party that will review
critically the results of policies which have been implemented in the past," Lucke told
DW in an interview.
The AfD has ruled out working with extreme right groups such as those in France and
The Netherlands or the euro-skeptic UKIP in Great Britain. Lucke and his party will most
likely seek allies within the conservatives and reformists in Europe.
The second-largest share of the German vote went to Merkel's Social Democrat (SPD)
coalition partners, who won 27.3 percent of the vote, gaining seven percent on their
2009 result.
4. 4
The SPD's top candidate, Martin Schulz, who is currently the president of the European
Parliament, is still hoping to get enough support in parliament to become head of the
European Commission in Brussels, succeeding Jose Manuel Barroso.
Voter turnout in Germany was high, rising by 5 percentage points to 48 percent in
comparison to 2009.
Merkel's bloc won 35.3 percent of votes, significantly lower than its general election
result of 41.5 percent last year and it's worst-ever result in an EU poll.
The losses were largely confined to Bavaria, where the CDU's 'sister party', the
Christian Social Union CSU won only 40 percent of the vote - a record low.
Germany's two largest opposition parties, the center-left Greens and Left Party, won 11
and 8 percent of votes respectively.
Parliamentary thresholds were abolished by a court in February, which meant that fringe
parties have won seats, including the far-right, anti-foreigner National Democratic Party,
NPD.
The NPD? Yes! That’s the neo-Nazi party. While they will have only one seat it is
dangerous enough that they’re on the inside. It’s something to worry about.
THE AfD: WHAT KIND OF ALTERNATIVE?
Last year following the German national election I wrote about a new political party,
Alternative for Germany (AfD) which barely missed getting the needed 5% of the vote in
order to win seats in the Bundestag. At that time it was described as very conservative
with its main focus being against the Euro currency.
With the EU Parliament election just having taken place, AfD did better this time and
won seats.
O.K.! So they’re an alternative but what kind? Spiegel On-Line recently ran an article
about Bernd Lucke, a Hamburg economics professor who founded the party only a little
more than a year ago. In it, it stated, “One thing that is clear is that Lucke doesn't want
the euro -- at least not the common currency as it exists at the moment. He also wants
highly indebted Southern European countries to leave the common currency zone and
rejects the mechanisms in place for bailing out the euro. He is striving for a different
Europe -- or at least a different EU.
He has also launched a master plan, a draft for a future society that evokes a lot of
suspicion about just how far to the right Lucke and his party really are.
Although Lucke only founded the AFD one year ago, it has already attracted 18,000
members, with the party hovering between five and seven percentage points in public
opinion polls. Many people were surprised that a party politically to the right of
5. 5
Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats could establish itself so quickly in
Germany.
It is one of several parties using the idea of Europe to mobilize nationalist sentiment.
The UKIP of Britain's Nigel Farage, the Vrijheid of Holland's Geert Wilders and the
National Front of Marine Le Pen are all harnessing feelings of threat and loss in order to
attract voters to their movements. There is considerable speculation about the extent to
which Lucke's party is similar to those others.
To be honest, AfD has tried to stay away from being seen as an extremist party. It
cannot be identified as anti-Semitic. However, one of my informants noted, “This is the
first time that a German right-wing party has scored so well in European
elections. They are not - yet - comparable with the Austrian Freedom Party or the Front
National, as they have focused more on economic issues and seem nationalist but not
racist. However, there have been some adherents on the margins who have made anti-
Semitic comments.”
The problem here is that extreme right parties always seem to become the resting
places for active anti-Semites. We will have to see what sort of a leader Prof. Lucke is.
Will he reject those kinds of people or will he try to have them blend in? We’ll try to keep
an eye on it for you.
LISTENING TO PUTIN
I recently came across an article wherein the Chief Rabbi of Russia (a Chabad rabbi)
talked about Pres. Putin being a great friend of the Jews. Maybe he is – but anybody
who says what he says and acts as he does raises a lot of questions in my mind. I read
somewhere that Putin’s program is “Fascism without anti-Semitism”. I’m no political
scientist but I wonder if that is possible. Fascism always contains extreme nationalism
and populism and, somehow, anti-Semitism usually pops up as a force when countries
go down that road.
Of course, Germany is close to Russia geographically and economically so it is not
surprising that the German media is loaded with pieces about Putin and Russia’s future.
Recently Jan Fleischhauer, a noted German conservative columnist writing in Spiegel
On-Line opined, “Some like to idealize Vladimir Putin as the ideological successor to the
left-wing Soviet leaders, but that's sheer nonsense. His speeches offer clear evidence
that his points of reference originate in fascism.
In order to understand Vladimir Putin, you have to listen to him. You have to read what
he wants. More importantly, though, you have to see what it is that he is seeking to
prevent. Often, a politician's fears and aversions can be more telling than his or her
plans and promises.
So what is it that drives Putin? The central theme of all his speeches is the fear of
6. 6
encirclement -- the threat represented by powers that want to keep the Russian people
down because they fear its inner strength. "They are constantly trying to sweep us into a
corner because we have an independent position, because we maintain it and because
we call things like they are and do not engage in hypocrisy," he said in a March 18
speech before the Duma. In a television interview in April, he said: "There are enough
forces in the world that are afraid of our strength, 'our hugeness,' as one of our
sovereigns said. So they seek to divide us into parts."
There remains a tendency to view the Kremlin's foreign policy primarily from a
geopolitical perspective -- namely that the country is seeking to recover some of the
territory it lost when the Soviet Union dissolved. But when Putin speaks of the enemy of
the Russian people, he is speaking about something deeper and more basic. The forces
against which he has declared war are not only seeking to expand their influence further
and further into the East -- they are also going after the Russian soul. That's what he
means when he says that Russia must put up a fight against the West.
But what's at the heart of this soul? Putin has provided some insights here as well. "It
seems to me that the Russian person or, on a broader scale, a person of the Russian
world, primarily thinks about his or her highest moral designation, some highest moral
truths," he said in the interview. In contrast to this is a West that is fixated on personal
success and prosperity or, as Putin states, the "inner self." In the view of its president,
the battle Russia is waging is ideological in nature. It is a fight against the superficiality
of materialism, against the decline in values, against the feminization and effeminacy of
society -- and against the dissolution of all traditional bonds that are part of that
development. In short, against everything "un-Russian."
Even today, many are having trouble recognizing the true nature of a man who is
currently in the process of turning the European peace order on its head. Perhaps we
don't have the courage to make the right comparisons because they remind us of an era
that we thought we had put behind us. Within Germany's Left Party and parts of the
center-left Social Democrats, Putin is still viewed as a man molded in the tradition of the
Soviet party leader, who stood for an idealized version of Socialism. The old knee-jerk
sense of solidarity is still there. It is based on a misunderstanding, though, because
Putin isn't post-communist. He's post-fascist.
When they were first introduced one year ago, people also failed to recognize the true
meaning of Russia's new anti-gay laws. But today it is clear that it marked the
emergence of the new Russia. What began with an anti-gay law is now continuing at
another level: The logical progression of the belief that certain groups are inferior is the
belief in the superiority of one's own people.
And when Putin evokes the myth of Moscow as a "Third Rome," it is clear he is
assigning the Russian people with an historic mission. Responsibility is falling to Russia
not only to stop Western decadence at its borders, but also to provide a last bastion for
those who had already given up hope in this struggle. But he is also saying that Russia
can never yield.
7. 7
"Death is horrible, isn't it?" Putin asked viewers at the end of his television appearance.
"But no, it appears it may be beautiful if it serves the people: Death for one's friends,
one's people or for the homeland, to use the modern word." That's as fascist as it gets.
Perhaps Mr. Fleischhauer is extrapolating a bit too much from some of Pres. Putin’s
statements – but maybe he’s not. It’s obviously important to understand Putin so that
the West’s counter programs can effectively deal with him. I think it behooves the
Jewish community to do the same. There are at least 190,000 Jews in Russia today –
perhaps even many more. Getting political movements started (like wars) are easy as
compared as to where they might lead. If things should turn for the worse, I don’t think
the EU, or even Germany, will be able to help much. Vigilance and a watchful eye are
what are needed at the moment.
GERMANY & RUSSIA: REDUX
In last month’s newsletter I included a NY Times article about Germany & the Jews by
Clemens Wergin who is the foreign editor for the German newspaper group, Welt,
including Die Welt, Welt am Sonntag, Berliner Morgenpost and Hamburger Abendblatt.
In addition to overseeing the newspapers’ foreign policy coverage, he writes the foreign
policy blog Flatworld.
Now writing regularly for the NY Times, he has written an important piece on Russia
and Germany entitled “Why Germans Love Russia”. In it he notes, “…Russia’s actions
were not the only surprise. If you have followed the German debate about the Ukraine
crisis, you have witnessed another strange phenomenon: a parade of former politicians
and public figures going on TV to make the case for Russia.
You thought that Germans were the champions of international law and a rules-based
world order? Think again.
There is a blatant hypocrisy here. At times the same people who had relied on
international law to attack the American invasion of Iraq are now, as newborn realists,
excusing Russia’s need to infringe on the sovereignty of other nations.
Some of this pro-Moscow sentiment is the work of Russia-sponsored propaganda: A
recent investigative report by the newspaper Welt am Sonntag revealed how a shady
network of Russia supporters has shaped public discourse in Germany. Even dialogue
forums with Russia, co-sponsored by the German government, are full of friends of Mr.
Putin, even on the German side.
But there is also a disturbing undercurrent among ordinary Germans that harks back to
old and unfortunate German traditions. We have come to think of Germany as a
Western European country, but that is largely a product of Cold War alliances. Before
then it occupied a precarious middle between east and west.
Twenty-five years after the end of the Cold War, German society may well be drifting
away from the West again. In a poll last month by Infratest/dimap, 49 percent of
Germans said they wanted their country to take a middle position between the West and
8. 8
Russia in the Ukraine crisis, and only 45 percent wanted to be firmly in the Western
camp.
This anti-Westernism is coming from both sides of the political spectrum. There is the
part of the left that is instinctively anti-American and takes the side of whatever
international actor happens to challenge the status quo and the leading Western power.
Then there is Europe’s populist right, which agrees with Russia’s propaganda that
Europe has become too gay, too tolerant, too permissive in its morals and too un-
Christian, and which welcomes an authoritarian leader challenging Europe’s fuzzy
multilateralism.
Both versions of anti-Westernism have been around for decades; until now, though,
they have been confined to the political fringes. These days they are accepted by parts
of the elite and sections of the political center. That, combined with the enormous
investment by German companies in Russia, is placing constraints on how aggressively
the government of Angela Merkel, Germany’s strongly pro-Western chancellor, can act
against Russia.
For anyone who has grappled with Germany’s Nazi past, it should have been easy to
call right from wrong in this case, instead of finding excuses for Russia’s actions. It’s a
test that too many of my compatriots have failed.
To be fair, in a recent poll 60 percent of Germans said that their country should stand
with the West in the Ukraine crisis. So Russia’s ongoing aggression is having some
effect on public opinion. But that still means that nearly half of all Germans do not feel a
deep connection with the West and its values — which is precisely what Mr. Putin
wants.
There is a bit more to the article but I think the above gives you enough of an idea about
Mr. Wergin’s thinking. Troubling to be sure.
Israel and Jews are not mentioned by Mr. Wergin but the security of both is intimately
invested in a Western-oriented Germany. The implications for a Germany leaning
toward neutrality and, worse, Russia, are dire indeed. Thus far the present government
and especially the Chancellor can be counted on, however, if German politics drift
toward the East all bets are off.
To read the entire Wergin article click here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/06/opinion/why-germans-love-russia.html?emc=eta1
COST OF REUNIFICATION
It’s been 25 years since the Berlin Wall came down and slightly less than that since the
two Germanys were reunited into the Federal Republic of Germany.
9. 9
I have often wondered how much the folks in the former West Germany had to pony up
in terms of taxes, etc. in order to bring their poor relatives into a united Germany. I’ve
thought about it and guessed – billions! I was way off.
A recent article in The Local.de fixed the cost at Two Trillion Euros. Since the Euro is
valued at about 1.3 dollars to the Euro – well, you figure it out.
In a study commissioned by the Welt am Sonntag, economists at the Berlin-based
research association SED-Staat added up all transfers to East German states and
individuals since reunification to come up with the astronomical figure.
The difference between the social benefits collected by East Germans and their tax
contributions made up the bulk of the price tag at about 60-65 percent of the total, the
study showed.
East German states spent about €1.5 trillion more than they would have earned
independently, according to the study.
Another €560 billion went straight to East German states and municipalities in the form
of direct transfers, such as the German Unity Fund, the Solitary Pacts and the State
Financial Equalization system.
Bild newspaper argued on Monday the €2 trillion spent was “worth every cent”.
And criticism of the study came from the state premier of East German state Saxony-
Anhalt.
Instead of recognizing and valuing this as a great feat of solidarity that we have
accomplished in Germany, the discussion is being reduced to a one-sided transfer
balance sheet," Reiner Haseloff (CDU), told the Mitteldeutschen Zeitung.
But even after 25 years of support, the economic strength of East Germany remains far
short of the West.
The Gross Domestic Product per capita (GDP) of East German states remains stuck at
two thirds the rate of the West, according to national statistics office Destatis.
And many experts do not expect this situation to change in the near future.
"We're going to have to face up to a future of greater economic differences within
Deutschland," Karl-Heinz Paqué, economist and former Finance Minister of Saxony-
Anhalt, told the Welt am Sonntag.
Nonetheless, the transfers have allowed poorer states to maintain balanced budgets,
invest in infrastructure and assure a higher standard of living to their populations.
I have a couple of thoughts about reunification. First of all we Americans should
understand the difficulties of “coming back together”. We went through that 149 years
ago and, God only knows, how much that cost us in terms of dollars over the last
10. 10
century and a half. Even to this day, wealth-wise, the Old South has remained relatively
poor when compared to the Northern States.
I don’t think I’m out of line when I say that the States of the Old South have remained
politically more conservative than those in the North. The same thing has happened in
the former East Germany (DDR). It is there that the neo-Nazi NPD party gets most of its
votes and has elected a couple of state representatives into the state legislature.
If the U.S. is any example it will take many generations for those living in the former
DDR to be brought up to the economic level of their relatives in the West. However,
while they’ve turned out a pretty good political leader in Chancellor Merkel so I’m not
complaining. However, it’s troubling to think that “The Old East’s Gonna Rise Again”.
ANTI-SEMITISM STUDY: GERMANY
A few weeks ago the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) released the results of a massive
world-wide study of anti-Semitic attitudes.
In reporting on it The Local.de noted, “Based on a worldwide survey of 53,100 adults
across 101 countries, a global average of 26 percent of people can be classed as anti-
Semitic, the Anti-Defamation League said.
ADL researchers classed respondents as anti-Semitic if they answered 'probably true' to
six out of 11 statements classed as "anti-Semitic stereotypes" in their questionnaire.
The most common anti-Semitic belief was "Jews are more loyal to Israel than to [this
country/the countries they live in]", which was seen as 'probably true' by 41 percent of
respondents worldwide and 45 percent in Western Europe.
"For the first time we have a real sense of how pervasive and persistent anti-Semitism is
today around the world,” said Abraham Foxman, the national director of the US-based
non-profit ADL.
In the Middle East and North Africa, the proportion of those deemed anti-Semitic was 74
percent, whereas the Europe-wide average dropped to 24 percent.
Within Europe, the highest number of anti-Semites were recorded in Greece, with 69
percent of adults agreeing with six or more of 11 sentiments in the survey. France
received Western Europe's worst result, with 37 percent of surveyed adults agreeing.
Germany, where one percent of the population is Jewish, came in the middle of
European countries, with 27 percent of those surveyed deemed anti-Semitic.
The German result was high when compared with other northern Europeans such as
Netherlands (five percent), Denmark (nine percent), Sweden (four percent), the United
Kingdom (eight percent) and Norway (15 percent).
11. 11
The fact that the percentage of Germans who hold anti-Semitic attitudes is high does
not come as a surprise nor is it new news. For instance only a month or so ago Quartz
(a news blog) reported, “A recent National Bureau of Economic Research working paper
finds, sadly, faint echoes of anti-Semitic attitudes can still be found in Germany,
especially in states where the Nazi party fared well in the elections of May 1928. (The
party, which ran on an outright platform of anti-Semitism only garnered a sliver of the
national vote.)
This suggests that anti-Semitic sentiments continued to exist in local areas for
centuries. We use this idea and include in some of our specifications a measure of local
support of the Nazi Party in 1928. We find that people who reside in states that have
provided above-median support for the Nazi Party in 1928 are more anti-Semitic today
in comparison to those who live elsewhere. This provides evidence that local cultural
traits in terms of anti-Semitism persisted over the last 80 years.
Last year “AJC called a new study of anti-Semitism in Europe, showing a 30 percent
spike in incidents, a wake-up call that should lead governments and civic organizations
to step up efforts to address this growing danger.”
“The Tel Aviv University report confirms our own fears, based on regular contact with
Jewish communities across Europe,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris. “Anti-
Semitism not only threatens Jews, but the very fabric of democratic societies in which
they live. There must be recognition of the extent of the growing threat, and a
commensurate commitment to confront this age-old scourge.”
In no way meant to denigrate the ADL Study which is amazing in its scope, at least in
Germany, the fact that there is a high level of anti-Semitism does not come as a shock.
It led my colleague Deidre Berger to set up the European Forum on Anti-Semitism.
There are many efforts on many fronts to counteract this pernicious virus. From my
perspective the most important goal is to keep it out of government public policy and to
counter allowing it to color German – Israeli relations.
If you want to know more about the ADL Study I’d advise you simply to “Google” “ADL
Anti-Semitism Study”. There is much to read.
THE SINS OF THE GRANDFATHER
Ezekiel 18 states, “The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the
wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”, and I’ll add –on no one else. That’ s
the way it should be especially when one considers the life and actions of Rainer
Hoess.
Who is he? Well, unfortunately for him, he is the grandson of Rudolf Hoess, the
Commandant of Auschwitz and the murderer of more than a million Jews. Y-Net News
recently reported, “Rainer Hess [Ed. Note: Hess & Hoess are the same] didn’t learn
about the extent of his grandfather's involvement in the Holocaust until the age of 12,
12. 12
when one of his teachers told him the grim truth. Rudolf Hess had been the commander
of Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, responsible for the deaths of more than one
million men, women and children.
"I knew nothing of Auschwitz, I knew nothing of my family, I only knew that my
grandfather had participated in the war like thousands of others," Hess told the AFP
during a recent trip to Stockholm, the Swedish capital.
Now 48 years old, Hess is at the head of a campaign fighting the rise of far-right, neo-
Nazi parties in European elections…
Run by the Social Democratic Youth of Sweden (SSU) the campaign is named, "Never
forget. To vote." The SSU runs the campaign on the belief that the best way to stop the
spread of far-right extremism across the continent is by speaking through the ballot box.
Rudolf Hess was the longest serving commander of Auschwitz, where he tried various
methods to accelerate Hitler's "Final Solution" before settling of the pesticide Zyklon B,
thereby allowing soldiers at Auschwitz to murder 2,000 people every hour.
Rainer Hess, wearing a Star of David pendant, has spent the last four years educating
students about the dangers of racism and anti-Semitism in Germany and elsewhere.
"The extreme right is not stupid," he said. "It increases its ranks, gaining ground slowly
but very effectively. I am very aggressive towards them. Whenever I can act against
them, I do."
His research has led him to meeting many Holocaust survivors, and he has also
participated in a documentary in Israel. "It was a little tricky as the grandson of a mass
murderer of Jews going there," he said.
When he met with a group of Jewish students, he was asked what he would do if he
had met his grandfather. Today Hess says that his reply was slightly "too impulsive" but
responded at the time, "I would have killed him."
I’ve included this story because in many ways the life of Rainer Hoess has been played
out by many Germans who at one time or another found out that their fathers or
grandfathers were involved in the Holocaust. Most, I’m sure, tried to put it behind them
and made all the necessary rationalizations so they could go with their own lives at least
partially unencumbered by the kind of guilt associated with that sort of knowledge. On
the other hand I have met many people in Germany who have dedicated themselves to
live their lives in a way to make up for the sins of their fathers - and their grandfathers.
How about an organization dedicated to reconciliation? If you have never heard of
Action Reconciliation you should click on this link. I think you will find it moving
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Reconciliation_Service_for_Peace
Incidentally, AJC has had many AR volunteers work in its various offices. Great young
people!
13. 13
BTW, after WW II the original Hoess tried to escape but was caught by a German Jew
who had emigrated and become a member of the British Army. You can read the story
by clicking here. http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/.premium-1.579666
ENVY & HOLOCAUST
A frequent question one hears when discussing the Jews, the Holocaust and the
Germans is “Why the Germans?” What particularly brought this highly educated and
cultured nation to have it in for the Jews to the degree that they did?
More often than not, the Depression and/or religious anti-Semitism are the answers one
receives. But, as we know, other countries were in the same boat as Germany after
World War I and, while they might not have been in love with their Jewish populations
they didn’t try to totally destroy them.
Of course, there are no provable answers to the question – only theories, some
interesting, some not. However, not many novel or new ones – until now. A non-Jewish
German historian and journalist, Gotz Aly, according to Malcolm Forbes writing in The
Forward, comes up with one. Forbes notes, “Early in his penetrating and provocative
study of the roots of German anti-Semitism, “Why the Germans? Why the Jews?: Envy,
Race Hatred, and the Prehistory of the Holocaust,” Götz Aly quotes Julius Fröbel, a
delegate during the 1848 National Assembly in Frankfurt, a gathering whose efforts to
establish a German nation state ended in stalemate: “The German is always at pains to
emphasize how German he is,” Fröbel grumbles, his words foreshadowing Abish’s title.
“The German spirit, so to speak, always stands in front of a mirror admiring himself, and
even if it has looked itself over a hundred times and become convinced of its perfection,
it still harbors a secret doubt, which is the hidden core of vanity.”
Aly — an acclaimed German historian and winner of the National Jewish Book Award —
uses Fröbel’s words to buffer his claim that this swaggering confidence plagued by self-
perceived inferiority is a German characteristic, and further, that, insecurity is a source
of envy. Aly traces the prehistory of the Holocaust, from the 1800s to the Nazis’
assumption of power, and persuasively argues that German anti-Semitism stemmed not
from religious hatred or racist ideology, but instead from “the least desirable of the
seven deadly sins: Envy.”
Aly begins his quest for answers with the first seeds of Jewish emancipation from the
ghettos in 1806. Having finally been granted economic liberty and civil rights, Jews
began to seize entrepreneurial initiatives, identify with industrialization and prosper in
the fields of science. Aly focuses on the Jewish community’s progress in education,
noting that Jewish educational institutions were better equipped than German public
schools and placed a stronger emphasis on learning. Consequently, Jewish children
possessed the hunger and aptitude to learn, both of which translated into successful
results: Compared to their Christian peers, Jewish pupils were eight times more likely to
earn a better class of secondary-school qualification. Armed with such statistics, Aly
routinely contrasts the Jewish and Christian communities of the time, even noting at one
14. 14
point that Jews were healthier than Christians during this era and enjoyed longer lives.
Eventually, though, Aly turns the discussion toward the burgeoning resentment among
German Christians who felt that their place in society was being usurped by canny
Jewish parvenus. The struggle against Napoleonic occupation engendered weakness
and self-doubt but also pent-up aggression and xenophobia. One year after Napoleon’s
defeat, anti-Jewish prejudices became as extreme as anti-French feeling in
revolutionary nationalist circles. Aly impresses here by toppling certain revered German
heroes from their plinths. Ernst Moritz Arndt, honored as a vanguard proponent of
German national unity by generations of democrats, saw Jews as “vagabond,
opportunist, treacherous, criminal” and warned that this “foreign plague and excretion”
threatened the purity of German lineage. The composer of the German national anthem,
Joseph Haydn, churned out anti-Semitic poetry. Karl Marx’s dissertation supervisor,
Jakob Friedrich Fries, demanded Jewish assimilation into the Christian majority.
Forbes concludes by saying, ““Anyone who proposes that the German anti-Semitism
that resulted in the mass murder of six million people was the result of anti-Semitism in
general,” Aly opines, “is merely painting a picture of the devil without accounting for the
forces that conjured him and gave him such massive power.” Aly recaps these “forces”
at the end of his book before reminding us of his crux and clincher: “The mortal sin of
envy… is what made the systematic mass murder of European Jews possible.” Rather
than learn from Cain’s folly, we have repeated and magnified it.
Once again I want to point out that Aly’s theory is just that – a theory. However, it makes
as much sense to me as anything else I have read on the subject. It’s certainly
something to think about.
*************************************************************************************************
See you again June.
DuBow Digest is written and published by Eugene DuBow who can be reached at
dubowdigest@optonline.net
Both the American and Germany editions are posted at www.dubowdigest.typepad.com