#mikerass

[euro-journal]

The Stress Test of the European Union Continues

European Council President Donald Tusk recently described Britain’s departure from the EU the community's "toughest stress test." Unfortunately, it is not the only one.

Clearly, the Brexit talks are heading for the “no deal” cliff everybody was so worried about all along. Since the United Kingdom is still not willing to talk about the divorce bill in earnest, the EU is now beginning to draw up contingency plans for the possible collapse of Britain’s departure talks. The clock is ticking and a breakthrough is nowhere in sight.

Meanwhile, the chauvinism that fanned the desire of so many Britons to leave the EU is igniting other parts of Europe as well. In the Czech Republic, populist billionaire Andrej Babis won that country’s general election after campaigning on an anti-establishment and Eurosceptic platform. In Austria, conservative leader Sebastian Kurz has invited the far-right Freedom Party for talks to form a coalition government.

This weekend, some sixty thousand nationalist demonstrators marched through Warsaw to mark Poland’s independence day, carrying banners with slogans such as “white Europe of brotherly nations”. Demonstrators chanted “Pure Poland, white Poland!” and “Refugees get out!”, in what experts say was one of the biggest gathering of far-right activists in Europe in recent years. One demonstrator interviewed by Polish state television said he was on the march to “remove Jewry from power”.

This is not the Europe Robert Schuman, Helmut Kohl, and Jacques Delors had in mind.

A petty nationalism of a different kind is unfolding in Spain. Hundreds of thousands of Catalan independence supporters clogged central Barcelona on Saturday to demand the release of separatist leaders held in prison for their roles in the region's banned independence drive. When the regional parliament declared independence from Spain in October, Madrid responded by suspending the region’s autonomy and imposing direct rule.

This is a crisis the European Union really doesn’t need at the moment and Brussels cannot even do anything about it because it is an internal affair of a member state. Europe needs more unity based on shared democratic values, not more separatism based on nationalism.

[euro-journal]

The European Union at Sixty

The Treaty of Rome was signed on March 25, 1957 by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Germany and came into force on New Year’s Day 1958.

The founding treaty of what was to grow into the European Union was signed in the Palazzo dei Conservatori on the Capitoline Hill of the Città Eterna.

Six decades later the Union has grown from six to twenty-eight member states but only twenty-seven were represented at the diamond jubilee celebration in Rome.

In a few days, Britain will invoke article fifty of a different European treaty to get out. The move will initiate the next stage of the tragedy that has been unfolding since the LEAVE vote in the Brexit referendum of June 2016.

At the celebration in Rome, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni described Britain’s decision to leave the EU as “closed nationalism” that belongs in the past.

Gentiloni and his twenty-six colleague signed a declaration exhorting peace and unity, and emphasizing the importance of maintaining the Union. “European unity started as the dream of a few, it became the hope of the many. Today, we are united and stronger: hundreds of millions of people across Europe benefit from living in an enlarged union that has overcome the old divides.”

Unfortunately “united and stronger” is mostly wishful thinking. Brexit has thrown the European Project into a deep crisis and all indications are that the British divorce will be acrimonious. A “Nexit” of the Netherlands—a founding member—seems to have been avoided for now but the political climate in France remains volatile a month from the presidential election there. It looks like Marine Le Pen of the extreme right Front National will make it to the second round at least and she favors a French exit from the European Union.

Many observers do not expect her to become president but a majority of experts did not see Brexit coming, either, or the Trump presidency in the United States for that matter. A “Frexit” would certainly spell the end of the EU as we know it.

Even if the Le Pen catastrophe can be avoided—which seems likely—Poland appears poised to take over the UK’s annoying role as the brake van or caboose of the European train. It’s hard to believe that it has been less than five years that the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its contribution to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.

[brief-aus-boston]

Wahltag in Amerika

4. November 2014

Bei uns sind heute Halbzeitwahlen, d.h., das gesamte Repräsentantenhaus und ein Drittel des Senats muss sich dem Wähler stellen, Präsident Obama hat aber noch zwei weitere Jahre im Amt.

Diese sogenannten Midterms werden daher auch immer wieder gern als Zeugnis für den Mann im Weißen Haus gesehen und es sieht nach schlechten Noten aus. Obama ist so unbeliebt, dass ihn seine eigenen Parteifreunde am liebsten gar nicht erwähnen.

Dafür die Republikaner umso mehr: Die Anschuldigung, dass jemand mit Obama gestimmt hat, reicht scheinbar aus, um zu punkten bei unentschlossenen Wählern.

Bei uns in Massachusetts droht der demokratischen Kandidatin für das Gouverneursamt, Martha Coakley, eine Niederlage gegen den Republikaner Charlie Baker, der gar vom linksliberalen Boston Globe befürwortet wird. Dabei ist Massachusetts normalerweise fest in demokratischer Hand.

Es gibt außerdem einige Wählerbefragungen in Massachusetts: Kasinos - ja oder nein? Flaschenpfand auch für nicht Alkoholisches? Benzinsteuer weiter mit Inflationsangleichung oder nicht? Bezahlung auch an Krankheitstagen? - Leider nicht garantiert bei uns!

Die Wahllokale bis 20 Uhr geöffnet. Am späten Abend erfahren wir dann, wie's ausgegangen ist.

[brief-aus-boston]

Boston trauert um Mayor Menino

2. November 2014

Zwanzig Jahre lang war Thomas M. Menino Bürgermeister von Boston, erst im Januar war er aus gesundheitlichen Gründen abgetreten.

Er war Politiker alten Schlages, direkt und manchmal rau, nicht gerade ein brillianter Redner.

“Wagemutig, großherzig, und Boston Strong,” nannte ihn Präsident Obama in Anspielung auf die Bostoner Parole seit dem Anschlag auf den Boston-Marathon im April 2013.

“Niemand liebte unsere Stadt mehr,” würdigte Amtsnachfolger Marty Walsh den Verstorbenen. “Dank seiner Führungsstärke ist Boston heute eine bessere Stadt.”

Viel hat sich verändert im “Athen Amerikas” unter der Leitung Meninos. Er galt als guter Verwalter der städtischen Finanzen, der neue Investitionen in die Stadt brachte und so auch in wirtschaftlich angespannten Zeiten allzu brutale Kürzungen vermeiden konnte.

Der Autobahntunnel unter der Innenstadt, der sogenannte “Big Dig” wurde endlich fertiggestellt, das Hafenviertel von einer Großbaustelle in einen beeindruckenden Erholungspark verwandelt. Menino legte grossen Wert auf Umweltschutz: 2008 wurde Boston von Popular Science zur drittgrünsten Stadt der USA ausgerufen. Bis 2050 sollten die CO2 Emissionen um 80 Prozent reduziert werden. Gleichzeitig entstanden viele neue Wolkenkratzer im Finanzviertel, ein Zeichen für die Wirtschaftskraft der Metropole.

Ich lebe nun seit über 14 Jahren im Raum Boston und während die Gouverneure des Bundesstaates Massachusetts gewählt und abgewählt wurden, war Menino fast die gesamte Zeit Chef im Rathaus.

Gesundheitlich angeschlagen war er schon eine ganze Weile, nach dem Bombenanschlag letztes Jahr wurde Menino im Rollstuhl vor die Mikrofone gefahren um seinen Mitbürgern Mut zuzusprechen. In dieser schweren Stunde für die Stadt war seine Beliebtheit unantastbar, vom “Bürgermeister auf Lebenszeit” war scherzhaft die Rede.

Lange hat er sein Amt leider nicht überleben können, am Donnerstag erlag er seinem Krebsleiden im Alter von 71 Jahren.

Heute sind seine sterblichen Überreste in der ehrwürdigen Faneuil Hall aufgebahrt, damit seine Stadt von ihm Abschied nehmen kann.

[brief-aus-boston]

Market Basket: eine griechische Tragödie in Neuengland

5. August 2014

Seit Wochen tobt bei uns eine Familienfehde bei der es um die Kontrolle einer Supermarktkette geht. Nun ist die von griechischen Einwanderern gegründete Market Basket Kette dabei dank des Streits pleite zu machen.

1917 eröffneten Athanasios (in Amerika Arthur genannt) and seine Gattin Efrosini Demoulas ein Lebensmittelgeschäft in Lowell, Massachusetts. In den fünfziger Jahren gaben sie den Laden an zwei ihrer Kinder ab: Telemachus (Mike genannt) und George Demoulas. 

Die Brüder verwandelten den Tante Emma Laden aus Lowell ruckzuck in eine moderne Supermarktkette mit einer Reihe von Zweigstellen. Soweit die traditionelle Erfolgsstory einer hart arbeitenden Einwandererfamilie.

1971 verstarb Bruder George beim Urlaub in Griechenland und alles ging an Bruder Mike. Und damit nahm die Tragödie ihren Lauf. Die Brüder hatten sich nämlich gegenseitig versprochen, in so einem Fall für die Familie des Anderen zu sorgen. 

Die Erben von George aber fühlten sich von Mike betrogen als dieser weite Teile des Firmenvermögens in separate Unternehmen steckte an die Georges Erben nicht drankonnten.

Zu allem Überfluss nannten sowohl George wie auch Mike ihre Söhne Arthur und die bekämpfen sich nun in dritter Generation mit allen (erlaubten) Mitteln. 

Nach dem Tode Mikes übernahm dessen Sohn Arthur T. Demoulas die Firma. Beide sind dafür bekannt, viele, viele Dollar in wohltätige Zwecke zu stecken und das hat ihnen allgemein viel Sympathie eingebracht. 

Die Arthur S. Fraktion (Erben von George) hingegen ging vor Gericht und erhielt Recht, ausserdem gelang es im Juni Arthur T. mittels Aufsichtsrat zu entmachten. 

Das war nicht unbedingt gut fürs Geschäft, denn die Belegschaft hält zumeist zu Arthur T. Der hat nun angeboten, seinen Cousin Arthur S. auszukaufen, doch einen Deal gibt es bislang nicht. 

Derweil geht die erfolgreiche Supermarktkette zugrunde: die Regale bleiben leer, Teile der Belegschaft streiken, um ihren geliebten Arthur T. zurückzukriegen, die Kundschaft geht woanders kaufen und 25.000 Arbeitsplätze sind in Gefahr.

Vielleicht hätten es die beiden Arthurs besser wie die Albrecht Brüder gemacht und die 71 Läden in Nord und Süd aufgeteilt. 

[euro-journal]

Another uninspiring EU summit in the making

European Union leaders are meeting for a summit in Brussels Thursday and Friday to nominate the next European Commission president and to discuss priorities for the next five years following the EU election in May which saw strong results for anti-immigration parties and politicians who want their countries to get out of the EU.

Most everybody wants Luxembourg’s Jean-Claude Juncker as the next commission president but Britain’s prime minister David Cameron has made it more than clear that he does not.

His “last stand” against Juncker in Brussels will probably be demanding a vote on Juncker. In that case, Germany’s Angela Merkel wants a majority vote and not a British veto. Berlin supports Juncker.

For the French daily Le Monde, Cameron is engaging in “combat perdu” but it’s popular in Cameron’s homeland where he has to deal with the anti-European UKIP.

So, setting the agenda will boil down to bickering over who gets the EU top job, a “federalist” such a Juncker or maybe someone who support reforms that would make the EU more of a European economic zone rather than a political union.

It looks like the European leadership will once again reinforce the notion of all too many European citizens that the EU is an unaffordably expensive talk shop that cannot arrive at an effective common strategy  - on energy and climate change, for example.

Yes, a 2030 framework for climate policies is on the agenda, too but don’t hold your breath for actionable results on this summit. No sense of urgency here and the continuing Ukraine crisis will probably also be drowned out by British posturing over Juncker.    

[euro-journal]

The life and times of Poland's last dictator

The last communist ruler of Poland has died  at the age of  90. In many ways, General Wojciech Jaruzelski exemplified the tragic history of the Polish republic in the 20th century.

The German invasion of Poland in 1939 and the subsequent Soviet occupation of eastern Poland forced the young Jaruzelski to flee to Lithuania.

A short while later, Lithuania, too, was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union, Jaruzelski was captured by the Red Army and deported to Siberia. At age 16, he was then sent to work in the coalmines of Kazakhstan.   

He suffered snow blindness during the forced labor which later gave him the trademark dark sunglasses.

Despite being a slave laborer of the Soviets, the young man then became their loyal foot soldier who distinguished himself by fighting against the Armia Krajowa (Home Army), Poland’s  World War II resistance fighters.

In 1944, Jaruzelski  participated in the Soviet military takeover of his own capital, after the Red Army cynically halted its advance at the gates of Warsaw, allowing Hitler to crush the Polish uprising against the Nazi occupiers. This made it a lot easier for Stalin to take over Poland after the by then inevitable retreat of the Germans.   

Having prevented a non-communist future for his homeland,  Jaruzelski rose through the ranks of  the Soviet puppet regime: in 1960 he became ‘chief political officer’ of the Polish armed forces, chief of staff in 1964, and defense minister in 1968 shortly before the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in which Polish troops provided “brotherly aid” as well.

In 1981,  Jaruzelski was made prime minister of Poland, at the very moment when the communist regime was beginning to implode.

A trade union called Solidarność (Solidarity) had emerged in Gdańsk the year before under the leadership of one Lech Wałęsa who would eventually bring democracy to Poland.  And a Polish cardinal had been elected pope in 1978: John Paul II quickly became the religious inspiration behind the Solidarity movement.   

Nevertheless, it would take some ten years of strikes and protests, martial law, western sanctions and most importantly reform amongst the Soviet overlords before Jaruzelski would finally give up on communist dictatorship.  

A loyal collaborator to the end, he apparently asked for a Soviet invasion and didn’t get one, while later claiming he had declared martial law to prevent such an invasion. In 2006, Jaruzelski was finally dragged into court for “communist crimes”  but was too frail to actually appear most of the time.

Today, Poland is fully integrated into the European Union and NATO and to many Poles Jaruzelski will remain nothing more than a Quisling, Norway’s infamous collaborator with Nazi occupation. But his life also illustrates the insanely difficult path of a Polish nation, crushed between two totalitarian powers, in which many felt they only had the choice between collaboration or death.

[euro-journal]

Serious dangers lie ahead as Ukraine crisis escalates yet again!

First came the uprising against Viktor Yanukovych with an attempted crackdown, followed by the Russian takeover of Crimea. 

Now, a civil war looms in the eastern regions of Ukraine, with a possible Russian involvement while western nations are desperately trying to figure out what to do about it all. 

Acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov has just announced a full-scale military operation in the east after pro-Russian militants again seized government buildings there. 

Clearly, the new government in Kiev is in no mood to allow a repetition of what happened in Crimea in March when pro-Russian “defense units” suddenly appeared on the peninsula and the local assembly voted to join Russia, a request Moscow quickly obliged. 

As before, NATO has voiced ‘concern’ and the US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power,  said the attacks this weekend bore the "tell-tale signs of Moscow's involvement." 

Not surprisingly, the Kremlin denies any involvement in the current events in eastern Ukraine.

All of this is potentially very dangerous if Kiev goes ahead and tries to remove the pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine by force. How will Moscow react if ethnic Russians are gunned down by Ukrainian government troops?

What will NATO countries do if Putin sends his troops across the border to aid the pro-Russian rebellion? An estimated 40,000 Russian troops have been amassed along the Ukrainian border already.

Even if both NATO and Russia avoid direct military intervention, it could get pretty ugly if the violence continues, one Ukrainian officer has already been killed in a gun battle with pro-Russian militants. 

The West will now intensify the diplomatic efforts but there still aren’t a lot of viable options.

US Vice-President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Ukraine next week to discuss the latest developments. In the meantime, US Secretary of State John Kerry keeps calling his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. So far, those phone calls have not resulted in a de-escalation of the crisis.