Comment : 15th September

Le néo-impérialisme russe plane sur l’Europe. Andrius Kubilius, Chairman of the EU Affairs Committee at the Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament) , Marko Mihkelson Chairman of the EU Affairs Committee at the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) and Vaira Paegle Chairman of the EU Affairs Committee at the Saeima (Latvian Parliament), Liberation (fr)

"C’est à la suite de l’invasion combinée soviéto-nazie de la Pologne, en octobre 1939, que Winston Churchill fit cette saillie décrivant la Russie, depuis restée dans les annales : «Une devinette enveloppée dans un mystère à l’intérieur d’une énigme.» ...

... Dans le contexte de l’histoire troublée de l’Europe, le système institutionnel européen moderne est une réussite extraordinaire. Après des siècles d’autocratie, de rivalité et de guerres, nous avons uni la majeure partie de notre continent dans la paix, la prospérité et la démocratie ...
.... La Lituanie subit un embargo pétrolier depuis deux ans parce qu’elle refuse de vendre sa raffinerie de pétrole Mazeikiu Nafta à une entreprise russe. L’Estonie a fait l’expérience d’une campagne concertée de cyberterrorisme après avoir décidé de déplacer un mémorial de guerre soviétique. La Pologne est menacée par des armes nucléaires pour avoir coopéré au projet de défense antimissile américain. Même le Royaume-Uni voit ses investissements énergétiques et ses projets culturels passer dans la ligne de mire sous prétexte qu’il est l’hôte d’une nouvelle génération de dissidents russes - l’un d’entre eux ayant été tué sur le sol britannique ....
... Cette logique de comportements a pour objectif ultime de désorganiser et de subordonner le système européen lui-même. Les responsables russes sont assez intelligents pour savoir qu’ils ne peuvent construire leur nouvelle sphère d’influence par consentement. Aussi longtemps que l’Union européenne et l’Otan continueront d’attirer les pays frontaliers de la Russie avec la promesse de prospérité, de sécurité et de démocratie, le Kremlin verra son emprise impériale menacée. Il cherche par conséquent à diviser l’Europe en créant des relations de dépendance et de domination - utilisant les approvisionnements énergétiques comme principales armes - de façon à asseoir lui-même sa prééminence ... "

Here a Summary of the Article in German ;
Moskau greift nach Europa
Here is the Article in Russian :
Российский неоимпериализм реет над Европой ("Liberation", Франция)

Identity : 15th September 9en)

The rise of new world order rhetoric and the current identity crisis. Nosemonkey, EUtopia (en)
" ... The US, Russia and the EU are all passing through identity crises - the US finding it’s neither as loved nor as powerful as it once thought, Russia shaking off the embarrassment of defeat through a resurgent sense of national pride, the EU going round and round in circles through indecision and a lack of clear purpose ... "

Quote : 15th September, Radosław Sikorski

"What is a secure border with the Soviet Union? A secure border with the Soviet Union is one that has Russian soldiers on both sides of the border."

Radosław Sikorski, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (CCGA), during a speech titled 'NATO’s Past, Present, and Future: A View from Europe'. Sept 2008

Via the 8th Circle, 'How I met Radosław Sikorski' by Vitaliy

Read more on :

Radosław Sikorski on Wikipedia

Newspapers Fr : 15th September

La réponse de l'UEà la crise financière. Christine Lagarde, Minister of Finance of France, Le Figaro (fr)

L'OTAN soutient Tbilissi et critique la diplomatie européenne. Piotr Smolar, Le Monde (fr)

Moscou respecte ses engagements. Régis Genté, Le Figaro (fr)

" ... Soldats juchés sur les BTR, les blindés russes, bric à brac entassé dans les camions de transport, les troupes qui occupaient depuis le 21 août ces postes jugés si stratégiques par l'Europe, qui depuis plus de deux semaines bataillait pour que les Russes ne s'attardent pas autour du port de Poti et de la ville de Senaki, située sur l'axe central de la Géorgie ... "

La Finlande tentée par l’Otan . Anne Francoise Hivert, Liberation (fr)

" ... Alexander Stubb n’a pourtant fait qu’évoquer «des arguments forts en faveur de l’examen d’une adhésion à l’Otan». Rien de révolutionnaire donc, pour ce ministre, en poste depuis avril, dont le Parti du rassemblement national (conservateur) n’a jamais renié ses positions atlantistes ...... «Nous avons tendance à croire que l’UE nous fournira un soutien politique en cas de tension avec la Russie», observe Teija Tiilikainen. Beaucoup considèrent du coup qu’une adhésion à l’Otan serait «redondante», précise Hiski Haukkala. Mais, remarque-t-il, si la Suède décidait de rejoindre l’Alliance atlantique, la Finlande pourrait difficilement ne pas suivre. "

Nicolas Sarkozy ne croit pas aux lois de l'économie. Pierre Briançon, Le Monde (fr)

" ... L'absence depuis mai 2007 de toute politique économique sérieuse est au coeur de ce malaise profond. M. Sarkozy a ceci de commun avec François Mitterrand : au fond, il ne croit pas aux lois de l'économie, tout convaincu qu'il est du primat du politique. Comme M. Mitterrand, il sera un jour la propre victime de son ignorance. "

« Ce qui frappe dans la crise du Caucase, c'est la retenue dont a fait preuve Moscou » . Jacques Sapir, Le Soir (fr)

" ... Ce qui frappe dans la gestion par la Russie de la crise, c'est d'une part, la retenue : les troupes russes auraient pu avancer beaucoup plus qu'elles ne l'ont fait en Géorgie ; et d'autre part, le fait que le président Medvedev a renversé la position traditionnelle de la diplomatie russe sur cette question ...l'indépendance de l'Ossétie du Sud et de l'Abkhasie n'est pas une décision prise sur un coup de tête ; et, si on écoute le président russe, on le sent mal à l'aise ...
... Qu'il ait été sincère ou pas, Medvedev a présenté sa décision de manière défensive, disant non pas « Nous avons décidé », mais « Ce n'est pas une bonne décision, ce n'est pas une décision facile, mais il n'y avait pas d'autre solution pour protéger les populations civiles ». Le signal qu'il envoie n'est pas : « Désormais, nous allons être favorables à toutes les indépendances » ; mais plutôt : « C'est un cas exceptionnel. » ...

.... En contrepartie d'investissements massifs et de transferts de technologies, l'Europe pourrait demander la garantie d'un approvisionnement énergétique de longue durée ... Le problème, c'est que nous n'avons pas le droit de mettre en œuvre des politiques industrielles dirigistes, sauf à se mettre en contradiction avec un certain nombre de directives européennes. C'est donc à Bruxelles – à la Commission et à l'Otan – que nous sommes en train de nous tirer une balle dans le pied. La crise actuelle me semble plus révélatrice des contradictions internes en Europe, des contradictions de l'Otan et de la politique américaine que d'un « nouveau visage de la puissance russe ». "

Blogs : 15th September (en, fr)

Japan - The Recession is Here. Alpha Sources CV (en)

European communication. Julien Frisch, watching Europe (en)

Lawrow on Ukraine. Julien Frisch, watching Europe (en)

Oh Ek. Open Europe Blog (en)

Trouble in Ljubljana. Vitaliy, The 8th Circle (en)

European communication. Julien Frisch, watching Europe (en)

Anti-Bush industry collapse. Vitaliy, The 8th Circle (en)

The importance of an Eastern Partnership for the EU. Vitaliy, The 8th Circle (en)

Juncker, l'inoxydable. Jean Quatermer, Les Coulisses de Bruxelles (fr)

The blindness of the political classes. Richard, The EUReferendum (en)
Legislative inflation (in France). en.europa-eu-audience (en, fr)

Duly Noted: More Masking Tape. George Handlery, The Brussels journal (en)

" ... The symptoms of “if you dread to fix it, cover it with masking tape” are appearing. Accordingly, Russia is, as under her previous systems, insecure. Recognition and respect by the West is wanted. Post Soviet times brought humiliation. The equality of living standards was not achieved while equality in power was lost.

... Since about 1700, Russia held membership in the club of Great Powers. She played this role while her system (political order, development, wealth) differed radically from that of the other major players. In today’s terminology, a third world system was used to support a first world role. (To focus limited means a dictatorship was needed and global power justified the tyranny.) There were repeated attempts to close the developmental gap ...

... Meiji Japan and now China offers a revealing contrast. Both have realized that their weakness in the international arena was caused by having a system that differed from the norm of the leading nations. Accordingly, Japan has and China seems now, to be adjusting their system to conform to the vanguard. If successful, this correlation between economic performance and political institutions and military-political might, could make China a more effective challenger of the West than Russia ... "

How I met Radosław Sikorski. Vitaliy, The 8th Circle (en)

" ... But it would be misleading to say that Sikorski was pessimistic, rather his message was realistic and cautious. As a skillful public speaker, he interspersed his speech with an occasional anecdote or a joke. Here is one:
"What is a secure border with the Soviet Union? A secure borer with the Soviet Union is one that has Russian soldiers on both sides of the border."
Commenting on the Medvedev doctrine, Sikorski pointed out how problematic it is for European security and how closely it is felt in Poland due to historical reasons. After all, on September 17th, 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland partially on the pretext of needing “to protect” its citizens ..."

Lithuania's president Adamkus on World War III. Julien Frisch, watching Europe (en)

"... Adamkus : In my imagination Crimea will be first, and then the Baltic countries as part of the former sphere of interest will follow, and then the Southern Caucausus.

sueddeutsche.de : With your horror imagination you are describing a scenario that would start the Third World War. How realistic is this?

Adamkus : The tendencies are going into this directions, but I hope that the world will oppose and prevent its self-annihilation. If crazy people in Russia were planning an intervention into our country, they could overrun us within minutes. But everyone imagening this horror scenario would back off, and maybe this will keep us alive ..."

Come back global warming Richard, The EUReferendum (en)
" ... Inflation is poised to peak and then slide ... In terms of the near future, Smith thinks food prices are still a risk in view of the bad harvest in the UK, but he also notes that prices are set globally. In the round – with record harvests elsewhere in Europe and the world, the risk is likely to be minimal ... The funny thing is that, in order to avoid the meltdown that would come with higher energy prices, Gordon Brown really needs global warning – just as it looks like it is a thing of the past ... "

Pouvoir d'achat ou chômage, il faut choisir. Jean Quatermer, Les Coulisses de Bruxelles (fr)
" Les banquiers centraux européens sont « plutôt surpris » des analyses qui sont faites de la crise économique que traverse actuellement l’Europe ... Pour eux, il ne s’agit nullement d’une conséquence de la crise financière venue des États unis : « le cœur du déclenchement de la crise, à 80 ou 90 %, c’est l’augmentation du prix du pétrole et des matières premières qui a entraîné un regain inflationniste et une perte de confiance des ménages et des entreprises ». Le dévissage du dollar face à l’euro – mais aussi face à la plupart des autres devises mondiales — a achevé de plomber la croissance européenne. Mais, comme l’a martelé à un petit groupe de journalistes Christian Noyer, le gouverneur de la Banque de France (photo ci-dessous), « la crise économique est avant tout un choc d’inflation » ... "

Who will fill the leadership vacuum? Stanley Crossick, Blogactiv.eu (en)

" ... The United States is leaderless.Europe is leaderless; the world is leaderless. But neither Russia nor China are - and a vacuum does not remain a vacuum. The conclusion is obvious.

... Europe only has a year or so to get its act together. Unfortunately, the timing is not good, with the Lisbon Treaty in limbo, the Commission towards the end of its mandate and upcoming European Parliament elections. But this opportunity must be seized.

... Europe can only influence the responses to (the) challenges (facing the world) if it has a leadership role ... EU citizens realise this. In reply to the question whether they were in favour or against a common foreign policy, asked by Eurobarometer 67 and published in November 2007, 72% were in favour, with even 52% in the UK and no less than 67% in Ireland ... "

A new job description for EU Commissioners? PO Neil, A Fistful of Euros (en)

" ... commissioners are not a dispassionate executive branch of the European Union, but people who bring their country interests to their respective portfolios — so why not make this explicit and let the commissioners be the interlocutors of their countries with the EU policy apparatus? ..."

Picture : 15th September 745 Seventh Avenue NY

"Construction began in the fall of 1999 on 745 Seventh Avenue, a 1,000,000-square-foot office tower in midtown Manhattan that The Rockefeller Group co-developed.
Lehman Brothers, Inc., the global institutional investment bank, purchased the building in late 2001 for its new corporate headquarters ... The outstanding design by world-renowned architects Kohn Pedersen Fox takes full advantage of the importance of the site’s strategic location, bringing Rockefeller Center to Times Square at the corner of 49th Street and Seventh Avenue."

745 Seventh AvenueNew York, New York.

People : 15th September (en)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's ex-wife Cecilia 'betrayed' by friends. Henry Samuel, The Telegraph (en)

"... But in her Tribune interview, the new Mrs Attias shook all of this vitriol off as journalistic hyperbole. "With my divorce, people latched onto me like a hunted animal and it was hell. Eighty per cent of what was written about me was false", she said, before adding magnanimously, "they also put a lot of false words into my ex-husband's mouth".
She said she had not been prepared for the media frenzy that top flight politics brings. "Doubtless I didn't think enough about it, I didn't see that I was putting my finger in an unstoppable machine" ... "

Paris Notebook: Carla's 'sales' hit by sound of silence. John Lichfield, The Independent (en)

" ... Carla Bruni-Sarkozy appeared on France's favourite Sunday afternoon chat-show last week.
An estimated three million viewers tuned in. When Bernadette Chirac appeared on the same television show in February last year, she had an audience of 6,500,000.
Lesson: Bernadette Chirac should make an album, or even a record ..."

Newspapers : 15th September (en)

Pope seeks to heal Sarkozy rift. Henry Samuel, The Telegraph (en)

Medvedev: ‘I make the big decisions for Russia’. Mary Dejevsky, The Independent (en)

It could be serious next time. Mike Harvey, The Times (en)

Putin fails to dispel doubts over Medvedev. Stefan Wagstyl, The FT (en)

Europe wants IT trade pact back on table. Alan Beattie, The FT (en)

UK recession has started, says CBI. Chris Giles, The FT (en)

EU bankers assess exposure to credit crisis. Tony Barber, The FT (en)

Stagflation threat dwindles. Editorial, The FT (en)

Christopher Caldwell: France only wants to know. Christopher Caldwell, The FT (en)

Russians face $45bn debt backlog. Rachel Morarjee and David Oakley, The FT (en)

Wolfgang Münchau: Sarkozy’s economic reform has come unstuck. Wolfgang Münchau, The FT (en)

NATO Envoys Will Offer Their Support in Georgia. Judy Dempsey, The NYT (en)

Nato head attacks EU’s Georgia deal. James Blitz, The FT (en)

" ... Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Nato’s secretary-general, said the agreement provided no grounds for the revival of the Nato-Russia relationship.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr de Hoop Scheffer complained that Russia – which has pledged to withdraw from buffer zones inside Georgia that adjoin South Ossetia and Abkhazia – is being permitted to retain a military presence inside the two breakaway regions.

... “The option of keeping Russian forces in South Ossetia and Abkhazia is not acceptable" ... "

Analysis: European military budgets still far surpass China and India. Thomas Harding, The Telegraph (en)

" ... Europe's top five defence spenders have an annual budget of £120 billion, compared to China's £35 billion and India's £15 billion ......

Russia's invasion of Georgia showed that the former superpower is still at least a generation behind in technology terms compared to the highly advanced Western armies. In spite of Russia's huge increase in defence spending, now estimated at £35 billion, it cannot match the sophistication of Europe and America's forces from vehicles to jets and missiles ...

... China's research and development, part based on industrial espionage and reproducing Russian technology, has surged forward, with spending increasing threefold in the last decade.
... India has opted for largely buying-in technology rather than developing its own indigenous defence manufacturing ... "

EU lines up cash for failed treaty. Nicola Smith, The Times (en)

" ... It plans to spend £6.2 billion on promoting itself as a “global player” next year and 22% more on justice and home affairs to pay for new powers under the still-unratified treaty, in a budget set to be agreed by Brussels in December.
The £6.2 billion will be used to promote EU interests across the world from Latin America to Africa, the Caribbean and Russia, with £243m spent on EU embassies and an £11m information budget to help sell Europe’s new role as a global heavyweight ..."

Hackers break into CERN computer network. Mike Harvey and Mark Henderson

" ... The work of the scientists was not derailed and insiders scoffed at claims that the hackers were “one step away” from the systems controlling the experiment itself ... The hackers appear to have targeted the computer system of the Compact Muon Solenoid Experiment, one of the four detectors that will be analysing the progress of the experiment ...

Afghanistan Is in Its Worst Shape Since 2001, European Diplomat Says. Alison Smale, The NYT (en)

" ... One of the most experienced Western envoys in Afghanistan said Sunday that conditions there had become the worst since 2001 ... The envoy ... especially criticized the growing number of civilian deaths in attacks by American and international forces ... Mr. Vendrell warned that the situation was precarious among the Pashtun tribes who live mainly in southern Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan. He also said that the Taliban-led insurgency had spread not only to the east but also close to Kabul and, in pockets, to the north and west, hitherto relatively peaceful ...

...Because the country faces a number of problems — the rising cost of food and fuel ... Afghanistan could be facing “a very cold winter” that threatened to become “a very hot winter for all of us,” he said ... "

Cartoon : 12th September

Blogs : 12th September (en)

L'euro passe sous le plafond des 1,40 dollar. Jean Quatremer, Les Coulisses de Bruxelles (fr)

The propaganda game. Richard, EUReferendum (en)

The blogs run frit! Richard, EUReferendum (en)

US response to Russia’s invasion of Georgia. Noesmonkey, EUtopia (en)

Putin Denies Imperial Ambitions as Russia Warns Ukraine. DW Staff, Deutsche Welle (en)

Europe in The Balance? Afew, European Tribune (en,fr)

" ... plus la crise traîne, plus le retour au “business as usual” qui a précédé la crise, notamment avec l’UE, est impossible, et c’est probablement ce que veut la direction russe ...

.... the longer the crisis drags on, the more a return to the "business as usual" that preceded the crisis, especially with the EU, becomes impossible, and it's probably what the Russian leadership wants." ... "

Three months seems a long time ago. Certain Ideas of Europe (en)

"... Interestingly, for instance, this year's survey found that 57% of Europeans said that NATO is essential to their country's security, which is a four-point increase over 2007. Support for NATO rose in eight of the 12 countries surveyed. Germany and Poland, which have shown declining support since 2002, reversed that trend, while France saw its support for NATO rebound to the level of 2002. ..."

People : 12th September

Sarkozy's golden boy gets married . Charles Bremner, The Times (en)
"France has just notched up two royal weddings within eight months ... There were 100 guests, many from the money, politics and show-biz set that Jean and his dad frequent ... To do him justice, Sarko junior has the easy manner and the self-confidence of a born politician. He is a golden boy, tall and debonair -- a contrast with his short, dark and intense father ... "

Newspapers : 12th September (en)

Russia's foreign minister warns Poland over missile shield. Matthew Day, The Telegraph (en)
Stung by Criticism Over Georgia, Putin Asks West for a Little Understanding . Ellen Barry, The NYT (en)

Putin warns UK over harbouring dissidents. John Kampfner, The Telegraph (en)
"...Referring to Britain's continued granting of asylum to the oligarch and former Kremlin insider, Boris Berezovsky, Mr Putin said "why do you allow the territory of GB to be used as a launching pad to fight Russia? That's why it's not possible to build normal relations with the UK."
Referring to British exile for a prominent Chechen dissident, Mr Putin added "if we were to give safe haven to militants from the IRA, with weapons in their hands, what would you do?... "

Britain 'set to be flooded with cocaine'. Christopher Hope, The Telegraph (en)
"John Walters said European countries such as Britain were now the destination of choice for South American drug producers like Venezuela. Cocaine use was on the decline in the US, making Europe - where the street price of the drug can be twice as much as in America - far more attractive to drug barons ..."

'Georgia? We couldn't just get a bloody nose' says Putin. Mary Dejevsky, The Independent (en)
" ... The anger and industrial language on display for a domestic TV audience gave way to a more measured performance after the cameras departed and food was served. Unfettered by aides and without his security men who had accompanied him into the banquet hall, he fielded questions openly, calling journalists by name ...
Russia was facing problems today, he said, which demanded new solutions. "The solutions of the past wouldn't do." State infrastructure, housing, health and education all needed to be overhauled. This represented an unusual admission that Russia was now lagging behind in areas that the Soviet Union had excelled ..."

We're all capitalists now? Not any longer. Anatole Kaletsky, The Times (en)
" ... This lack of any serious debate about the sudden fate of Fannie and Freddie may help to stabilise the US economy and housing market in the months ahead, since American homeowners should soon enjoy a potentially unlimited supply of government-financed mortgages. But the effects of this nationalisation on the future of the world financial system will be more far-reaching and profound ...
...It is hard to imagine Saudi Arabia or China wanting to add to the huge investments they have already made in Citibank or Merrill Lynch, now that they have seen the enormous losses deliberately inflicted by the US Treasury on investors who pumped $20 billion of new money into Fannie and Freddie since November last year. Particularly so as the two mortgage giants raised this money with the explicit support of the regulators and the US Treasury.

Cartoon : 11th September 2008

Cartoon from Alex, Courrier International 2008

Blogs : 11th September (en)

Lisbonne : les Irlandais ne savaient pas. Jean Quatremer, Les Coulisses de L'Europe (fr)

Why Ireland voted no. Certain Ideas of Europe (en)

The Irish are stupid, apparently. Nosemonkey, EUtpia (en)

French say Ireland will vote again on Lisbon. Irony Too (en) 11th September

Transatlantic Trends 2008 report. Vitaliy, The 8th Circle (en)

"... Americans and Europeans do not appear to have fundamentally different world views of international threats and priorities, but policy differences remain. While Europeans may favor Senator Obama, our findings suggest that this does not necessarily translate into agreement with policies favored by his American supporters, such as committing troops to combat the Taliban in Afghanistan..."

EU and corruption. Vitaliy, The 8th Circle (en)

" ... Does not Mr. Laitenberger think that five years of investigation is more than enough time to prevent any investigation from jumping to conclusions? I mean if this is EU’s standard processing time, what kind of an example does it serve for its “more corrupt” member states (e.g. Italy, Latvia, Romania, Bulgaria) or non-EU countries in Europe (e.g. Serbia, Moldova, Ukraine)?
If you talk the talk, you should walk the walk."

Surprise surprise. Open Europe Blog (en)

"The Irish Government's big poll is finally out, and they say that the only reason people voted no is because they are a (bunch of ungrateful, pig ignorant, boxty-munching) ... poorly informed about EU affairs ..."

Blog on Blogging : 11th September (en)

Drunk in charge of a blog. Richard, EUReferendum (en)

"It is the tradition of this blog, since our very inception in 2004, to write up a post which goes on-line just after midnight for readers to pick up in the morning. We call this the "Horlicks", after the famous night-time drink..."

Newspapers : 11th September (fr)

UE : un haut fonctionnaire piégé par deux journalistes britanniques. Philippe Ricard, Le Monde (fr)

" ...La puissante direction générale du commerce et son commissaire, Peter Mandelson, sont ébranlés par une étrange affaire de corruption présumée. Un des piliers de ce département, l'Allemand Fritz-Harald Wenig, s'est laissé piéger à Bruxelles par deux journalistes de l'hebdomadaire eurosceptique britannique The Sunday Times.
Se faisant passer pour des lobbyistes londoniens, les deux reporters ont fait miroiter au haut fonctionnaire la promesse d'une juteuse commission, voire d'un poste grassement rémunéré, afin d'obtenir des informations pour le compte d'un pseudo-client chinois. Aucun versement n'aurait eu lieu, mais M. Wenig s'est bel et bien laissé aller à quelques confidences à la table des meilleurs restaurants bruxellois...."

Les Pays-Bas envisagent une relance du nucléaire pour contrer la crise. Jean-Pierre Stroobants, Le Monde (fr)

"... Le ministre des affaires étrangères, Maxime Verhagen, lui aussi membre du CDA, s'est dit partisan d'une discussion sur ce thème, qui divise la coalition au pouvoir et rompt les équilibres traditionnels entre les partis. M. Verhagen estime qu'il convient d'étudier les moyens de diminuer la dépendance des Pays-Bas à l'égard de la Russie. "Nous aurons tout simplement un besoin pressant du nucléaire dans les décennies à venir", ajoute Pieter Van Geel, chef du groupe CDA à la Deuxième Chambre (la chambre des députés) ..."

Newspapers : 11th September (en)

Second Irish EU referendum expected. Bruno Waterfield, The Telegraph (en)
Brussels in 'frightening' grab for personal information. Christopher Hope, The Telegraph (en)
Spanish PM Jose Zapatero warns of 'hard times'. Fiona Govan, The Telegraph (en)
Germany embroiled in secret Iraq spy deal . Roger Boyes, The Times (en)
South Ossetia pledge to join Russia. Stefan Wagstyl, Thwe FT (en)
European support for Nato rises. Tony Barber, The FT (en)
Russia may use wealth fund to support markets. Charles Clover, Catherine Belton and Rachel Morarjee, The FT (en)
The price of Putin. Editorial, The FT (en)
Poland aims to join eurozone by 2011. Jan Cienski, The FT (en)

Knowledge deficit’ sank Lisbon treaty. David Sharrock and David Charter, The Independent (en)
"... “An EU knowledge deficit is clearly present which has undoubtedly contributed to the ‘no’ vote,” according to the poll and focus group research. “Knowledge of EU institutions and how they work appears to be particularly low. The difficulty of advocating a referendum that is based on the premise of institutional reform in this environment is apparent.”... "

How Moscow's hard man changed the face of Grozny. Mary Dejevsky, The Independent (en)
"As recently as three years ago, Chechnya was racked by a vicious, chaotic war. Just two years ago, 90 per cent of its capital, Grozny, lay in ruins. You may remember the photos of devastation, the skeletal remains of public buildings, homes seemingly turned inside out, and students heroically pursuing their studies in scorched lecture rooms.
Now, the centre of Grozny is a completely new city. Almost every trace of war has been erased; the only evidence of the conflicts that tore the heart out of the city are fenced-off blocks razed to the ground and awaiting new development. It is almost possible to pretend that more than 10 years and two wars never happened. The new focus combines the two unifying themes of post-war Chechnya: moderate Islam and Akhmad Kadyrov..."

Air France to launch 'quicker' train to Paris as Eurostar monopoly ends. Michael Savage, The Independent (en)
"...An industry insider said: "Just imagine arriving at the station and being able to pick from destinations from all over Europe such as Prague, Cologne and Frankfurt. Competition will be great news for consumers."
Virgin Atlantic is also thought to be interested in setting up a European high-speed rail service under the liberalisation plan, while the German operator Deutsche Bahn has expressed interest in running a service from London to Cologne. From there, passengers would have easy access to cities including Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich, Berlin and Hamburg..."

Russia warns Ukraine it will retaliate over Nato. Anne Penketh, The Independent (en)
"..."The expansion of Nato is seen in Russia as a hostile action. We will never accept this. We cannot block expansion of Nato but we can take measures to ensure our security," the Russian ambassador to Britain, Yuri Fedotov ..."

Newspapers : 9th September (fr)

Occident-Russie, anatomie d'une fracture. Piotr Smolar
"...Cette nouvelle fracture avec l'Occident s'explique notamment par trois facteurs...
1. ... Le premier est la spirale paranoïaque dans laquelle les autorités russes se sont précipitées, en profitant de l'énorme erreur de Mikheïl Saakachvili : l'opération du 7 août contre Tskhinvali, la "capitale" de l'Ossétie du Sud. Mise en musique par les médias, cette paranoïa est un instrument politique classique en Russie, en temps de crise comme en période d'essor ...
2. ... Les pays occidentaux ... ont nourri cette paranoïa et aggravé l'incompréhension. C'est le deuxième facteur. Ainsi, la reconnaissance de l'indépendance du Kosovo était ... l'intervention américaine en Irak, basée sur des mensonges, a facilité les abus des autorités russes qui refusent, dès lors, toute leçon occidentale.
3. ... cette crise a confirmé le troisième élément de la fracture Est-Ouest, déterminant dans des négociations diplomatiques : le choc des valeurs et des histoires. On ne parle pas là de génétique, mais d'héritage. Les Européens ont oublié ce qu'était une guerre. Ils vivent sous le régime du droit, et non de la force ; ils misent sur des soldats professionnels et la technologie pour faire le travail ... Les Caucasiens, eux, ont des cicatrices sur tout le corps. Chaque famille abkhaze, sud-ossète, tchétchène ou arménienne a compté dans ses rangs combattants, réfugiés ou victimes, lors des conflits sanglants des années 1990. En Russie, la violence est la sève de la politique ..."

... This new fracture with the West could be explained by 3 figures.
1. ... The first one is the paranoiac spiral in which the Russian authorities precipitate themselves by taking opportunity offer by Mikheïl Saakachvili's mistake : the military operation against Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian's 'Capital'. Enhanced by the media, this paranoia is a classical Russian political tool, in both time of crisis and expansion ...
2. ... The Western countries ... have fed this paranoia and exacerbate the misunderstanding. It is the second factor. Thus, the recognition of the independence of Kosovo ... The American engagement in Iraq, founded on lies, has facilitated the Russian abuses and automatically refuse any Western lecture ...
3. ... This crisis has confirmed the third element of the fracture between the West and Russia, decisive in any diplomatic negotiations : the Choc values and of history. We do not talk about genetic but heritage. Europeans have forgotten what the war is about. They live in the system of Law, and not the one of strength ; they rely on professional armies and technologies to do the job ... Caucasian, them, have scars all over the body. Each Abkhaz, South Ossetian, Chechen or Armenian family include fighters, refugees or victims from the bloody conflicts of the 90's. In Russia, the violence is the blood of politics..." (translation by Gwenael Mourey)

Blogs : 10th September (en,fr)

All's Well that Ends Well? Alpha Sources (en)

Géorgie : Washington félicite l’Union européenne.

Don't count on the world ending tomorrow. Certain Ideas of Europe (en)

Сверх плана Медведева—Саркози (ФОТО). Victoria Prikhodko, Moskovski Komsomolets (ru)

"... Cette fois, Sarkozy était flanqué de José Manuel Barroso, le chef de la Commission européenne, et de Javier Solana, le haut représentant de l'UE pour la politique étrangère et la sécurité commune. Ce qui ne semblait pas du tout lui faire plaisir… Le président français était même carrément irrité ..." (translation by Courrier International)

Topolánek admits constitution change because of Lisbon treaty. Prague Daily Monitor (en)

"... Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said in Zagreb Tuesday he will support a change in the Czech constitution if this helped solve a possible disharmony between the constitution and the EU Lisbon reform treaty ..."

Scot's subsidy fully revealed. Irony Too (en) 10th September

" ... THE BARNETT FORMULA HAS COST TAXPAYERS £200 BILLION, The TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) presents a new and comprehensive study of the Barnett Formula, the Government system used to calculate the distribution of public spending between the four countries of the UK, that reveals the staggering cost to taxpayers of the spending gap between England and the three better-funded devolved territories (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) ..."

Sorry, you’re just not European enough. NoseMonkey, EUtopia (en)

"... The promise of future EU membership can be a force for good, inspiring positive shifts towards greater democratic freedoms. But the promise has to be made. Taking a carrot and stick approach is a tried-and-tested method for getting people to do what you want - and that goes for countries too. Yet in the case of Ukraine, the EU’s carrot would appear to be largely imaginary - while at the same time, Ukrainians know that Russia has both stick and carrot, and isn’t afraid to use either ..."

L’Ukraine, futur État membre de l’Union européenne ? Jean Quatremer, Les Coulisses de l'Europe (fr)

" ...Le message envoyé à la Russie est donc très clair : l’Ukraine fait désormais partie de la « sphère d’influence » de l’Union et il n’est pas question d’y toucher. Au cas où Moscou n’aurait pas compris le message, Sarkozy a martelé que « l’unité territoriale » de l’Ukraine était « non négociable », une allusion claire à la Crimée et aux bases russes. Il faut voir dans cette déclaration une conséquence collatérale du conflit géorgien, l’Union ayant compris qu’elle ne pouvait pas donner l’impression à Moscou qu’elle se désintéressait de ces pays qui sont désormais autant ses « marches » que celles de la Russie ... "

Jumping the gun. P O Neill, A Fistful of Euros (en)
"... an announcement that George Bush will attend a special “Summit of Friends of Georgia” in late October..."

Report : 10th september The CERN's Hadron

The world's biggest experiment begins. The Independent (en)

Cern special: The 9 billion dollar question. The Independent (en)
Scientists switch on the Big Bang machine. Mark Henderson, The Times (en)

'Big Bang' Large Hadron Collider is activated. Roger Highfield, The Telegraph (en)

"... The switch-on saw the first stream of subatomic particles - known as Hadrons - circulating in the tunnel. The first collisions are expected in around 30 days.
The LHC will produce beams seven times more energetic than any previous machine, and around 30 times more intense when it reaches its design performance, probably by 2010."

We must be wary of scientific research. Gerald Warner, The Telegraph (en)

"...The experiment is being conducted by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) and has involved 6,300 scientists from more than 40 countries, including Britain. In a circular tunnel 17 miles long, they have installed a machine known as the Large Hadron Collider, which will produce particle collisions, generating minute fireballs of super-dense matter with temperatures of around a trillion degrees, or 10,000 times hotter than the sun....

...Even if the Large Hadron Collider turns out to be harmless, still larger machines are planned and science is entering an era of unknown risks. It is not just particle physics that poses dilemmas: genetic research and other hi-tech novelties demand a philosophical, moral and legal response..."