All Entries Tagged With: "Europe"
China and Germany Join Forces, Work Together
China is going full-speed ahead, not only with cutting-edge technology innovations, but with a staggering amount of industrially-minded laborers who are FINALLY getting a pay-raise. It’s the latest step in a shift from being a center of the Western world’s outsourced companies to a creative, capitalistic machine in its own right. And the nation has been reaching out to Europe, founding and forging friendships, including one with a not-as-obvious force: Germany.
When you have the chance, check out www.germany-and-china.com. I myself was floored as to how I had been missing this alliance. A German-Chinese city so forward-thinking it has a Urban Academy where students learn international urban sustainability issues? Should the United States be worried of the combined force of Germany’s experience as the most financially-solvent force in Europe, with a stable government and high production, and China’s massive growth potential and excess of money?
Are we on the cusp of, dare we say it…a superpower? To paraphrase Polish Press, the Germans are certainly no longer ashamed of their power. They’re slowly shedding their World War II guilt, and everybody is paying attention.
Consider the following:
Germany is in good shape, estimated to recover from the recession with a 1.5% surplus this year. Also, during the last three years Germany has surpassed the United States (and China) as the biggest exporter in the world. And all of this, with a population of 82 million- approximately 20% of ours.
This power is largely due to smart financial planning. Much of the argument and support for the adaptation of the Euro was spearheaded by Germany, who not only coined the term (der Euro) but also created the € sign. Quite appropriately, the European Central Bank and monetary center of Europe is located in Frankfurt, Germany. The very public objective of the ECB is to stabilize all prices within Europe, which for German citizens means having the space to grow quickly and not worry about inflation going out of control. The country has focused energy in being present in the international forum, rising to leader status within the EU and retaining that status through the panic of a worldwide depression. As quoted in The Trumpet back in April, “European nations fear economic collapse…Now they are looking to Germany as their financial savior.” Some have gone so far as to say that Germany’s power grows far beyond that. Their military forces and abilities have grown tenfold since the last time most Americans paid attention to the country as a dominant force.
It is obvious to everyone that our finances are in shambles and that we as a country are struggling to make sense of our credit-defaults, hot-potato-esque savings institutions and of course, our lackluster employment stats. Should we look to these countries who have spent the last ten years in prosperity for help? Are we too proud? Are you?
Additional Sources: here and here
France Considering Burka Ban
In the most recent controversy emanating from Old Europe’s culture clash with its growing Muslim population, the French parliament is considering a ban on public wearing of the burka, 
the head-to-toe black garment worn by some Muslim women.
The burka has become a symbol of fundamentalist Islam and is the source of criticism from the left and the right, though the origin of the French aversion to the burka is a little ambiguous. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has invoked the principles of gender equality and sexual freedom, and indeed the burka tends to be aligned with the subordination of women to men. But is the proposed ban (which may be a nonbinding resolution or may actually authorize the issuance of fines for public display) really just about women’s freedom, or is that a pretext for ridding European streets of any sign of Islam’s presence?
Is it a good idea for the government to tell people what to wear? As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
There are six million Muslims in France, mostly from the former French colonies of North and West Africa. Undoubtedly, they’re here to stay. With Switzerland recently taking the drastic step of banning the construction of mosque minarets, the proposed French law might be next in a series of legislative battles in a cultural war. Hopefully, they’ll do the right thing. But the criscrossing mix of principles, ideals, and interests at stake make ‘what’s right’ seem disconcertingly ambiguous.
Update: On Tuesday, a French parliamentary panel voted to officially recommend steps toward restriction the wearing of veils in public facilities. See the New York Times report here.
Article by Students in Europe Blogger David Ferris
Freedom and the Berlin Wall
“Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was civis Romanus sum [I am a Roman citizen]. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’… All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words ‘Ich bin ein Berliner!’”
—– John F. Kennedy, June 26, 1963, West Berlin
They’re staring all night and they’re staring all day
I had no reason to be here at all
And now I’ve gotta reason it’s no real reason
And I’m waiting
The Berlin Wall
—– Holiday in the Sun, Sex Pistols
November 9th marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Watching all the old footage on NBC’s website (was Tom Brokaw ever that young?) it’s important to remember how different life was for so many during the Cold War. The political, economic and cultural chasm that existed in Europe is hard to wrap our brains around today. I recently heard an interview with writer Malcolm Gladwell where he spoke about today’s difference in European and American infrastructure. He said that he had been in the dazzling, new train station in Berlin and in the somewhat bleaker Penn Station recently, and it was hard to believe by looking at the two, that the U.S. had won WWII. For the most part Eastern Europe has made a miraculous recovery considering the scope of the tyranny that dimmed its light for decades.
