Georgia - punished peoples

Georgia was told this week that the door to NATO membership was still open but that much progress was still expected. As well as resolving relations with it's breakaway provinces Georgia is also expected to resettle exiles from the Stalinist era. Given the poor state of the economy some wonder if this initiative, a Council of Europe obligation, is too much of a hurdle. It's unclear how many people - out of a
community of 70,000 odd exiled by Stalin to Central Asia - would actually want to return more from the IWPR...

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EU - last in, first cut

EU budget deadlock is looming - the UK is waiting until the CAP is 'reformed' before giving up it's rebate, while France is waiting for hell to freeze over before changing the CAP. Will the new member states miss out due to the squabble ? Polish ministers are already voicing concern that structural adjustment funds will be cut back more from EU Observer...

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China - corruption old and new

You don't have to be a postcolonial history scholar to start having doubts about China coverage in the media. When examining some, usually negative, trend in modern Chinese life many articles frame their commentary with reference to China's Imperial past - is this really appropriate or is there a whiff of Orientalism about it ?.

A recent article in the US comments on Chinese campaigns against corruption and mentions the theory that it's incidence is rising because of a desire among rich officials to return to the Imperial tradition of the 'Golden Canary', as trophy mistresses were known, more from the LA Times... When such matters as official corruption in a developed country are mentioned , like France, no such trappings of the Ancien Regime are felt worth listing with such regularity more from the Daily Telegraph...

The constant references to the ancient past do seem to give the impression that corruption is just an endemic feature of 'the Chinese', whereas in the French article more rational arguments are put forward as to why corruption , even in a democracy with supposedly strict oversight of officials, is still a problem (i.e. that the population don't care enough about it). The Chinese sociologist, Liu Dalin, qouted directly in the LA Times article, didn't need to refer to the mores of the Qin Dynasty when he talked about China as a "commodity economy" - "Work, technology, love, beauty, power — it's all tradable." Sound familiar ?.

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Khyrgyzstan - time to talk

Khyrgyzstan's political elite and top education institutions both conduct a lot of their business in Russia, though the country has been independant since 1991. Time to favour native Khyrgyz ? Country folk certainly think so but such moves outrage the Russian minority more from IWPR...

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Romania - return to render

If the bird flu outbreaks have not been enough to put you off visiting Romania how about the allegation off torture centres at US air bases ? The government has now had to deny such things go on following the revelations in the US media more from Reuters...

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EU - gentlemens agreement

Forgotten the EU constitution already ? So have many EU members, it seems, as national governments begin to put elements of it in place without any legal framework. So far only Italy has objected and given a yellow card to 'yellow cards'. Under the constitution legislation would have had to be reconsidered if one third of national parliaments had objected. Now the suggestion is that an informal agreement to follow this rule will do more from the EUObserver...

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US - the dark dimension

A US foreign policy expert - President of the Council on Foreign Relations - has floated the idea of promoting 'integration' rather than democracy as the best guiding principle for dealing with what he sees as the dark side of globalisation. Richard N. Haass views the current administrations banging on about promoting democracy as the wrong approach - better to offer to plug rogue states into the world economy, and the wealth that brings with it, if they alter their evil ways more from the New York Times... Sounds like a very European foreign policy.

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Japan - unforgiven

No matter how many times the Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi goes over his explanation for visiting a shrine which contains the remains of Class-A war criminals it never seems very convincing to a foreign audience. South Korea's President remained unconvinced at the APEC conference this week. Although he did agree to meet with the Japanese leader, Rho made it clear the whole 'praying for peace' story would never be acceptable more from the Asahi Shimbun...

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S.Korea - rock and a hard place

As the South Korean President, Roh Moo-hyun, has met both Chinese and US leaders in the last week his official comments on both have been closely studied. Are they intentionally revealing or just open to interpretation ? Local conservative media have focused on a close comparison of just how fulsome the praise in each post-summit press conference has been to suggest South Korea is caught between the competing powers and cannot show favour to both. This week has apparently demonstrated a move closer to China more from the Chosun Ilbo... More liberal commentators, on the other hand, have seen the US summit as a continuing show of unity with the US more from the Joong Ang Daily...

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Turkmenistan - fear of failure

Turkmenistan's health care problems - or the more repressive measures taken by the government - are rarely news. Amusing articles poke fun at the Presidents cult of personality but if health diseasters are covered up it may not be a laughing matter. Some see the country as a potential source for infectious disease outbreaks, like the bubonic plague, and fear it is headed for 'failed state' status more from the BBC...

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Azerbaijan - voter fatigue

The recent elections in Azerbaijan were the fairest yet held - although the contending parties are still disputing the result. However, voter turn-out was the lowest for 10 years. Have the voters tired of waiting for a fair go ? Some see the main problem as a generational one as all parties are led by former Soviet era politicians more from EurasiaNet...

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Albania - good news and bad news

The EU Commission has decided it's time to conclude negotiations with Albania and suggest a treaty be signed to confirm it's candidate EU status (an SAA). The announcement stressed that the EU saw a European future for all the Western Balkans but only when, and if, EU standards are met more from Europa... News from Albania generally tends to dwell on the problems ahead and the corruption, crime and disorder that hold the country back. Some observers see these issues as exaggerated and the kind of thing that goes on in any area devoid of jobs and with a subsistance economy more from the BBC...

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EU - riot aid

What does 17 consecutive days of rioting get you ? For France 50 million Euros in EU aid for starters. It looks like the Social Model is getting more expensive by the day more from the EU Observer...

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US - booming babies

In the US older, wealthier and, by implication, slacker, parents (too busy to control their offspring) are becoming an issue in the urban oasis of the coffee shop. Does your child have an "inside voice". If not then you'd better watch out when letting the little devils run riot - you'll be resented for not having moved to the suburbs more from the New York Times...

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Uzbekistan - not oiling the wheels

Uzbekistan's policy of economic self-sufficiency seems to be designed to make globalisation look attractive as Government mismanagement is blamed for the current petrol shortages. Oil production is said to be set to fall further without new or upgraded oil facilities and this could lead to a fuel crisis more from the BBC...

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Turkey - inventive History

Turkish history Professor, Fuat Sezgin, is attempting to set up a Museum of Islamic Science in Istanbul exhibiting recreations of the past inventions of Islamic scholars. An attempt to set the record straight or just a brief for the defence ? In creating the Museum he hopes to inspire those who feel inferior to the West more from the Zaman Daily News...

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Macedonia - on the CARDS

The EU decides tomorrow on whether Macedonia should be recognized as a candidate member and on track for accession talks to begin. A positive decision would release extra funds - but certain conditions must be met first. The key criterion is local administrative competence as it's Macedonian officials who must lead and manage the assistance projects more from the IWPR...

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France - trousering the CAP ?

France picks up 20% of EU agricultural payments under the CAP - officially to support small farmers. New studies suggest that 60% of this money goes to the top 15% of producers. Oxfams release of this analysis now is embarassing as France tries to resist a limit on the CAP that would both aid world trade negotiations and help the budget dispute in the EU more from the EU Observer...

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Bulgaria - to ban or not to ban

EU judges have joined in the recent criticism of Bulgaria for deviating from EU norms - this time it's for banning an ethnic Macedonian political party. Accusing the party of advocating a separatist agenda the Bulgarian government supported the ban as being fully in line with Bulgaria's constitution more from the IWPR...

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