cafebabel.com

What is the difference between a revolution and a coup d’etat?

('Katrina',) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:30:00 -0000

In the midst of the popular revolts which have seen the fall of dictatorships across the Arab world, almost 31 years have passed since the events of '23-F', an attempted coup d’état against the Spanish government on 23 February 1981

Peace in 2011: 'solutions to conflicts do exist’

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:15:14 -0000

From democratic aspirations to the transformation of the media game, Cathy Van Dorslaer, a Belgian psychologist specialising in the prevention of conflicts, explains why she believes 2011 stood under the sign of peace

Blogger Khelil Ben Osman on Tunisian elections

('ZoeBBee',) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:02:13 -0000

There's no official result in the Tunisian elections yet. Nonetheless the moderate islamist party ennahda is on the verge of victory. One of the pioneers of the digital awakening during the jasmine revolution gives his view of the first great moment of democracy in Tunisia

Pan-European indignant revolution viewed from Brussels

('Aatish Pattni',) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:00:00 -0000

The capital of Europe is moving to the rhythm and vibe of the #spanishrevolution; young students from Spain living in Germany, Portugal and Greece amongst others started organising people’s assemblies not far from their embassies on 15 May, and it's still ongoing. Perspectives

Arab spring 2011 and Europe’s fall of communism in 1989

('Daniel Novotny',) — Tue, 24 May 2011 10:00:08 -0000

As the Maghreb goes through its transitions, a look at the lessons learned from central and eastern Europe. Opinion from Daniel Novotny, deputy director of the research centre at the association for international affairs in Prague

'Real democracy NOW!': #spanishrevolution becomes #europeanrevolution

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:15:00 -0000

Spain’s so-called 15-M has become 29-M, referring to the dates of the sit-in protests of a Spain in May which saw local elections swinging to the favour of the opposition conservatives. The rage is sweeping Italy, Belgium and France

Mohamed Elhamdi: are Italian pilots attacking Libyans?

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:45:00 -0000

African mercenaries, commissions on civil assassinations and the alleged support of Italy in the repression are some of the horrors of today’s ‘Libyan genocide’. The president of Libya House (Casa Libia) in Spain left his country 38 years ago, devoting himself to socio-cultural issues, until the revolution kicked off on 17 February. Hundreds have died; interview

Egypt: President Mubarak's men in pro-democracy clashes

('euro topics',) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 11:51:43 -0000

Several people were killed in Cairo on 2 February in the violent clashes between supporters and opponents of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. The Slovenian, Swedish and German press blames the regime for the escalation of violence and bemoans the low level of EU and US support for the opposition

Birgitta Jonsdottir, Iceland's woman politician blogger

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:30:00 -0000

The politician, blogger and Wikileaks ‘friend’ from Reykjavik, 43, proposed a law which aims to convert the island into a model of digital transparency and safe haven for journalists; it was passed in June. Interview with a mother-of-one who is ‘everything but your traditional politician’

Elections, elections: buy a vote for 50 euros in Bulgaria

('Dave Keating',) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:22:20 -0000

That's how much a vote can be worth in some areas of Bulgaria. Shortly after the country’s entry into the EU, in the 2007 national election, the problem was so prevalent in local elections that Brussels became alarmed

Regional representations can communicate EU policy to citizens

('Hilary Arrowsmith',) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:37:53 -0000

At a regional policy debate on 8 October, journalist Sabine Berger commented that ‘regional representations and MEPs can help.’ Over 250 regional representations in Brussels voice the interests of their respective areas.

Exploiting unpaid interns: rites of passage?

('c\xc3\xa9dric AUDINOT',) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Associations like Generation Precarity or Fairwork expose an exploited flexible labour force with intermittent incomes and no job security

Cinema: Persepolis hits the UK

('Jens Wiesner',) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Released on 25 April in an English-dubbed version, a review of Franco-Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi's Oscar-nominated animation of a girl displaced in Vienna

Serb elections: blackmail Europe

('Alison Matthews',) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Serb incumbent Boris Tadic needs every vote he can get in the second round of presidential elections on 3 February. PM Kostunica supports his pro-European coalition partner - but on his own terms only

Democratic index for Europe

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0000

After Eurobarometer and the ‘Index of Happiness’, a new index launched by a British think tank on 31 January aims to ‘measure’ democracy in 25 European countries – and get Europe's citizens to customise their own indices online. Interview

1968: a tour of Europe's revolts

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Spain, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Poland and Germany - spinning through Europe's uprisings during that infamous year of rebellion

Eco-suburbs: Vauban, Freiburg

('Sarah Gray',) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0000

The district in south-west Germany is a pioneering development that puts into action innovative rules for communal living in a unique environment. But this paradise of purity is not without its faults

EU-Darfur conflict: stepping up to the plate

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 12:00:00 -0000

EU defence ministers meet in Portugal on 28 September for the final go-ahead for the deployment of EU troops in Chad and CAR, after the UN approved a resolution on 26 September

Walking the Lal Masjid mile

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 12:00:00 -0000

On 10 and 15 September former prime ministers Sharif and Bhutto plan leaving London for upcoming elections in Pakistan. Military president Musharraf was hit hard by the ten-day ‘Red Mosque’ siege by armed fundamentalists in July

Reviving the European spirit

Wed, 09 May 2007 12:00:00 -0000

On 9 May 1950, Robert Schuman presented his proposal for the creation of Europe, transforming that day into a European symbol. We take a look back at its successes and failures

Estonia: not democratic or tolerant enough

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

After Estonia’s parliamentary elections on March 4, Culture Minister Raivo Palmaru casts a critical eye over the nation’s press and young democracy

Impending independence?

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Independent from or autonomous within Serbia? Negotiations on Kosovo’s future status wound up in March

Kosovo's future lies within Europe

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0000

On Feb 27 in Belgrade, 15, 000 Serbs protested against the UN's plans for

independence from Serbia. What do Serbs and Albanians think about Kosovar identity?

'Financial aid to Lebanon won't increase Western control'

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0000

400 million Euros from the Commission, $770 million from the US. But Lebanon remains consumed by instability

Ceauescu, eternally shadowing Romania

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0000

For the first time, an exhibition in Bucharest lifts the veil on Romania’s Communist past

Hrant Dink: Turkey remembers

('Daniel G. Ross',) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0000

The murder of Hrant Dink, Turkish journalist of Armenian descent and advocate of EU membership, has stirred emotions in Turkey

Marjane Satrapi: 'the Iraq war was about nothing but oil'

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0000

We spoke to the Iranian graphic novelist, 37, in January, after she shot to fame with her black-and-white comic book ‘Persepolis’. It's currently hitting movie screens in its animated French version

‘12:08 East of Bucharest’: revolutionary rendevous

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 12:00:00 -0000

From the set of a local television station, three madcap characters attempt to understand what happened in their sleepy Romanian town the day that communism died

Venezuela, an outlandish democracy

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 12:00:00 -0000

Hugo Chávez is favorite to win Venezuela's presidential elections on December 3 - prime assessment for a controversial and reformed democracy

Romania rife with low-level corruption

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 02:00:00 -0000

The European Commission wants to integrate Romania into the EU on 1 January 2007 – if the country can keep its corruption under control. A feature from Siebenbürgen.

“The delayed implementation of laws is not a Romanian specificity”

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 02:00:00 -0000

Four questions to Antonela Capelle-Pogacean, an academic researcher working on Romanian politics at the CERI

Disappearing in the crowd: Vietnamese immigrants in Poland

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 12:44:00 -0000

Thousands of Vietnamese are repressed in their home country and are forced to leave Asia and try their luck abroad. For those who choose Poland, the transition is sometimes tough

Europe’s anti-terror alert systems are out of tune with each other

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:24:00 -0000

The planned terror attacks uncovered in London are putting the alert systems of every European country to the test. Find out how these work and which alert levels are currently in place.

Walking naked into a mosque: nationalism in Kosovo

Fri, 08 Sep 2006 12:00:00 -0000

What is kosovar national identity? Migjen Kelmendi, editor of the weekly Java, opens the debate with a recently published book Who is Kosovar?

Hitchhiking against poverty

Fri, 08 Sep 2006 12:00:00 -0000

70 young Europeans take part in Eurizons, a unique hitchhike campaign to promote the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Why resolution 1701 falls short of expectations

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 12:00:00 -0000

Following the adoption of resolution 1701, European countries are preparing a peacekeeping force for Lebanon. The European Jewish Congress explains to us why resolution 1701 brings hope but no tangible guarantees

Martha Beatriz Roque, standing up to Castro

('Sarah Turpin',) — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 11:31:00 -0000

As Fidel’s poor health forces him to hand over power to his brother Raúl, the sixty-year-old Roque denounces the neglect of her people and the regime of ‘apartheid’ enforced in Cuba. This is her story, told in very special circumstances.

Membership brinkmanship in the Balkans

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 12:37:00 -0000

For years we promised to accept the Balkan states’ bid to enter the EU. As politicians slow down the integration process, the region is further destabilised

Kinshasa-Paris: life at the margins of the state