The Search for Belonging and Ballistic Missile Defense in Romania

During the Cold War, Romania confused all of us. Long after brutality in other communist countries declined, Romania remained a state that employed levels of violence best compared to North Korea today. Nicolae Ceausescu, referred to by admirers as the Genius of the Carpathians, ruled Romania with a ruthless irrationality. Government policies left the country cold and dark, and everyday items readily available just a few kilometers south in Bulgaria were rarities in Romania. At the same time -- and this was the paradox -- Romania was hostile and uncooperative with the Soviets. Bucharest refused to submit to Moscow, and this did not compute for many of us. Resistance to [...]

Trapped in the cul de sac of no good choices

Unlike the past when the United States faced potentially existential dangers, from the Revolution to the Civil War, Great Depression, World War II and the Cold War, since the attacks on New York City’s Twin Towers on September 11th, too many of today’s crises and challenges have no obvious solutions let alone good ones.  The United States seems caught in a no-man’s land of danger that eludes choices that can affect positive outcomes. Syria is one of many examples.  As this column asked, suppose in human terms, supporting the horrible regime of Bashar Assad would claim the fewest number of lives.  Are a hundred or two hundred thousand lives worth [...]

By |2017-11-14T21:28:38+02:004 iunie 2013|Analize si studii, Blog, Harlan Ullman|0 Comentarii

Religia – Remodelării globale.BOR (II)

Pe lângă cauze precum „picăturile chinezeşti” (scandaluri aparent minore în jurul BOR, tratate fie neglijent, fie fundamentalist, marcate de o încrâncenare anacronică și de o gestiune catastrofală a comunicării publice- n.a.),  „schimbarea generațională” și efectul de laicizare adus de modernizare (aici se produce joncțiunea cu viziunea lui Lucian Boia (1)), tânărul sociolog Mirel Palada (2) circumscrie problematica pierderii de viteză a Bisericii Ortodoxe Române, unei viziuni complexe care excede cadrul românesc: „Experiența unor țări profund religioase până acum două generații (cum ar fi Franța sau Spania, mai ales Spania care până acum două-trei generații era foarte religioasă și au avut și ei un asemenea curent critic) arată că practicile religioase, [...]

By |2017-11-14T21:28:38+02:003 iunie 2013|Analize si studii, Blog, Marius Stoian|0 Comentarii

Excentricul Friedman?

“Perioada în care vă gândeaţi că intraţi în NATO şi UE şi ei vor avea grijă de voi nu s-a terminat, ci de fapt nu a fost niciodată ceva adevărat, este doar o iluzie optică. România este un stat suveran, cu mari resurse, cu un viitor şi trebuie să îşi asume responsabilitatea pentru acest viitor al său, să accepte preţul independenţei pe care o are”. “Dacă vă angajaţi în nostalgii romantice, dacă urmăriţi visul minunat care a fost odată UE, veţi avea de-a face cu istoria, care îşi arată faţa urâtă. Iar românii au văzut deja faţa urâtă a istoriei”- a clamat, la Bucureşti, politologul american George Friedman, virulent eurosceptic şi NATO-sceptic, pendulând emoţional între o oralitate de laudatio şi una gravă, de eveniment funerar. Totuşi, dizertaţia susţinută de Friedman (taguri de definire [...]

By |2017-11-14T21:28:38+02:003 iunie 2013|Analize si studii, Blog, Marius Stoian|0 Comentarii

Structures and Solutions for the EU?

The economic crisis has been the main topic of discussion for a few years in the European Union.  Apart from sovereign debt and the financial aspect, there are three other fundamental dimensions to the crisis that Europeans must resolve: The political and social dimensions, and the question of competitiveness. The Competitiveness Dimension Europe’s struggle to remain competitive starts with the peripheral countries in the south and east of the European Union, which are not as dynamic as the north or the manufacturing bases that have emerged in Asia over the past decade. However, we’re also seeing a slowdown of Europe’s core economies — Germany and France — coupled with an increase in [...]

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