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From: Transitions Online <[log in to unmask]>
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Sent: Monday, November 12, 2001 7:24 PM
Subject: New at TOL - 12 November
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Transitions Online - Intelligent Eastern Europe
New at TOL: Monday, 12 November 2001
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--- TOL ANNOUNCEMENT ---
FREE subscriptions to Eastern European universities! TOL is proud to be
able to offer universities and libraries from East and Central Europe,
the Balkans and the former Soviet Union free subscriptions to our
magazine. Take advantage of this great offer today, and bring TOL to
your students, colleagues, and friends tomorrow! For more information,
please e-mail us at [log in to unmask]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
--- WEEK IN REVIEW ---
Central and Eastern Europe: A Regional Stand
Presidents of countries throughout Central and Eastern Europe confirm
their strong stand against terrorism.
by Wojtek Kosc with additional reporting from Alex Znatkevich
http://www.tol.cz/week.html
Bulgaria: Surprise, Surprise
The Bulgarian presidential election is marked by two surprises as most
voters stay away from the polls and the vote does not turn out as
expected.
by Polia Alexandrova
http://www.tol.cz/week.html
Hungary: Never Say Never
Hungarian PM's remarks that a coalition with the extreme right cannot be
'ruled out' have caused alarm in Budapest and the West.
by Laszlo Szocs
http://www.tol.cz/week.html
Czech Republic: A Struggle Over Mein Kampf
A Czech publisher gets a three-year suspended sentence and a hefty fine
for publishing an edition of Adolf Hitler's book.
by Pavla Kozakova
http://www.tol.cz/week.html
Macedonia: Renewed Violence
More clashes in Macedonia as peace process falters.
by Robert Alagjozovski
http://www.tol.cz/week.html
MORE WEEK IN REVIEW
http://www.tol.cz/week.html
Protestors, Police Clash Over Mass Graves in Belarus
NATO Candidate Countries Cheer U.S. House Vote on Aid
Money Laundering Allegations Rock Moldova
Accused Trafficker in Mongolia Released on Bail
Latvia Wants To Close Its OSCE Mission
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
--- OUR TAKE: Loose Lips Sink Ships ---
Comments from Western statesmen could end up backfiring if they aren't
careful.
http://www.tol.cz/look/TOLnew/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue=2
2&NrSection=16&NrArticle=2626
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
--- FEATURES ---
Portable Death
Soft but dangerous. Semtex in the Czech Republic.
by Brian Whitmore
http://www.tol.cz/look/TOLnew/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue=2
2&NrSection=2&NrArticle=2585
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
--- ANALYSIS ---
Stoyanov Looks Set to Win
The incumbent Bulgarian president leads the polls ahead of the 11
November election, but a low turnout is expected.
by Polia Alexandrova
http://www.tol.cz/look/BRR/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=9&NrIssue=1&Nr
Section=2&NrArticle=2552
From the Balkan Reconstruction Report. (http://balkanreport.tol.cz)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
--- COLUMNS AND OPINIONS ---
Rash of Attacks
A recent attack by skinheads on a Moscow market is only the latest such
incident in Russia, and the authorities are doing little to stop the
violence.
by Nickolai Butkevich
http://www.tol.cz/look/TOLnew/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue=2
2&NrSection=3&NrArticle=2599
Letter from Dagestan: Blood Sport
Officials in Dagestan are falling victim to violence at an alarming
rate, but it's all in a day's politicking.
by Nabi Abdullaev
http://www.tol.cz/look/TOLnew/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue=2
2&NrSection=17&NrArticle=2565
The Deep End: No-Fly Zone for Winged Victims
Food fighters, royal digits, Larry King's confusion, and other quirky
news from around the region .
by TOL staff
http://www.tol.cz/look/TOLnew/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue=2
2&NrSection=17&NrArticle=2566
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
--- IN THEIR OWN WORDS ---
Something Coarse and Vulgar
An editorial by Petr Holub, editor in chief of the Czech weekly Respekt,
has drawn lawsuit threats from the government.
http://www.tol.cz/look/TOLnew/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue=2
2&NrSection=7&NrArticle=2584
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
--- OUR TAKE: Loose Lips Sink Ships ---
Comments by Western statesmen could end up backfiring if they aren't
careful.
Western leaders often deride their Eastern colleagues for their
unguarded, undiplomatic statements. Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman,
for one, is so famed for his off-the-cuff remarks that hardly anyone was
surprised when he prematurely disclosed, apparently to the chagrin of
U.S. officials, that the Czechs would be contributing a chemical unit to
the fight against terrorism. But this past week, those very same Western
leaders showed that even their carefully measured comments, when not
properly thought through, can also cause unintended damage.
With Slovakia on the cusp of NATO entry, local politicians and media
hang on every word of Lord George Robertson, the NATO general secretary.
They know that the main reason the country fell out of the first wave in
1999--when the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary got in--was the
presence of the authoritarian-minded Vladimir Meciar in the prime
minister's chair. And now Meciar is poised to return in next year's
parliamentary elections. During Robertson's one-day visit to Bratislava
on 5 November, he made to date the strongest linkage between NATO
accession and a possible Meciar victory. "People in Slovakia need to go
into the elections with their eyes wide open," he said, explaining that
the elections come just a month before NATO member states meet in Prague
to decide the fate of the current applicants and "they will be looking
for continuity of commitment to democracy." "I hope that's clear
enough," he added. When asked specifically about the possibility of a
Meciar victory, Robertson said he didn't want to interfere in Slovakia's
internal affairs, explaining, "All I can say is that NATO has bound
itself to respect democratic values, ethnic tolerance, good relations
with neighbours as well as a system of independent judiciary and a free
economy. That is why people should vote with eyes open."
Despite Robertson's protestations, these kinds of comments are, without
a doubt, interference into internal matters-how else can a prominent
Western leader telling a country's citizens how to vote be interpreted?
The message was indirect, but it was, as Robertson hoped, clear enough.
The real questions are, therefore: whether such an approach is warranted
and whether should an approach will be effective. As to the first: one
could argue that NATO is a private club, and that prospective members
have no divine right to join to alliance simply because they have
fulfilled some objective criteria, such as civilian control of the
military; just as a tennis club can reject a disreputable businessman,
NATO can refuse to accept a country led by a party (Meciar's HZDS) that
strong-armed the opposition and unfriendly journalists, illegally
thwarted a referendum on NATO entry, and acted aggressively toward the
nation's minorities. If Slovakia's voters want to join the club, then
NATO officials have every right to tell them what the conditions for
entry are.
On the other hand, it's hard to believe that Robertson's comments will
have any positive effect. Meciar has always had a devoted core group of
followers who follow him through thick and thin. Many of these voters
are pro-NATO, but only because Meciar recently decisively shifted his
orientation in that direction; the values that NATO purports to stand
for--let alone the security promises--pale in comparison to the devotion
of the party faithful to their leader. And supporters of the shaky
governing coalition have known for years a Slovakia with Meciar at the
helm will be a hard sell to the EU and NATO; Robertson's comments may,
however, deter a few of those who voted for government parties the last
time from defecting to the opposition or simply not voting. Yet for
those few who feel their resolve to vote anti-Meciar strengthened by
Robertson's "warning," there are probably just as many who believe that
this interference into Slovakia's internal affairs demands a strong
leader like Meciar or the populist Robert Fico to
protect Slovak interests.
Western leaders should likewise exert more caution over their unofficial
statements, especially people like Gunter Verheugen, the commissioner in
charge of enlargement, whose every word causes ripples in capitals
across the region. Early accounts this past week indicated that the
European Commission would issue a positive evaluation in its annual
report on the Czech Republic's progress
toward accession (for a complete overview and commentary on the EC's
country reports, see TOL later this week). But, after meeting with Czech
Foreign Minister Jan Kavan on 6 November, Verheugen refused to disclose
any details and was quoted by the daily Mlada Fronta Dnes as saying:
"It's like Christmas-not fun for anyone if they know beforehand what
presents they will get." Verheugen, a skilled and experienced diplomat,
should know better than to build, even indirectly, the image of the EU
as a tolerant Western parent handing out gifts to the impatiently
waiting children from Eastern Europe. Those are exactly the kind of
notion that
plays into the hands of Eurosceptics like Vaclav Klaus, the former Czech
prime minister and current parliamentary chairman. Klaus--a suave,
charismatic leader who likely plays a leading role in Verheugen's
nightmares--knows well how to pump such ill-timed remarks for everything
they're worth: standing up to a paternal West with swelling nationalist
pride attracts attention, and votes.
To some extent, people like Verheugen still don't seem to realize that
their statements--especially as to they relate to EU enlargement and
NATO expansion--are perused more closely and interpreted more widely
than the bible. That's precisely because commentators and local
politicians know that Western leaders usually weigh every word and
rarely convey messages that they don't intend to convey. In contrast,
the statements of local politicians don't get the same decoding since
local pols speak much more openly--some would say refreshingly, some
would say unprofessionally. When a politician from Central and Eastern
Europe doesn't speak glibly with the press and keeps his cards close to
his chest, such as Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon II, he arouses
suspicion or ridicule. One popular quip in Sofia relates to Simeon's
habit of answering the media or other with the phrase: "I'll tell you
when the time comes." So, the joke goes, "A man asked the prime minister
what time it is, and he answered: 'I'll tell you when the time comes.' "
While Simeon may be taking things a bit far (he claimed this weekend to
not have any opinion on the Bulgarian presidential election since he
hadn't been following it closely), his decision to carefully mark his
words is a useful example to Western diplomats working in Central and
Eastern Europe and not only to blowhards like Milos Zeman.
.......................................................
The TOL weekly newsletter is published by Transitions Online--The
leading news provider covering Eastern Europe. Check us out at
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..........................................................
-- Transitions Online - Intelligent Eastern Europe
Copyright: Transitions Online 2001
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