Peace Blog
The views expressed in the blog are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the IIP.
Stefanie Fenkart reflects on the meetings of young Western Balkans leaders with public officials in France that took place in October 2019 within the framework of the initiative ‘Young generations for the Western Balakns 2030‘. The French view of the EU enlargement process is largely conditioned by domestic trends, failing to appreciate the efforts to meet the EU requirements that countries in the region have made over the past years. Video of public discussion available.
Visiting some exhibitions parallel to the Venice Biennale can be an interesting experience. Especially if one is interested in the relations between arts and politics, or more specifically, if one looks for answers to the question how art can contribute to peaceful development. For some there is a simple answer to these issues. They see no specific function of art concerning politics in general and peace in particular. Others, on the contrary, demand from art solely a political contribution.
Political parties of the center must find a way of cooperation and work on their own profile. And they must enter into an intensive dialogue with European citizens. These must get an impression of what kind of policies the different parties fight. But they must also get an understanding of compromises necessary to achieve results. In the present political environment, there are even more political debate and political skills necessary. But they should deal with those issues which are vital for creating a more sustainable, democratic and socially just Europe. Europe which could be a global model.
Drums of a war are beating loudly again, in the Middle East. On one side stands the military power of the USA and its regional allies; on the other side, the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Escalating tensions could, in the worst- case scenario, —intentionally or unintentionally —, spark a new war in the region. The world is still suffering from the consequences of the war in Iraq in 2003, which was launched based on false claims and assumptions.
Europe should first have a clear defensive military doctrine before entering any discussion of a military dimension of the European Union. As we see with the US, they have a strong military capacity and that invites to use it in different wars. We must recognize that the US lost all these wars in the last years – from Vietnam to Iraq. Not a good example for Europe to follow.
Since the end of the Bush administration in 2009 there has been a debate among American academics on what kind of world will emerge. Where is Europe in this debate? Europe plays only a marginal role. The main concerns of American academics are the decline of America and the rise of China. Europe is not considered to be a major power factor in the new world. In the best case, Europe is seen as a natural ally because it consists of market economies and liberal democracies. In the worst case, it is seen as irrelevant because it lacks military capacities with global reach.
The new economic and social European model of course must also define the role of migration inside Europe (EU and its partners) and from outside Europe. The needs of the economies - depending on implementation of automatization and Artificial Intelligence - must be confronted with perceptions and attitudes of the society at large.
