Stalin was responsible for the deaths of very large numbers of civilians, outside any war or military campaign PRINCETON — Hitler and Stalin were ruthless dictators who committed murder on a vast scale. But, while it is impossible to imagine a Hitler statue in Berlin, or anywhere else in Germany, statues of Stalin have been… Keep Reading
A long-term look shows that the picture of Germany’s economy is not that rosy by Marcel Fratzscher BERLIN— In recent days, Germany’s representative on the European Central Bank’s governing council has expressed strong disagreement with the ECB’s decision on November 7 to cut its benchmark interest rate. Now the European Commission has opened an investigation… Keep Reading
America must remove its blinders to prepare for loss of global dominance By Kishore Mahbubani The era of American dominance in international affairs may well be coming to an end. As that moment approaches, the main question will be how well the United States is prepared for it. Asia’s rise over the past few decades… Keep Reading
BRICS has seen enormous economic success since its inception, continues to grow By Nicholas Stern, Joseph E. Stiglitz, Amar Bhattacharya, and Mattia Romani At the conclusion of their summit in Durban in March, the leaders of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) announced their intention to establish a New Development Bank… Keep Reading
Push for oversight slows to a crawl after an incoherent dance In the early phases of the financial crisis, it was fashionable to argue that the United States’ system of regulation needed a fundamental structural overhaul. Differences of opinion between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) had obstructed… Keep Reading
Revolutions of Arab world will unfold over many decades, not a few seasons or years By Joseph S. Nye The second anniversary of the “Arab Spring” in Egypt was marked by riots on Tahrir Square that made many observers fear their optimistic projections in 2011 had been dashed. Part of the problem is that expectations… Keep Reading
The opinions expressed in this discussion do not necessarily represent those of The Prague Post. New hope for science and research in the Czech Republic with the new appointment of Professor Haňka Some Czech researchers complain about the lack of access to state funds. The recently appointed new head adviser for science and research, Professor… Keep Reading
Court blocks journalist’s publication on ‘Gorilla’ corruption scandal amid cries of censorship For the Slovak Spectator A Slovak court’s decision to block publication of an unfinished book about alleged high-level political corruption written by investigative journalist Tom Nicholson has been described by critics as censorship. A preliminary injunction issued in early February by the Bratislava… Keep Reading
Ever the contrarian, President Václav Klaus took the predictable yet illogical step of disparaging Prague’s first-ever gay pride event. In addition to placing himself in direct opposition to fun, this allows the president to trot out his usual rhetoric that concepts like human rights are some fictional creation. In vintage form, Klaus is defending the… Keep Reading
Immigration from south to north is the only chance to curb aging in some societies By Pierre Buhler “Demography is destiny,” Auguste Comte is reported to have said. Today, his maxim appears to encapsulate the fate of a number of the world’s richest countries. Indeed, the United Nations Population Division’s recently released biennial World Population… Keep Reading
