Author Archives: David Weman

About David Weman

The founder of A Fistful of Euros. He is Swedish, and was born in 1980. Works as a translator and subtitler.

Anti-Semitism in Europe, take two

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This was all over the blogosphere a week ago. I didn’t get around to finishing this post until now. EU body shelves report on anti-semitism

I’m with Eugene Volokh, we should withhold judgement. It may be that the report was no good. This pasage makes me suspect so:

“When the researchers submitted their work in October last year, however, the centre’s senior staff and management board objected to their definition of anti-semitism, which included some anti-Israel acts. The focus on Muslim and pro-Palestinian perpetrators, meanwhile, was judged inflammatory.

‘There is a trend towards Muslim anti-semitism, while on the left there is mobilisation against Israel that is not always free of prejudice,” said one person familiar with the report. “Merely saying the perpetrators are French, Belgian or Dutch does no justice to the full picture.”

Some EUMC board members had also attacked part of the analysis ascribing anti-semitic motives to leftwing and anti-globalisation groups, this person said. “The decision not to publish was a political decision.”‘

Bullshit anti-semitism charges are frequently used by likudnik partisans and various other elements as a rhetorical bludgeon, and it sort of sounds like this was the case here. Note that this was the spin of the ones critical of the EUMC.

However, this passage makes me fear a good report would also have met with restistance: ‘”Merely saying the perpetrators are French, Belgian or Dutch does no justice to the full picture.”‘

I hold that there is a fair amount of anti-semitic sentiment among some of the arab immigrants in Europe, and this is something many have been reluctant to acknowledge, out of a misplaced concern about fuelling anti-muslim xenophobia. We must deal with this problem, and we can’t do that if we pretend there is no problem.

Update: Apologies for all the typos.
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The stability pact

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No one here have said anything about the recent unraveling of the stability pact. That felt after a little weird after seeing that US bloggers Daniel Drezner and Atrios, of all people, have both commented on the issue.

(Edward did write about it on Bonobo Land though)

Drezner links to this article from the Economist, which is a must-read, it says just about everything I might have said.

Islamist terror has reached Europe

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Near-simultaneous car bombs exploded outside two Istanbul synagogues filled with worshippers Saturday, killing at least 20 people and wounding more than 300. The government said the attack had international links, raising suspicions that the al-Qaida terror network was involved.

This is tragic, revolting and frightening, frightening because it gives us another indication that the al-Qaida network is getting stronger and more active. (It’s odd how little attention this has gotten in the blogosphere.)

But what disturbs me the most is a thought I just had. I’m thinking it’s highly possible that in the not too distant future something like this will happen in western Europe. Besides innocent victims, I worry about how it will affect European society. Our civil liberties would likely be further eroded. People would be generally feel more insecure, which might also have an economic effect.

It would certainly cause an upsurge in xenophobia in the country where the attack takes place, and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe. Particulary muslims would get harassed and discriminated against to an even greater extent than now. Xenophobic parties would gain in polls. Calls for even more restrictive immigration policies. Etcetera, etcetera.

All these things are some great challenges facing us today, so the potential for damage is great. The question then, is how much impact it would have. Perhaps very little? An attack would hardly be on the scale of 9/11. A – hopefully moderate and temporary – reinforecement of negative trends. Would it have any effect outside the country where it would happen? Do news from neigbouring countries feel much closer to home than Bali or whatever?

I do think it would have some impact. I haven’t heard any discussion of the issue, no articles on this bombing has made the connection.. We don’t think about it. We will be shocked. But we shouldn’t.

Update: Blogger Kris Lofgren reports from Istanbul.

Update 2: Slightly edited.

European free riding?

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Doug and Elliot Oti brought up the subject of European free riding in the comment’s to Doug’s latest post.

Let me pose this hypothetical. After his landslide win in 2004, president Kuichinik, slashes the US military budget to a third of its current size.

Do you think the European countries would feel compelled to raise their own military expenditure? A huge or a modest increase? (Or perhaps they’d cut their militaries?) How would their security policies be affected?

For what reasons would they do whatever you think they’d do?

What should they do, i.e what would – if this were to happen – be in their best interest?

Russia: ‘Managed democracy’ shows its true colors

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Well, well. The richest man in Russia got arrested yesterday. Rather unusually brutally too, FSB raid, as demonstartions. What’s going on?

Let’s turn to not mainstream media but rather The Moscow Times who of course are all over this.

First, some kremlinology:

Analysts have said the attack is an attempt to curb Khodorkovsky’s political ambitions. Not only has the nation’s richest man has been openly funding opposition parties ahead of elections, but he also has attempted to push his own policy agenda on key state issues such as pipeline strategy.

The onslaught also comes amid a vicious battle for position between the old elite that came to power and wealth under former President Boris Yeltsin — including Khodorkovsky — and a hard-line faction known as the siloviki that arrived in the Kremlin with President Vladimir Putin.

Analysts said Tuesday that the new burst of activity from prosecutors came amid signs that the Kremlin faction backing the old elite, known as the Family, might be beginning to cave in. The head of the presidential administration, Alexander Voloshin, has been seen as the main protector of that group.

“Rumors of Voloshin’s upcoming resignation are continuing to come from the Kremlin and, judging by their frequency and their consistency, it seems he will not survive the elections. He is gradually losing real control over the Kremlin apparatus,” said Andrei Ryabov, political analyst at the Moscow Carnegie Center. “What’s happening now is a sign of the shift in the balance of power.”

Ryabov added: “Another reason for the recent burst also appears to be Yukos’ increasing activity in trying to sell a stake to a foreign oil major. If such a deal happened, this would not suit the siloviki as YukosSibneft would then fall completely out of their control.”[*]

What will happen?

Kremlin-connected political analyst Sergei Markov said Khodorkovsky’s arrest could usher in new rules of the game for big business and the state.

“After Khodorkovsky’s loss there could be a change in the rules of the game,” he said. “Khodorkovsky will be made an offer he can’t refuse. He can accept the new rules of the game, or he can stay in prison.

“Those who do not agree with the new rules of the game will lose control over their property. That was what happened with [Vladimir] Gusinsky and [Boris] Berezovsky.”

Markov speculated that Khodorkovsky could be forced to give up his stake in Yukos and step down in favor of other managers more ready to cooperate with the state. He could not say exactly what the new rules for business might involve, apart from plans to raise taxes on extraction of raw materials.[*]