In our time of globalization, in the 21. century, it is really not an adequate discussion in small and densely populated Europe about the question who of the Europeans will militarily attack whom of the Europeans. And therefore also the question whether Ukraine should be member of NATO or should be not is really not an adequate topic. In reality this discussion about Ukraine induces suspicion and hinders to follow the real challenge of Europe.
The real challenge of Europe is to find a European identity, the European civilization, for making Europe a strong competitor in the international competition of civilizations, with competitors like China and India. The future European civilization has to integrate its transatlantic as well as its Eurasian interconnections.
European Union has been committed to the high ideals of the European revolution of 1848. It is worthwhile to remember that it needed about 100 years to codify these values in our basic law of the Federal Republic of Germany. How difficult it will be to codify equivalents in countries which never before had representative democracy and independent jurisdiction? To find the European identity for tomorrow, that is really a challenge which needs constructive cooperation of all Europeans without any suspicion.
The proposal of the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during his most recent speech in Berlin to look for a commonly accepted European civilization, from Los Angeles to Vladivostok, is historically essential. The Russian President is the first real responsible person who has declared the challenge of Europe as a political goal in public. We Europeans should say all our thanks for this declaration.
The future European civilization should be elaborated in recognition of the basic values of Plato and Christ, of the historical memory of Europe with all its experiments in history and of a vision of the common future. It should be done in consensual acceptance among countries vice versa respecting their idiosyncrasy and as a convergency of Western European civilization and Eastern European civilization, the first mainly horizontally, the second mainly vertically structured. By the way the boarder line between these two types of European civilization is nearly the geographical East-West middle of Europe.
The discourse should be particularly done among the European youth, the partners of the common future of Europe. Universities of different countries should hold talks and organize cross boarder internet projects. It has to be acclaimed that such an activity has been already started between the St. Petersburg University of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Jacobs University Bremen, a Russian and a German university.
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June 13, 2008
ilyas m mohsin, ppp, Platinum Contributor (250)
In fact one reason for the emergence of Hitler in Germany and what followed in Europe was the longing for the German share in the colonial loot.
Now it is 2008 and time and tide wait for nobody.
The US emerged as the sole superpower after the collapse of the Soviet Union at the hands of the Afghans massively-supported by the US/ Pakistan in 1990. It has stumbled badly under the current Administartion which has undermined it internally and at the world level. While it is going down, China, Russia and India are taking giant-strides in most fields which badly influences American power/ goodwill/ influence.
Medvedev' gambit can't be taken at its face value.if one is familiar with the developments in Asia whcih would cast a shadow on Europe like the US. So sanity demands that we pursue the Globalization in right earnest
instead of keeping our future hostage to our past.