Saturday, December 4, 2010

Cable Gate

The latest WikiLeaks exposure is certain to make diplomats and politicians alike more than just a little embarrassed. Things said in confidentiality are seldom suited for prime time news.

But will it have a lasting impact on how our diplomacy works, and will it seriously harm relationships between nations?

I don't think it will do much harm - unless, of course, if cases of criminal behavior are revealed - because diplomats and politicians aren't naïve. It's only natural for them to have their own personal views on the people with whom they work. That their views are made public in this manner is of course embarrassing, and the next meeting with a person you are now known to have made fun of will be a bit awkward. But then what? Life goes on, and these professionals have more important things to attend to than worrying about whether or not their diplomatic counterparts like them.

It's a well-known fact that e.g. certain Afghani politicians are involved in drug trafficking. And that German Chancellor Merkel is not seen as being very creative is probably not the biggest news.

Perhaps people will choose their words more wisely in the future, but I don't think the leaked cables will change much.

A more interesting discussion, I think, is the one revolving around freedom of speech vs. protecting state secrets. More than anything else, the WikiLeaks affair - already having earning it's very own 'gate' term (Cable Gate) - demonstrates that it is almost impossible to keep things secret once they reach a certain point of complexity. Anyone can leak confidential information to an organization like WikiLeaks. How can the world function if a minimum of trust doesn't exist? We have to trust that people won't tell others what we say. If we don't trust others, we can't share knowledge and information. If an erosion of trust between nations and leaders becomes the result of Cable Gate, that would be a true tragedy.

Maybe the realization that high level secrets can no longer be kept will force politicians and diplomats to make more ethical decisions. One could hope so, even though in general I think people at this level are honest, decent people who are confronted with difficult decisions the rest of us will never face. Overall, I choose to trust our politicians and diplomats - regardless of their political orientation - because if I don't, I contribute to an erosion of the very idea of representative democracy. Widespread distrust of government is poison to our democracy and will only lead to things like domestic terrorism like in the case of Timothy McVeigh in the United States, who blew up a government building killing innocent people.

Most people would probably agree that embarrassment is better than an erosion of democracy.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Good blogs about U.S. and E.U. politics

I've found a few links for those of you who want to get other bloggers' views on politics in the U.S. and the E.U., respectively.

For informed comments on U.S. politics I recommend Talking Points Memo, which was founded by Josh Marshall. Josh Marshall holds a Ph.D. in history from Cornell University and is one of brightest bloggers around. The blog slants to the left, but is always well-informed, credible, and well-written. Plus, it often links to relevant video clips to illuminate its points.

Andrew Sullivan's blog, The Daily Dish, is a good read. Like Josh Marshall he holds a Ph.D., but from Harvard. His is in political science from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Despite his conservative stance, he's a reasonable one contrary to many other conservatives who receive media attention. He is not too proud to give credit where credit is due, e.g. in the case of President Obama.

Also, Daniel Drezner, who is professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, holds a Ph.D. in political science from Stanford and offers his expertise on American foreign policy in an insightful - and concise - way. Read more here.

Blogs about E.U. politics are - admittedly - hard to find. Especially ones that are readable and credible at the same time. However, I did find a couple, which offer some of the same qualities as the ones listed above about U.S. politics. The Financial Times has this one, which is quite good. Yet, it's missing the personal touch, which the other ones have, since the sender is a news paper and not an individual blogger. Nosemonkey's EUtopia, however, is entertaining, informative, and one of the best blogs around about E.U. affairs. So use this as a starting point. It's hard to classify according to a left-right scale (who are most pro-EU - the right or the left?). But judging from the tone, I assume it's centre-left. Let me know if you disagree :-)

That's all for now. Enjoy the read.

NEW ADDITION: This one is from the The Foreign Policy Association. Good stuff!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Will the EU disintegrate?

With the massive economic woes of Greece, Ireland, Portugal, etc., pundits and journalists alike have wondered out loud whether the high debt levels and sluggish growth rates will lead to a collapse of the EU as a whole. I highly doubt it. The main reasons for this view are that there is too much political prestige and investments involved with the establishment of the EU, and that The Single Market is so well-functioning that it would be almost disastrous to dismantle it.

Herman von Rompoy, the first President of the European Council, says according to the BBC that the EU faces a risk of failing if the euro does so. But is this really a likely scenario? I doubt it. The euro is crucial if the desire to have a single European market is to continue. Although certain countries - Great Britain, Denmark, and Sweden - have opted out of the single currency, it is simply too established to go back. That procedure would be as absurd as it would for the US to adopt 50 different currencies. The logistical task alone illustrates the madness in such an idea. And I don't see how having different currencies across Europe would solve the problems relating to individual nation states' debt level. Sure, a country could devaluate its currency in order to boost exports and reduce the unemployment rate and thus improve the national budget, but - as all economists agree - that would only provide relief in the short term as it would at the same time make imports more expensive. For at country like Denmark, this would be disadvantageous since raw materials like steel and coal are all imported goods and would thus harm - not benefit - Danish exporters since their good would become more expensive on the market.

The Single Market in the EU was established in 1992, and it would take more than a relatively short financial crisis to bury a comprehensive programme that has evolved nicely since then.

So, no. The EU will - hopefully and probably - survive. It has contributed greatly to ensure security and prosperity in Europe after the Second World War. If it was to collapse, we would experience a decline in intra-European trade, higher unemployment, even more sluggish growth, and maybe even downright animosity among European neighbors. And - as European history has proven - we don't want that.

Welcome to Across the Pond!

This blog's purpose is to increase Americans' understanding of European society and politics, and to increase Europeans' understanding of American society and politics.

In my opinion, Americans and Europeans have stereotypical views of one another and - in particular - about each other's politics. Roughly speaking, Americans view Europeans - particularly those living in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany - as socialists. And, using the same type of prejudice, Italians are simply corrupt. Likewise, Europeans tend to view Americans as gunslinging cowboys. Neither, of course, are accurate.

This blog is intended to provide a more nuanced view of both sides - one that is fair to both sides. I have a background which makes it possible to see both sides. I live in Europe in one of the Scandinavian countries and therefore have first hand experience with European politics and culture. But I have also studied America extensively. I hold a bachelor's degree in English and international marketing and a master's in English and intercultural market studies. In addition to this, I am currently studying for my B.Sc. in sociology and cultural analysis. I - as most people - have devoured American films, music, and books with great satisfaction (most of the time). So no anti-Americanism from this European :-)

Due to the media's natural desire to focus on conflict and "the good stories", I will try an approach that seeks more than that. The media covers day-to-day developments very well - depending on which outlet one chooses, of course - but since conflict-seeking is in its blood, the media (both print and television) often misses the underlining causes and explanations of political developments. It is the hope of this blog that its readers will find that it provides a little extra compared to the traditional media.

Again; welcome!