During Spring 2010, parliamentary and presidential elections were held in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. Dr. Jan Carnogursky, the former Slovak Prime Minister, analyzes the new government, led by Iveta Radicova, in his home country.

By Dr. Ján Čarnogurský

Towards a New Trans-Cultural Modernity – The Symposium “Cultures Intertwined: Another Enlightenment” in Berlin

by Michael Liebig

Disenchantment with Politics

Not only in respect to the financial crisis and its consequences, the people sense that the political class is unwilling and/or incapable to explain how and why policy choices have been made. Consequently, there is widespread frustration with politics. By its submission to the imperatives of the mass media, the political class has almost eliminated the public discourse on the contents of strategic political issues – and thereby undercut its claim for political leadership.

by Michael Liebig

Austerity in “Old Europe”

The current wave of fiscal austerity across Europe, should not have surprised anyone. While the insistence on social justice is warranted, excessive state debt is also a symptom of basic demographic shifts impacting society, economy and social security systems. A re-definition of “work life” seems to open up the chance of preserving social security systems.

by Michael Liebig