Allemagne : polémique après les propos xénophobes d'un dirigeant de la Bundesbank
Thilo Sarrazin, administrateur de la Bundesbank et ancien sénateur des finances à Berlin. Crédits photo: Le Monde
LE MONDE: Ses propos ont d'abord suscité une vague d'indignation en Allemagne. Interviewé par la revue culturelle berlinoise Lettre International sur la problématique de l'intégration, Thilo Sarrazin, administrateur de la Bundesbank et ancien sénateur des finances de Berlin, n'y était effectivement pas allé avec le dos de la cuiller : "Les Turcs conquièrent l'Allemagne exactement comme les Kosovars ont conquis le Kosovo : avec un taux de natalité élevé", avait déclaré le social-démocrate, disant ne pas accepter "ceux qui vivent aux crochets de l'Etat, rejettent ce pays (...) et fabriquent sans arrêt des petites filles avec des foulards". En guise de conclusion, M. Sarrazin avait décrété qu'un "grand nombre d'Arabes et de Turcs (à Berlin) n'ont aucune fonction productive à l'exception de la vente des fruits et des légumes".

Depuis dix jours, la polémique enfle. Aux critiques ont succédé les appels à la démission. La direction de la Bundesbank et le SPD disent réfléchir à des sanctions. Vendredi, le Conseil central des juifs d'Allemagne a comparé le fauteur de troubles à "Goering, Goebbels et Hitler". Pourtant, une autre discussion émerge, encouragée par certains journaux qui estiment que les réflexions de M. Sarrazin, même controversées, ciblent des problèmes bien réels. >>> Le Monde | Lundi 12 Octobre 2009

États-Unis : Obama face à la colère des homosexuels
LE TEMPS: La nébuleuse qui milite en faveur des droits des gays est aujourd’hui déçue par le président démocrate. Une manifestation a réuni dimanche des milliers de personnes à Washington

Ambiance festive, musique et drapeaux multicolores. A première vue, la manifestation qui réunissait dimanche à Washington des dizaines de milliers de défenseurs des droits des homosexuels avait la partie facile. La veille, invité par le plus grand lobby homosexuel du pays, Human Rights Campaign, Barack Obama avait répété qu’il entendait mettre fin à la discrimination dont sont victimes les gays et les lesbiennes enrôlés dans l’armée américaine. Pourtant, la colère gronde. Plus que nulle autre, la nébuleuse qui milite en faveur des droits des homosexuels est aujourd’hui déçue par le président. De mauvais augure, alors que ses membres, par leur profil politique, leur âge et leurs méthodes d’action, ont été à la pointe de la «révolution» qui a amené Obama au pouvoir.

Don’t ask, don’t tell: c’est la politique grâce à laquelle les homosexuels sont en droit de combattre sous le drapeau américain depuis 1993. Personne, à l’armée, ne leur demandera leur orientation sexuelle. Mais ils n’ont pas le droit de l’afficher publiquement ou de la revendiquer. Une présence en catimini jugée humiliante et injuste par les militants. Lors de la campagne présidentielle, Barack Obama avait déjà promis qu’il combattrait cette politique. Un sondage vient de montrer que la longue campagne entreprise notamment par Human Rights Campaign a porté ses fruits. …>>> Luis Lema | Mardi 13 Octobre 2009

«Schuhwerfer von Bagdad» in der Schweiz: Irakischer Journalist mit Touristenvisum eingereist
NZZ ONLINE: Der «Schuhwerfer von Bagdad» ist mit einem Touristenvisum in die Schweiz eingereist. Er ist am Dienstag in Begleitung seines Bruders in Genf angekommen. Muntadher az-Zaidi hat einen Asylantrag wieder zurückgezogen, mit seinem Visum muss er die Schweiz nach 30 Tagen wieder verlassen.

Az-Zaidi hält sich gegenwärtig in der Schweiz auf – mit einem Touristenvisum. Bild: NZZ Online
Der als Schuhwerfer von Bagdad bekannte irakische Journalist Muntadher az-Zaidi ist mit einem Touristenvisum in die Schweiz eingereist. Er kam am Dienstag in Begleitung seines Bruders am Flughafen Genf an, wie Bilder der Fernsehsender SF und TSR zeigten. >>> sda | Dienstag, 13. Oktober 2009

Hip, Hip, Hoorah! Geert Can Enter the United Kingdom!
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOG: It’s being reported that Dutch MP Geert Wilders has won his appeal against being banned from the UK. According to Radio Netherlands:

The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in London has ruled that the British government was wrong to deny populist Dutch politician Geert Wilders entry to the United Kingdom. Mr Wilders planned to show his film Fitna to the British parliament. The government refused to allow him to enter the UK on the grounds that he represented a threat to public order. It is not clear whether the tribunal’s decision means that Mr Wilders is now free to travel to the UK. The British government has not yet reacted to the ruling.

Whether or not one agrees with Wilders’ views on Islam, which make me look like “Koran” Armstrong in comparison, the ban was outrageous. Britain allows all sorts of shady and colourful foreigners to use our premises for their nefarious activities – in contrast here was an elected representative of a democratic European party who was invited by two British parliamentarians to privately broadcast a film about religious fundamentalism.

Wilders had every right to come here, and as far as I can see the only reason he was banned was cowardly British fear of French-style riots. Lord Ahmed, a self-proclaimed Muslim “leader” who, unlike Wilders, has never been elected by anyone, said that Wilders’s criticism of his religion was “an incitement of religious and racial hatred”. He denies saying he would bring down 10,000 protesters to the Lords, but there was a definite air of surrender in the air.

Meanwhile the Government’s great friends, the Muslim Council of Britain, called Wilders “an open and relentless preacher of hate”. (This is the same MCB that has been reluctant to attend Holocaust Memorial Day and objects to mention of the “alleged Armenian genocide” and the “so-called gay Holocaust”.)

Wilders for his part has never preached hatred against any people, only a religion, and has flatly said “I don’t hate Muslims, I hate Islam”. (Plenty of my friends absolutely hate Christianity and wish it driven off the face of the earth, but I don’t take it as a personal affront. That’s because I’m a grown-up). Wilders has also compared the Koran to Mein Kampf and its founder to a terrorist, and has talked about a growing Islamic population with dread. He said: “Take a walk down the street and see where this is going. You no longer feel like you are living in your own country. There is a battle going on and we have to defend ourselves. Before you know it there will be more mosques than churches.” Geert Wilders is free to enter Britain >>> Ed West | Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Fitna: The Original Version


NRC HANDELSBLAD: Court rules UK was wrong to bar Geert Wilders >>> Reuters, RNW | Tuesday, October 13, 2009

NRC HANDELSBLAD audio: Wilders reacts to UK ruling >>>

Scandalous Nepotism from Napoleon II
TIMES ONLINE – BLOG: The term banana republic has been used by a couple of French friends in reaction to the news from Paris this week. They were referring to the high-handed way that France's ruler and his caste have been behaving in two or three current matters.The latest involves an astonishing act of nepotism by Nicolas Sarkozy. His barons are about to elevate Jean Sarkozy, the President's 23-year-old, undergraduate son, to a powerful and prized executive post. Sarkozy rules, okay >>> Charles Bremner | Sunday, October 11, 2009

Nicolas Sarkozy: My Son Jean Was 'Thrown to the Wolves'
TIMES ONLINE: President Sarkozy complained today that his son Jean was being hounded unjustly as controversy continued to rage over the appointment of the 23-year-old student as head of France's premium business district.

Mr Sarkozy blamed the media and opponents for persecuting Jean over his imminent appointment as chairman of Epad, the development agency that administers La Défense, the business quarter on the western edge of Paris.

"It is never right for someone to be thrown to the wolves without reason," he said. His first comment on "the Prince Jean affair" came after he made a speech in praise of France's egalitarian tradition.

Napoleon Bonaparte had rendered France a great service in "ending the privilege of birth", the President told a group of sixth-formers. "That means that what counts in success in France is not being well-born, it is to have worked hard and proved by one's studies and worth."

The pupils and dignitaries struggled to stay solemn. France has been riveted for days by the sudden ascent of the President's second son, who is repeating his second year of undergraduate law studies. >>> Charles Bremner | Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Jean Sarkozy partout d’avenir >>>

«Prince Jean» au cœur de la polémique
LE TEMPS: Jean Sarkozy à la tête du plus grand quartier d’affaires d’Europe? L’annonce d’une probable accession, à 23 ans, du fils du président français à la direction d’un organisme au chiffre d’affaire d’un milliard d’euros, provoque un tollé qui ne cesse de s’amplifier. Le président s’est indigné mardi que son fils soit jeté «en pâture».

L’arrivée possible de Jean Sarkozy à la tête de la Défense, le grand quartier d’affaires à l’ouest de Paris, n’en finit pas de susciter remous et sarcasmes. Dans les médias étrangers, c’est le terme de népotisme qui revient le plus souvent. Un journaliste du Times n’hésite pas à parler de «république bananière». Et déjà la télévision chinoise CCTV ironise sur ce «petit Sarkozy» et se demande dans un reportage repéré par Rue89 «comment un homme aussi jeune qui n’a même pas fini ses études peut diriger un organisme aussi important?» >>> Simon Pittet | Mardi 13 Octobre 2009

LE TEMPS: Accusations de népotisme contre Nicolas Sarkozy : Le fils cadet du président proposé à la tête du plus grand quartier d’affaires du pays >>> AFP | Mardi 13 Octobre 2009

I Will Not Sign Lisbon Treaty, Says Czech President
Vaclav Klaus: the last man holding out. Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: The President of the Czech Republic has no intention of signing the Lisbon treaty, a move that might allow David Cameron time to hold a British referendum on Europe.

President Klaus, the fiercely Eurosceptic Czech leader, is the last obstacle for the agreement after its ratification in the other 26 EU states but he has told supporters that he will never sign, The Times has learnt.

Asked during a walkabout on Sunday not to put his name to the treaty, Mr Klaus replied: “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

After a crisis Cabinet meeting yesterday, Jan Fischer, the Czech Prime Minister, avoided a direct confrontation with Mr Klaus, bowing to his demand to reopen negotiations with the EU on an eleventh-hour opt-out.

However, he called on the unpredictable President to guarantee his signature if EU leaders agreed to his conditions and if the Czech Constitutional Court raised no new objections.

Mr Klaus is demanding an opt-out for the Czech Republic that would prevent German families expelled after the Second World War from lodging property claims at the European Court of Justice.

He raised the stakes on Friday, putting a dampener on EU celebrations over the Irish referendum decision to back the treaty. The President argued that the charter could whip up an avalanche of property claims from German families expelled from Czech territory after the war. >>> David Charter, Europe Correspondent, in Prague | Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Erotische Revolution: Wie Muslime den Teufel im Bett loswerden
WELT ONLINE: Das Geschlechtsleben des Mannes ist im Islam fast ebenso fremdbestimmt wie das der Frau. Ständig müssen sich die Männer anhören, wie wenig sie ihre Triebe kontrollieren können. Im Bett ist der Teufel immer dabei. Seyran Ates ist überzeugt, dass der Islam dringend eine sexuelle Revolution braucht.

1001 Nacht: Die Jungfrau Scheherazade erzählt dem König Schahriyâr Geschichten, um ihr Leben zu retten. Der hatte seine Frau töten lassen, weil diese Untreu war. Bild: Welt Online
Hadayatullah Hübsch beschreibt im Zusammenhang mit der Frage, ob sich eine Frau ihrem Mann sexuell verweigern dürfe, das islamische Verständnis vom Wesen der männlichen Sexualität: „Im Gegensatz zur Frau unterliegt der Mann seiner Sexualität in einem Maße, das eine körperliche Befreiung zwingend vorschreibt. Der Mann produziert Samen, deren er sich naturgemäß entledigen muss. Natürlich kann und sollte ein Mann lernen, sich zu beherrschen, seine Körperfunktionen lassen sich aber nicht unbegrenzt unterdrücken. Das könnte seiner Physis schaden.“

Es ist schon eine Bürde, die den muslimischen Männern da auferlegt wird, und das meine ich ganz ernst. Nicht nur den Frauen, sondern auch den Männern wird durch religiöse Vorgaben und Vorschriften letztlich die Erotik, das Intime und Persönliche am Sex geraubt. Das Geschlechtsleben des Mannes ist im Islam fast ebenso fremdbestimmt wie das der Frau. Von allen Seiten wird ihm erklärt, wie er zu sein habe, was er können müsse. Die ständige Berieselung mit dem Thema Sex, die ständige Betonung, wie potent er sei, wie wenig er seine Triebe kontrollieren könne, setzen den Mann unter Druck. Oktay erzählte mir von seiner traditionellen Heirat mit einer Türkin. In der Hochzeitsnacht habe der Sex zwischen den beiden „nicht geklappt“. Als es am nächsten Morgen an der Tür klingelte und eine Verwandte das Laken verlangte, habe er sich in den Finger geschnitten und das eigene Blut verwendet. Er sagt, er habe sich sehr geärgert, dass seine Intimsphäre nicht respektiert wurde und dass er sich selbst verletzen musste, um in Ruhe gelassen zu werden. >>> | Samstag, 10. Oktober 2009

Seyran Ates: „Der Islam braucht eine sexuelle Revolution. Eine Streitschrift“. Ullstein Verlag, 218 Seiten, 19,90 Euro

This Stupid, Incompetent Prime Minister!
DAILY EXPRESS: GORDON BROWN has resorted to selling off billions of pounds worth of public assets in a desperate bid to raise cash.

The Prime Minister today unveiled a £16 billion programme of asset sales as part of a deficit reduction plan to bring down the massive state debt built up during the recession.

Some £3 billion of assets will be sold off over the next two years - including the Tote, the Dartford crossing, the Channel Tunnel rail link and the Student Loan book - in a move that smacks of Margaret Thatcher's privatisation programme branded by Harold Macmillan as "selling the family silver".

Most of the funds will be gathered by encouraging local authorities to exchange assets for cash.

Mr Brown said Britain was “only halfway there” in overcoming the recession, and warned that cutting back spending too soon risked repeating the mistakes of the 1930s and thrusting the country into depression. Now Brown Sells Off the Family Silver to Raise Cash >>> Emily Garnham | Monday, October 12, 2009

Barack Obama's Top 10 Unfulfilled Pledges
THE TELEGRAPH: Less than nine months into his four-year term of office, President Barack Obama's record is already one of abandoned promises, sidelined issues and lack of action.

PolitiFact, a political accountability project run by Florida's St Petersburg Times, has formulated an "Obamameter" gauge that registers seven broken promises, a dozen stalled initiatives and 117 pet projects still "in the works".

Here is the top 10 list of most glaring examples of Mr Obama falling short in key areas he trumpeted during his campaign.

1.PROMISE BROKEN. Mr Obama said he would "not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days". But the "sunlight before signing" promise has already fallen by the wayside with Mr Obama signing three major bills without public scrutiny.

2.PROMISE BROKEN. Mr Obama repeatedly said he would negotiate health care reform in televised sessions broadcast on C-SPAN, the public service network. Instead, he his approach has been no different from his predecessors, holding talks behind closed doors at the White House and Congress.

3.PROMISE BROKEN. Mr Obama solemnly pledged that "no political appointees in an Obama-Biden administration will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years". In practice, Mr Obama has granted several waivers to this rule, allowing lobbyists to serve in the top reaches of his administration. >>> Toby Harnden in Washington | Monday, October 12, 2009

New Rights, and Challenges, for Saudi Women
TIME: Like those of its competitors in New York or London, the sleek glass and steel offices of media company Rotana are filled with preening attitude and fashion-conscious staffers: assistants teeter in shoes that might have absorbed much of their monthly paycheck; executives parade the halls in power suits and pencil skirts. But Rotana isn't in New York or London; it's in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, a country in which women normally adhere to a strict dress code in public — a black cloak called an abaya, a headscarf and a veil, the niqab, which covers everything but their eyes.

There's another reason many Saudis would find Rotana shocking: men and women working side by side. The sight unnerves enough men who come looking for a job that human-resources manager Sultana al-Rowaili has developed a trick to see if a male applicant can handle working in a mixed-gender office. She arranges for a female colleague to interrupt the initial interview, and watches to see if the man loses concentration or stares too much. Sometimes even that isn't necessary. Many men are undone by the very idea of being interviewed by a woman. "They are in a state of shock to see a woman in a position of authority and to have to ask her for a job," al-Rowaili says.

Saudi men may have to start getting used to such situations. True, Rotana remains an anomaly protected by the position and progressive ideals of its owner — global investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. And Saudi women still can't drive and legally can't even leave the house to shop, let alone get a job, without a male family member's permission. Yet under the guidance of a few members of the Saudi royal family — in particular the current King, Abdullah — the kingdom is slowly changing. Mixed-gender workplaces are becoming more common, especially in banks and good hospitals, where female doctors are not unusual. "People used to say, 'Why is she working? Why does she need the money?' Now they say, 'It takes a woman to solve a problem,'" says Norah al-Malhooq, an administrator at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh.

The government is expanding educational opportunities for women by building women's universities (as opposed to segregated campuses at male-dominated universities); last month it even launched the kingdom's first coeducational university. The state is trying to encourage women's entry into the workforce, and is sponsoring initiatives to protect women and children from domestic abuse. And it is pushing Saudis to discuss the notion of empowerment, formerly such a taboo subject that even the word was off-limits in newspapers. "The message is that women are coming," says Dr. Maha Almuneef, one of six women named earlier this year to the Shura council, a 156-person advisory body appointed by the King. "It's a good first step. The King and the political system are saying that the time has come. There are small steps now. There are giant steps coming. But most Saudis have been taught the traditional ways. You can't just change the social order all at once." >>> Andrew Lee Butters, Riyadh | Monday, October 19, 2009

TIME – Picture Gallery: Saudi Women in Focus: The changing role of women in Saudi Arabia >>>

Christian Fraser Uncovers Niqab Row
Listen to BBC audio: Christian Fraser reports on how the debate over the niqab is tearing the country apart like a lightning bolt >>> | Monday, October 12, 2009

Ghadhafi placiert seinen Sohn: Hoher Posten offenbar Vorbereitung für Machtübernahme nach Tod
NZZ ONLINE: Nicht Hannibal, der den Ärger mit der Schweiz verursachte, sondern al-Islam Ghadhafi soll offenbar das politische Erbe seines Vaters antreten. Der 37-jährige Sohn des Revolutionsführers wird laut Medienberichten in Libyen demnächst einen wichtigen Posten in der Regierung erhalten.

Seif al-Islam al-Ghadhafi, der politisch ambitionierte Sohn des libyschen Staatschefs Muammar al-Ghadhafi, soll in der staatlichen Hierarchie demnächst zur Nummer zwei aufsteigen. Dies haben Vertreter der kommunalen Führungsgruppen in der Hauptstadt Tripolis vorgeschlagen. Regierung sollte Job finden >>> sda/dpa | Montag, 12. Oktober 2009

Etats-Unis : Manifestation pour les droits des homosexuels
LE TEMPS: Des dizaines de milliers de manifestants ont défilé dimanche dans le centre de Washington pour défendre les droits des homosexuels. Ils ont notamment souhaité la levée de l’interdiction de travailler dans l’armée, ce à quoi s’est engagé Barack Obama samedi.

Rassemblés à l’appel de la Campagne pour les droits de l’homme (HRC), principale association américaine de défense des homosexuels, les manifestants sont partis à 12h00 (heure locale) derrière une banderole affirmant: «Egalité des droits dans tous les Etats-Unis».

Le cortège, joyeux et aux slogans énergiques, s’est ensuite rassemblé dans le Mall, l’esplanade du centre de Washington, près de la Maison Blanche et du Capitole, siège du Congrès américain, pour des prises de parole.

Les organisateurs ont estimé à 150 000 le nombre de participants à cette marche. La police a elle refusé de donner une estimation. «Ne rien demander, ne rien dire» >>> ATS | Lundi 12 Octobre 2009

Lisbon Treaty Delayed Again as Klaus Wins Czech Tussle
Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: The crisis over the final signature on the Lisbon Treaty deepened today when the Czech Government backed away from a confrontation with the country's President, Vaclav Klaus. and instead pledged to negotiate for an 11th hour amendment on his behalf.

After an emergency Cabinet meting this morning, Jan Fischer, the Czech Prime Minister, said that he would put President Klaus's call for a human rights opt-out to the next European summit on October 29.

The climbdown represented a victory for Mr Klaus, the last man holding out on signing the treaty after its ratification in the 26 other EU states, and shows clearly that the Czech Government has no stomach for a fight with the eurosceptic economist.

It also leaves open the possibility that the Czech ratification could drag on into next year, allowing time for David Cameron to win a general election in the UK and call a referendum on the document.

The decision will throw the problem back at EU leaders at a meeting they had hoped would finally celebrate the completion of the treaty. >>> David Charter, Europe Correspondent, in Prague | Monday, October 12, 2009

Netanyahu at Knesset: Our Right to Self Defense Is Under Assault
THE JERUSALEM POST: "The right for a Jewish state and the right to self defense are two of the basic principles of our people. These two elements are interwoven: Without a state of our own we cannot defend ourselves and without the right to self defense, we cannot run our own country," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said at the opening of the Knesset's winter session on Monday.

The prime minister was referring to the recently published Goldstone Commission report on Israel's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza last winter.

"These basic rights are under continuous assault, gaining momentum since the Second Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead. We must repel this onslaught," Netanyahu said. >>> JPost.com Staff | Monday, October 12, 2009

The Obama Nobel Mystery
YNET NEWS: Obama’s Nobel Prize win a blatant attempt to Europeanize US policy

According to Alfred Nobel's will – and in contrast with other Nobel Prize committees – the members of the Nobel Prize for Peace committee are not experts, but politicians, members of the Norwegian Parliament.

The chairman of the committee, Thorbjorn Jagland, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Norway, is the Vice President and the Chairman of the Middle East Committee of the "Socialist International," known for its opposition to US and Israeli policies. He is, also, the Chairman of the "Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights," which advocates a Dovish-Leftist worldview, in cooperation with former President Jimmy Carter, who is close to President Obama and considered a role-model for the new Nobel laureate.

Along with other members of the Committee, Jagland represents a Parliament that has called to recognize Hamas, to dialogue with Iran, to tolerate rogue regimes, to enhance ties with Muslim regimes, to condemn (what he terms) Islamophobia and to condemn systematically the policies of Washington (until Obama's victory) and Jerusalem.

Awarding Obama the Nobel Peace Prize – in spite of the fact that the deadline for nominations was February 1, 10 days into Obama's Administration – constitutes a transparent attempt by European politicians to bolster Obama's determination in the global arena and improve his standing in the domestic arena. While Obama's stock has risen internationally, it has deteriorated internally, in light of his lack of success in the areas of unemployment, taxes, budget deficit, health insurance reform, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Russia and al-Qaeda. >>> Yoram Ettinger | Saturday, October 10, 2009

Barack Obama Win Mocks Nobel Peace Prize: Alexander Downer
THE AUSTRALIAN: THE Nobel Peace Prize was discredited if Barack Obama could be nominated for the award after just 11 days in office and win it nine months later, former foreign minister Alexander Downer said yesterday.

Mr Downer called the US President's surprise win a farce, saying it was a pity Mr Obama had not refused the award.

He singled out Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai as a worthy alternative who had been ignored after years of struggling for human rights.

"The peace prize has to be for actual achievement - not potential - and it has to be achievement in promoting world peace, not raising the prestige of the American state, which is largely what Barack Obama has done so far," Mr Downer told the ABC.

Mr Obama had been in office for just 11 days when nominations for this year's Nobel Peace Prize closed on February 1. He spent most of those first days settling into the White House.

Although humbly questioning whether he was deserving, he described the prize as a "call to action".

The award's founder, Alfred Nobel, decreed the annual prize was to be bestowed for achievements "during the preceding year". According to his will, the winner "shall have done the most, or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses".

The Norwegian judges took an alternative approach, handing the prize to Mr Obama for future works. Thorbjorn Jagland, the committee's chairman, defended the award in the face of public outcry, saying: "It was because we would like to support what he is trying to achieve."

It took two other former US presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, a combined total of 12 years before they were given the award. >>> Brad Norington, Washington correspondent | Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Could You Really Stomach Blair Being EU President?
If Tony Blair is voted in as EU president he will add £247,000 a year to his earnings. But Angela Merkel, Germany's Chancellor, is said to be less enthusiastic than she was about his candidacy. Photo: The INdependent
THE INDEPENDENT: As Cherie admits to doubts about the decision to go to war with Iraq, Tony Blair's European support is beginning to falter

Many hold him responsible for "war crimes" in Iraq, while others think he is only interested in piling up a vast fortune from speaking engagements and property. But there are still some in Europe who believe Tony Blair should be anointed as the first President of the EU this month. Last week, Mr Blair was in Canada posing for pictures at £180 a time. On Friday, he attended the commemoration at St Paul's for the soldiers who died in the Iraq war. This Tuesday, he will face more raw anger from families of soldiers when the first independent and public inquiry into the war begins in London.

The former prime minister will come under the scrutiny of the Chilcot Inquiry into the six-year campaign as he lobbies for votes in Europe to be the EU's first president. To make matters worse, his wife Cherie yesterday said the Iraq war was a "51-49" decision, adding that Mr Blair had been very good at "convincing everybody else that it was a 70-30 decision".

As emotions continued to run high at home, doubts surfaced in mainland Europe that enough of the 27 member states would have the stomach to choose Mr Blair as their president – with a salary of £247,000. >>> Jane Merrick | Sunday, October 11, 2009

Immigration Made America Strong - But It Threatens to Ruin Europe
MAIL ONLINE: Are Britain and Europe being swamped, overrun, defeated by a wave of mostly Muslim immigrants and their descendants? Or are Europe's ethnic problems the figment of a febrile political imagination - something created by racism, dishonesty and manipulation by extremist parties such as the BNP? Those are not the only two possibilities, of course, although a lot of people behave as if they are.

Both sides will take lots of fodder for their arguments from a study released last week by the highly reliable Pew Forum On Religion And Public Life. According to the report, there are now 1.6billion Muslims, a quarter of the world's population.

And they are distributed in surprising ways - there are more Muslims in Germany than in Lebanon, for example. Recent projections by the British Government show the population rising to 71 million within 20 years, due mainly to migration.

But Europe's (and Britain's) problems with Muslim migration are not mostly demographic. The Pew study shows the world's Christian population is growing too, to 2.25 billion.

It is possible, though, to have grave problems with immigration that do not involve either the wipe-out of a culture or the disappearance of a population.

Europe opened the door to mass immigration in the Fifties and discovered - as the United States did before it - that it is impossible to open that door just a fraction. Immigration, though intended as a solution to a short-term labour crisis, has become, without anyone particularly wanting it to be, a permanent feature of the landscape.

One of the most amazing statistics in the history of European immigration is that the number of foreign residents in Germany rose steadily between 1971 and 2000 - from three million to about 7.5million - but the number of employed foreigners did not budge. It stayed rock-steady at around two million.

Multi-ethnic societies can be good societies. But the transition puts a strain on institutions, on trust in government, and on a sense of identity.

Not every society makes that transition successfully. In my book, Reflections On The Revolution In Europe, I tried to describe how this process is working - or, more often, not working.

Revolution is not too strong a word. It well describes what occurred in America between 1840 and 1925, when millions of Catholic immigrants arrived, transforming a largely Protestant society.

The need to accommodate them made the United States replace one kind of society with another. We may like the result, but it would have been absurd to expect those born into pre-immigrant 19th Century America to rejoice at the disruption.

However, the transition has given America an edge in the present era of mass migrations. That is not America's only advantage, of course. The 'tone' of current US immigration is set by various Latin American cultures; that of European immigration is set by various Muslim cultures.

The cultural peculiarities of Latin-American immigrants generally appear to Americans as antiquated versions of their own. >>> Christopher Caldwell, Author of Reflection on the Revolution in Europe | Sunday, October 11, 2009

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy Saves Sex Tourist Minister Frédéric Mitterrand
THE SUNDAY TIMES: The influence of France’s first lady has halted the sacking of a minister – but for how long

The reluctance of Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, to sack a gay minister with a past as a “sex tourist” in Thailand will certainly please Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, his wife.

She had suggested appointing Frédéric Mitterrand, a friend, as culture minister and the government’s support for him, despite his confession to having paid boys for sex, is partly a sign of Sarkozy’s eagerness not to offend his first lady.

“She has great power and influence,” said Joëlle Garriaud-Maylam, a senator in Sarkozy’s centre-right party, referring to the Italian-born singer and former model. “It’s obvious she is defending Mitterrand. But it puts the president in a difficult situation. He is offending many of his supporters.”

L’affaire Mitterrand began when the nephew of the last Socialist president flew to the defence of Roman Polanski, the Polish film director, over child sex charges, only to face such accusations himself in connection with a memoir published in 2005.

Yesterday it emerged that he had also offered to help rehabilitate two teenage brothers convicted earlier this year of raping a 16-year-old girl on the Indian Ocean island of La Réunion. One was the son of his make-up artist when he worked as a television presenter. He may bitterly regret having written “I got into the habit of paying for boys” in his book, The Bad Life. >>> Matthew Campbell in Paris | Sunday, October 11, 2009