EUROPE - THY NAME IS COWARDICE (German Publisher Speaks the Truth!)

Welt am Sonntag ^ | 12/02/05 | Matthias Dapfner CEO, Axel Springer, AG

[Malesherbes]

I lived for a time in Germany, and now despair for the country. For the last ten years I've been spending a couple of months each year in Poland, and I can say that there is hope for Eastern Europe (it's the West that's a mess.) Poland, despite having lost at least a fifth of its population in WWII and endured a half century of Communist oppression, still values its history, its traditions, its language, and its Christian religion. A Polish king stopped one Moslem invasion of Europe in its tracks; the spirit of the country hasn't changed.

[BagelFace]

I think Swedes were considered to have the best knowledge of English among non-native-English speakers. English is taught from early on in Sweden, at least these days. Typically, in Sweden, as long as there is one Enlish speaker in a group, the lectures, seminars, and private conversations all convert to Enlgish. This is not quite as true in Holland or Germany , etc. In the latter, one is more expected to learn Dutch, German, etc. But they are similar. France, on the other hand...

[DancesWithBolsheviks]

I agree that Swede's often are english fluent and knowledgable, but to my ear, I still say the Dutch have the accent that is most 'american.'
I think that part of the reason the smaller population countries have populations with a high number of english speakers, is that many of their textbooks (particularly in college) are in english as it is not economically worthwhile to translate low volume books into a language spoken by a small population.

[Gritty]

unlike almost all of Europe, Bush realizes what is at stake - literally everything

So true, yet so ignored even in this country.

[BagelFace]

Good point. It also works the other direction: to have a high impact publication Swedes often need to publish their own works in English. Though I wish I could read Strindberg (or watch Ingmar Bergman films) in the original Swedish. Always loses something in translation.

[ARealMothersSonForever]

Bump

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

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[Stultis]

I believe the word you're looking for is "jihad."

I am virtually certain (God Bless Him) that the writer quite purposely applied to the word "Crusade" to the activities of radical Islamists, just to piss them off.

[lancer]

If I remember correctly, this article was posted about a year ago. Is this an anniversary edition?

[lancer]

I have this in email form, dated 12/2/04. I believe it is authentic, but it was not published recently, as the poster implies, I assume by mistake.

[KSCITYBOY]

bump

[nwrep]

Dr Mathias Döpfner, born 1963, studied musicology, German and theatrical arts in Frankfurt and Boston. He started his career as a journalist at the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" in 1982. He was director of a PR agency from 1988 to 1990. In 1992 he worked on the staff of the international director of the Gruner + Jahr publishing company in Paris and later became assistant to the CEO of Gruner + Jahr in Hamburg. He then held further positions in journalism as editor-in-chief of "Wochenpost" in Berlin (1994 - 1996) and "Hamburger Morgenpost" (1996 - 1998). He has been with Axel Springer AG since 1998. Initially as editor-in-chief of Die Welt. Dr Mathias Döpfner became the member of the Management Board responsible for the Multimedia Division in July 2000 and took charge of the Newspapers Division as well in October 2000. He has been CEO and head of the Newspapers Division since January 2002.

[Brian Allen]

<< These days, Europe reminds me of an old woman who, with shaking hands, frantically hides her last pieces of jewelry when she notices a robber breaking into a neighbor's house.

I like it. Some would call it feeding the crocodile. >>

That "some" wouldn't by any chance, would it, include the most recent effectively-American prime minister of once-great Britain?

One Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill?

[Britain's last-but-one (Enoch Powell) politician having both a brain and a moral compass]

[Fred Hayek]

I think it was an indication of a change in sentiment in Germany. This was also about the time IIRC that Gerhard Schroeder's approval rating dropped. Now Angela Merkel is Chancellor. Call me optimistic, but I think there is a bit of a sea change in Germany.

[expatguy]

Anyone have a link for the original copy?

[Michael81Dus]

I´m trying to speak English with an American accent rather than having a German (*shudder*) or British accent. It sounds better and it´s easier to speak.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Appeasement crippled Europe when genocide ran rampant in Kosovo, and even though we had absolute proof of ongoing mass-murder

Wait a minute there. There is STILL little evidence of any type of genocide or mass murder in Kosovo of the quantity that President Bent Dick claimed in order to justify his wag the dog war. He claimed that there were thousands upon thousands of people being killed. And juse whose side did he step in on? The Muslims who had been using Kosovo for a training ground for their terrorists.