Joschka Fischer
Joschka Fischer, Germany’s foreign minister and vice-chancellor from 1998 to 2005, was a leader in the German Green Party for almost 20 years.
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2012-01-31
| If Angela Merkel is unlucky, the eurozone crisis will come to a head at the start of the German election year in 2013, rendering moot all previous calculations, because, despite Germans’ frustration with Europe, the electorate would punish severely those who allowed Europe to fail. And Merkel seems willing to do just that.... read |
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2011-12-30
| Just as former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was brought down not by political opponents, but by jittery investors, it is the markets, not European leaders, that have opened the door to a European fiscal and political union. That is no cause for celebration.... read |
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2011-11-28
| While Europe remains preoccupied with its own slow-motion crisis, and other global powers continue to be mesmerized by the bizarre spectacle of European officials’ myriad efforts to rescue the euro (and thus the global financial system), clouds of war are massing over Iran once more. Indeed, matters are likely to come to a head in 2012.... read |
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2011-10-27
| The eurozone is at the center of the global financial crisis, because only there, in the realm of the second most important currency after the dollar, does the crisis hit a weak structure rather than a state with real power. Anything less than a United States of Europe will not be powerful enough to prevent the looming disaster.... read |
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2011-09-23
| Regardless of whether democratization in the Middle East succeeds or authoritarian forms of government prevail once again, one fundamental change has already become clear: no one will be able to govern without taking into account domestic public opinion. That fact will be the source of many other changes in the weeks and months ahead.... read |
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2011-08-30
| Slowly, word is getting round – even in Germany – that the financial crisis could destroy the European unification project in its entirety. Indeed, the crisis is beginning to erode the Franco-German and transatlantic foundations – of a post-war European order that has ensured an unprecedented period of peace and prosperity.... read |
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2011-07-31
| More than ever, the EU must combine greater stability, financial transfers, and mutual solidarity in order to avoid collapsing under the weight of the ongoing sovereign-debt crisis. If EU member states' leaders do not even try, their defeat – and that of Europe – is certain.... read |
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2011-06-27
| The European financial crisis is really a political crisis, because EU leaders are unable to decide on the necessary measures. Resolving this crisis requires more Europe and more integration, not less.... read |
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2011-04-30
| As a rule, the path to nuclear-power status always begins with so-called “civilian” nuclear programs. So, if the world's existing nuclear powers are serious about non-proliferation, they must not only fulfill their obligation to disarm, but should also abandon their own nuclear-energy programs.... read |
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The Wrong German Foreign Policy
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Joschka Fischer 
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Germany's abstention from the UN Security Council's vote on humanitarian military invention in Libya was a grave mistake. The country has lost its credibility with the UN, and in the Middle East; its claim to a permanent seat on the Council has been trashed for good; and one really must fear the worst for Europe.... read
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2009-01-23
| Trying to extricate Israel and the Palestinians from the strategic dead-end they have maneuvered themselves into will be possible only from outside. If an imposed solution fails, the entire region will begin to slip into a dangerous confrontation – one that will not be limited to Israelis and Palestinians.... read |
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2006-06-29
| With the final stage of the World Cup approaching, now is a good opportunity for a mid-tournament appraisal. This year’s Cup, unlike the previous one in Japan and South Korea in 2002, didn’t witness any real upsets in the first round. Switzerland and Australia surprisingly reached the elimination round, and the Asian and African teams disappointed somewhat, with only Ghana advancing. There have been just two ugly matches so far, full of fouls, nasty attacks, and unnecessary aggression, as well as numerous yellow and red cards: Italy vs. the US, and Portugal vs. the Netherlands. Otherwise, we’re experiencing a wonderful Cup in Germany, in terms of both sportsmanship and the overall atmosphere. ... read |
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2008-05-27
| The Middle East is drifting towards a new great confrontation, as Israeli officials increasingly make it clear that they will not let the issue of Iran's nuclear program simply its course. Iran must understand that, without a diplomatic solution in the coming months, a diplomatic solution may well become impossible.... read |
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2006-05-24
| The Iran crisis is moving fast in an alarming direction. There can no longer be any reasonable doubt that Iran’s ambition is to obtain nuclear weapons capability. However, at the heart of the issue lies the Iranian regime’s aspiration to become a hegemonic Islamic and regional power and thereby position itself at eye level with the world’s most powerful nations. It is precisely this ambition that sets Iran apart from North Korea: whereas North Korea seeks nuclear weapons capability in order to entrench its own isolation, Iran is aiming for regional dominance and more. ... read |
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2006-08-31
| The so-called “European Neighborhood Policy” has, so far, been a curious thing. There is much talk about it in the European Union, but little practical effect. It was meant as an alternative to the ever-increasing number of accession rounds, say, involving the countries in the southern Caucasus. But the war in Lebanon and its consequences have caused a sudden and fundamental change in the leisurely pursuit of this policy. ... read |
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2006-07-25
| Haifa, Beirut and many other Lebanese and Israeli towns and villages are under fire. Who would have thought this possible a few weeks ago? Across the globe, the reaction to the images of destruction and death in Lebanon, but also in Gaza and Israel has been one of abhorrence. ... read |
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2008-06-20
| Following Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, the EU should seriously consider whether all parties involved would be better off parting ways. Members favoring political integration should move on, while those satisfied with the Common Market should stay behind.... read |
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2006-09-26
| By intervening in Lebanon, Europeans have made a far-reaching, risk-fraught, and, at the same time, correct decision. The reason is that the future of Europe’s security will be determined in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. Europe, whether it likes it or not, has taken on a new, strategic role in the region. Should it fail, the price will be high. ... read |
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2006-10-18
| October 9, 2006 will become a day to remember. North Korea probably exploded a nuclear bomb on that day. Was it a test that failed? The future may provide answers, but the political fallout is clear and the impact substantial. ... read |
