Joschka Fischer | Project Syndicate RSS-Feed http://www.project-syndicate.org/rss/joschka-fischer Has the European Union’s project reached its end? Is further EU enlargement antagonistic to deeper integration? Should the global community of democracies assume greater responsibility for fixing the world’s problems? How can the Islamic world’s democratic deficit be closed? How dangerous is the threat of a nuclear Middle East? Is an independent EU defense capability compatible with NATO?

Nowadays, government is increasingly seen as a technocratic pursuit. Passion and moral commitment seem things of the past. Not for Joschka Fischer, Germany’s former foreign minister and vice chancellor. An enragé of the 1960’s and 1970’s, a founder of Germany’s Green Party, and the man who led the Greens out of the political wilderness, Fischer was not merely a popular and effective foreign minister; he epitomized the "68ers," the generation of men and women who took their first political steps when democracy was "in the streets."

As former German Foreign Minister and a former Green MP, Fischer has personified a maverick form of leftist politics - at once principled, pragmatic, and pro-American. As foreign minister, he again stood against the mainstream and faced down the majority of Green Party members who opposed German military participation in the Kosovo campaign, arguing against pacifism in the face of genocide and ethnic cleansing. Yet, as the Iraq war loomed, he clashed memorably with Donald Rumsfeld, America's defense secretary.

In each of his incarnations, Fischer has never lost his fervor for controversial big ideas. He stirred new passions over Europe by proposing the ultimate creation of a true "European government," with a much smaller role for the nation-states. Nor has he lost the personal integrity that has made him one of Europe’s most admired politicians. Every month in The Rebel Realist, written exclusively for Project Syndicate, Joschka Fischer brings his unique perspective to global developments.

]]> Tue, 21 May 2013 09:08:27 +0000 Joschka Fischer en-us http://www.project-syndicate.org/default/images/logo-rss.png Joschka Fischer | Project Syndicate RSS-Feed http://www.project-syndicate.org/rss/joschka-fischer 144 10 Has the European Union’s project reached its end? Is further EU enlargement antagonistic to deeper integration? Should the global community of democracies assume greater responsibility for fixing the world’s problems? How can the Islamic world’s democratic deficit be closed? How dangerous is the threat of a nuclear Middle East? Is an independent EU defense capability compatible with NATO?

Nowadays, government is increasingly seen as a technocratic pursuit. Passion and moral commitment seem things of the past. Not for Joschka Fischer, Germany’s former foreign minister and vice chancellor. An enragé of the 1960’s and 1970’s, a founder of Germany’s Green Party, and the man who led the Greens out of the political wilderness, Fischer was not merely a popular and effective foreign minister; he epitomized the "68ers," the generation of men and women who took their first political steps when democracy was "in the streets."

As former German Foreign Minister and a former Green MP, Fischer has personified a maverick form of leftist politics - at once principled, pragmatic, and pro-American. As foreign minister, he again stood against the mainstream and faced down the majority of Green Party members who opposed German military participation in the Kosovo campaign, arguing against pacifism in the face of genocide and ethnic cleansing. Yet, as the Iraq war loomed, he clashed memorably with Donald Rumsfeld, America's defense secretary.

In each of his incarnations, Fischer has never lost his fervor for controversial big ideas. He stirred new passions over Europe by proposing the ultimate creation of a true "European government," with a much smaller role for the nation-states. Nor has he lost the personal integrity that has made him one of Europe’s most admired politicians. Every month in The Rebel Realist, written exclusively for Project Syndicate, Joschka Fischer brings his unique perspective to global developments.

]]> 40 The Erosion of Europe http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-european-union-s-crumbling-foundations-by-joschka-fischer 8 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-european-union-s-crumbling-foundations-by-joschka-fischer http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-european-union-s-crumbling-foundations-by-joschka-fischer Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Paul Lachine The Middle East’s Lost Decade http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/winners-and-losers-of-the-iraq-war-by-joschka-fischer 11 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/winners-and-losers-of-the-iraq-war-by-joschka-fischer http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/winners-and-losers-of-the-iraq-war-by-joschka-fischer Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:50:04 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Paul Lachine The Arab Revolutions’ Reality Check http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-arab-revolutions--dangerous-turn-by-joschka-fischer 3 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-arab-revolutions--dangerous-turn-by-joschka-fischer http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-arab-revolutions--dangerous-turn-by-joschka-fischer Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:30:13 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Barrie Maguire The Eclipse of British Reason http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/britain-blunders-to-the-eu-exit-by-joschka-fischer 6 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/britain-blunders-to-the-eu-exit-by-joschka-fischer http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/britain-blunders-to-the-eu-exit-by-joschka-fischer Wed, 23 Jan 2013 18:30:12 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Paul Lachine Europe’s New Year’s Irresolution http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europe-s-worsening-crisis-in-2013-by-joschka-fischer 4 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europe-s-worsening-crisis-in-2013-by-joschka-fischer http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europe-s-worsening-crisis-in-2013-by-joschka-fischer Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:00:16 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Margaret Scott The New Middle East’s New Problems http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/israel--palestine--and-the-rise-of-sunni-political-islam-by-joschka-fischer 3 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/israel--palestine--and-the-rise-of-sunni-political-islam-by-joschka-fischer http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/israel--palestine--and-the-rise-of-sunni-political-islam-by-joschka-fischer Sun, 02 Dec 2012 20:20:10 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Paul Lachine Provincial Europe http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europe-s-missing-foreign-and-security-policy-by-joschka-fischer 4 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europe-s-missing-foreign-and-security-policy-by-joschka-fischer http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europe-s-missing-foreign-and-security-policy-by-joschka-fischer Wed, 31 Oct 2012 18:00:14 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Paul Lachine Europe’s Trial by Crisis http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/ecb-euro-bundesbank-weidmann-merkel-draghi-by-joschka-fischer 6 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/ecb-euro-bundesbank-weidmann-merkel-draghi-by-joschka-fischer http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/ecb-euro-bundesbank-weidmann-merkel-draghi-by-joschka-fischer Fri, 28 Sep 2012 16:10:05 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Pedro Molina An Autumn Abyss? http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/an-autumn-abyss-by-joschka-fischer 3 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/an-autumn-abyss-by-joschka-fischer http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/an-autumn-abyss-by-joschka-fischer Wed, 29 Aug 2012 11:40:10 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Paul Lachine The Middle East after Assad http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-middle-east-after-assad 3 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-middle-east-after-assad http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-middle-east-after-assad Wed, 25 Jul 2012 19:20:06 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Pedro Molina Europe’s Winners and Losers http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europe-s-winners-and-losers 5 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europe-s-winners-and-losers http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europe-s-winners-and-losers Wed, 04 Jul 2012 13:40:09 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Tim Brinton The Threat of German Amnesia http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-threat-of-german-amnesia 24 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-threat-of-german-amnesia http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-threat-of-german-amnesia Fri, 25 May 2012 11:50:35 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Tim Brinton Chinese Values? http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/chinese-values- 5 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/chinese-values- http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/chinese-values- Mon, 23 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Barrie Maguire The Persian Knot http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-persian-knot 2 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-persian-knot http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-persian-knot Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:00:00 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Chris Van Es Merkel’s Next Crisis http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/merkel-s-next-crisis 1 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/merkel-s-next-crisis http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/merkel-s-next-crisis Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:00:00 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Paul Lachine The Chancellor Who Played with Fire http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-chancellor-who-played-with-fire 0 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-chancellor-who-played-with-fire http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/the-chancellor-who-played-with-fire Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Dean Rohrer Europe’s Market-Led Integration http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europe-s-market-led-integration 0 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europe-s-market-led-integration http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europe-s-market-led-integration Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Newsart Iran on the Warpath http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/iran-on-the-warpath 0 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/iran-on-the-warpath http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/iran-on-the-warpath Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Newsart Europeanizing Europe http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europeanizing-europe 0 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europeanizing-europe http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/europeanizing-europe Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Newsart Which New Middle East? http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/which-new-middle-east- 0 http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/which-new-middle-east- http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/which-new-middle-east- Fri, 23 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0000 Joschka Fischer Illustration by Newsart