Suchergebnisse

Federal aspirations underlie the integration of the European Communities/European Union since its inception. With the current crisis that started in 2007-2008, we have seen a new wave of ideas related with economic federalism. However, it is unclear what could be a concrete solution, particularly in terms of division of competences and powers between the EU and the member-states. The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse the major proposals and/or federalist-oriented measures to solve the Eurozone crisis. It is also an aim to assess what could be the design of a more economically integrated European Union, based on any forms of economic federalism, and discuss their implications and risks for the Portugal. Adapted from the source document.

In the last years several Western corporations from the financial sector, including banks, insurance companies, & rating agencies, begun to offer on the market financial products in conformity with the prescriptions of Islamic Shari'a. At the beginning, the targets were only the Arab & the Islamic markets mainly in the Middle East. More recently, this trend also extended to the Western market, targeting both the liquidity of Arab investors & the Muslim populations of Europe & North America with "ethical" products. Thus, the main objective of this paper is discussing, in a broad way, what is at stake with the expansion of the Islamic finance to the Western societies. The analysis will connect this business trend with other general developments, particularly with Islamism (political Islam), & the Western relativism & multiculturalism. The final purpose is to make an assessment of the possible consequences for the democratic & secular societies of the West. Adapted from the source document.

The Georgian-Russian conflict in August 2008 underscored the need for the EU to devise a different model of relationship with Moscow. The implications of the conflict have specific European dimensions, in which EU-Russia relations are a cornerstone. The solution to the Georgian crisis is located at two complementary levels: the implementation of the Medvedev-Sarkozy peace plan & the rethinking of the cooperation with the Kremlin. In that sense, there is a need to operationalize a model of "selective cooperation" towards Russia in order to create a more constructive relationship. Adapted from the source document.

Multiculturalism is progressively at the core of the agenda among the open societies of Europe/West due to their increasing heterogeneity & to the cultural diversity of the population. Last year, dramatic occurrences highly reported by the media -- the terrorist attacks in the London subway, on July 7, & the riots & the social turbulence in France, starting on October 27 & continuing for several weeks during November -- strengthened the belief that "multiculturalism of emigration" might be at stake. Within the political context above described, the subject of this paper is to analyse the interplay between multiculturalism & societal security, both at the level of the theoretical discussion (with particular incidence in the field of Political Philosophy), & at the level of some empirical evidence that can be observed in European societies (United Kingdom & France) & North American ones (Canada), encompassing Muslim communities. In particular, the paper aims at evaluating whether multiculturalism is endangering societal cohesion, leading to the erosion of institutions, practices & values that support & stabilize open & pluralist societies. Tables. Adapted from the source document.

In the European Council that was held in Holland, in the 16th & 17th December 2004, the Heads of Government of the 25 EU member states agreed to set the 3rd of October 2005 as the formal start for the negotiations with the Turkish Republic, in order to consider its possible integration within 10 to 15 years time. Given the importance of the decision taken by the European leaders, this paper aims at analyzing: (i) the multi-faceted Turkish geopolitical reality, namely the geographic, the political, the strategic, the economic, & the identitarian dimensions; (ii) the predictable outcome of Turkish integration with a particular focus on the capacity & limits of the open societies of Europe to incorporate economically & culturally the Turkish population & its diaspora that has hugely different cultural/religious roots. It concludes that it remains unclear whether the EU has political desire, financial means, capacity for cultural integration, as well as the military ambition that is required to abandon the comfortable position of the European island of peace & to deal fully with the intricate strategic identitarian puzzle brought by the integration of the Turkish Republic. Tables. Adapted from the source document.