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The EU is and will remain a curious creature in the company of these other actors. Economically and as a model the EU has considerable power, but it is certainly not a classical superpower. The 27 member states find it hard to reach agreement, especially on foreign policy and military and strategic developments. This has been the case since the inception of the EEC in 1957, but it has been exacerbated by the accession of the former communist states. The lack of unity between the member states is perhaps the most salient in the relationship with Russia. Many member states have sought closer relations with Russia since the fall of the wall, for example in the domain of energy. The new member states, on the contrary, have sought to distance themselves from Russia.
The new member states feel confirmed in their suspicions by Russia's increasingly assertive behaviour on the world stage, especially by President Putin's anti- Western rhetoric. The internal developments in Russia are also reason for concern, for example in relation to press freedom, democracy and human rights. Russian choices and anger at foreign interference are however not without precedent. In 1987 Soviet President Gorbatchov wrote in his Peristroika book: “I, for one, am sick of the attempts by some politicians to teach others how to live and what policy to conduct. They proceed from the arrogant assumption that the life and policy of their own country is an example and a model of freedom, democracy, economic activity and social standard”. ‘Perestroika’, 1987, page 131. These sentiments are whole-heartedly shared by many Russians, even though Gorbachov is not popular in Russia. At the same time 'setting a good example' is supposed to be the strong point of the EU. To discuss these themes, as well as the specific roll of Russia and the EU in the creation of the international system of the future, Pieter van Os and Wilbur Perlot will welcome Wawrzyniec Smoczyński, Lord David Howell and Andrei Piontkovsky. Bahram Sadeghi will continue his search for the reasons why we do not have a better world whilst every one, with exceptions, want a better world. This time the central theme is who knows best how to reach a better world: the people or their elected representatives. The result will be presented during the evening. The fourth part of Visual Foreign Correspondents has been made by the Slovenian artist Igor Stromaijer, who will be there to present his work. Wawrzyniec Smoczyński is deputy foreign editor at the leading Polish weekly "Polityka". On temporary leave from February 2008 he is currently holding an Open Society Fellowship awarded by the Central European University. A frequent political commentator of Polish national politics he has also written extensively on global and regional policy issues. Smoczynski's special interests include Polish foreign policy, EU-Russia and EU-US relations, energy security issues and developmental challenges of the new member states of the EU. He is fluent in English, French and German. Lord David Howell is the director of the British Institute for Energy Economists and co-chair of the Windsor Energy Group. He is the deputy leader of the Tories in the House of Lords, as well as the spokesman for foreign affairs for the party. Lord Howell has been the Minister of Energy and Trade as well as the Minister of Transport. In the 1970's he was one of Edward Heath's advisors and at the end of the 1970's he wrote speeches for Margaret Thatcher. His most recent books are The Edge of Now; New Questions of Democracy in the network age (2000) and Out of the Energy Labyrinth (2007). Andrei Piontkovsky is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington. He is a well known commentator on developments in Russia and Russian foreign policy. He has been a columnist for, amongst other newspapers, the Moscow Times and Russia Journal. He has written several books, the most recent in 2006 Another Look into Putin’s Soul. In 2007 he was investigated for extemism, which is according to the Washington Post a way for the Kremlin to silence critics. The Globalised Crystal Ball is a series made by De Balie with the co operation of De Volkskrant and Vrij Nederland. This evening was made possible by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the NCDO. Online ticket sale stops one day before the event takes places. It is still possible to reserve tickets by calling 020-5535100. date | Tuesday 12 February
time | 20.00
entrance | 8 euro (6 euro with discount) This evening can be attended free of charge by members of the NGIZ.
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