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Marx vs Jesus? Why Christianity and Socialism Should Go Hand-in-Hand
I am a Christian, and I am a Socialist.You may read those two statements with some bewilderment, and you may wonder – wasn’t it Marx who said that religion was the ‘opium of the people’? Doesn’t the...
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Marx gegen Jesus? Warum Sozialismus und Christentum zusammen gehören
Ich bin Christ, und ich bin Sozialist.Wenn man diese zwei Aussage im gleichen Satz liest, ist man zunächst vielleicht verwundert – war es nicht Marx, der die Religion ‚Opium für’s Volk‘ genannt hat?...
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The Misleading Change of Focus in the European Commission’s Discourse on...
Olli RehnSo, this morning I read in the papers that the European Commission said that the Member States should “shift the EU's policy focus from austerity to structural reforms to revive growth.” The...
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Pitfalls of Austerity Part I: A Misdiagnosed Crisis
Yesterday the European Commission gave its annual recommendations for the member states’ economic policies. Barroso said, that “Europe must move beyond the crisis.” Policy proposals focus on growth,...
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The Latest Act of the Greek Tragedy: Public Broadcasters and European Democracy
Last Tuesday I went to see Before Midnight in the cinema. I loved the fact that it was filmed in the Southern Peloponnese, and when I come back home, I realize that ERT - the Greek television and radio...
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Irrwege der Sparpolitik Teil I: Die Fehldeutung der Krise
Vor ein paar Tagen stellte sich der französische Präsident Hollande bei einer Konferenz mit japanischen Unternehmen ans Rednerpult und verkündete lautstark: „Die Krise ist vorbei!“ Wow, das sind ja...
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Should Europe Grant Snowden Asylum?
Edward Snowden’s revelations about the United States‘ extensive espionage programme have caused shock and irritation throughout Europe. Not only were billions of European text messages, phone calls and...
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Asyl für Snowden in Europa?
Edward Snowdens Offenbarungen über ein weitreichendes amerikanisches Spionageprogramm haben in ganz Europa für Schock und Empörung gesorgt. Millarden europäischer SMS, Telefonate und Emails wurden...
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The Cynics Win: European Asylum Policy 130 Deaths Later
Hundreds of dead refugees on Europe’s shores on a single day should give us cause to reflect on the basic principles of the European asylum policy, but cynics would not be disappointed if they heard...
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Europäische Asylpolitik: Warum Dublin abgeschafft werden muss
Mehr als 300 tote Flüchlinge an Europas Mittelmeerküste sollte uns eigentlich dazu anregen, über die Grundlagen der europäischen Flüchlingspolitik ernsthaft nachzudenken, doch bei den Reaktionen...
View ArticleThe two mistakes of Venizelos in front of the EP last week!
The EP is a very fascinating institution, even more so for a social scientist. There are so many things one could research on, from an anthropological study of the different casts’ social relations...
View ArticleFirst Thoughts
10 March 2014My field research is about to begin. This is the essence of my PhD. My field research is the reason I got funding, and it was the impetus for this whole endeavour. Without it, this project...
View ArticleTickets Booked!
13 March 2014Finally, good news! Lots of good news actually. After my initial attempts to get in touch with the responsible authorities have been somewhat unsuccessful, I am now on track towards...
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Arrival in Edirne
16 March 2014So here I am! Edirne! My hotel room could be better, but it’s alright. You do feel like you’re in a different part of the world here. There is a massive, beautiful mosque outside my...
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"If you are illegal, you're just a shadow"
17 March 2014So this has been the first day of my research. I would not say that I have been exceptionally lucky. Only some of what I hoped to accomplish got done, but at least there is hope. But I’ll...
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Hawar's Story
18 March 2014Today I did what I came here for. Once again I set off to make my way through the jungle of controls at Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint. Everything went smoothly, and I took the...
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Chasing Frontex through Orestiada
19 March 2014I had great expectations for today’s trip to Orestiada, but unfortunately they were not met with results. I did not visit the detention centre, and the person responsible for granting the...
View ArticleGreece
4 April 2014My stay in Athens represents the second part of my field research. The reasons for my stay here are twofold: first of all, I have family here. Secondly, during my attempt to acquire...
View ArticleArrival in Sicily
30 April 2014I have arrived in Sicily. This is my final research trip, and it will hopefully conclude the impressions I had been gathering from the Southern border of the European Union. I have a lot...
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"You Don't Actually Pay for Parking..."
1 May 2014Okay, whatever I had planned for today, it didn’t work out. I left my hostel for Palermo quite early in the morning, making sure I’d be on time. When I arrived at the accommodation centre, no...
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The Mafia Connection
I said yesterday that today would probably give me lots to write about. In fact, I want to say so much that I am not sure where to start. I had three appointments today – one with the Italian Refugee...
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The Greek Deal
Greece likes to see itself as an exceptional case. Think of the naming dispute with its neighbour in the north, or the paranoia about Turkish invasion causing an outrageously high military budget. In...
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"I Don't Have Any Choice": Forced Prostitution in Sicily
3 May 2014My job for today was to drive to Mineo – the notorious refugee camp I wrote about yesterday. After having breakfast and writing the article on Greece, I left Catania at around 11.30 for the...
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Keep calm and muddle through it: three reasons why a Grexit will not happen
“Greek talks must yield immanent agreement,” “Greek exit from euro appears increasingly likely,” “last opportunity” – I can’t take it anymore. For months my Facebook page has been spammed with doomsday...
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Is the Arab World Facing its Own Thirty Years’ War?
My boss has the habit of placing photocopies of articles he read on my desk in the morning, before I arrive at work. Today what I found was a short review of a book which argued that the Arab world is...
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