Tag Archives: 90s

Physics degree, several languages, no job. Europe changing.

A long good piece about Europe in Spiegel International this week.. One of the most telling parts was the young person in Spain with a physics degree, speaking several languages, but no job and living with parents. Out of 50 graduates in Barcelona, 1 had a job. 1 of 50.

Other interesting parts was how the generations are changing. The older ones remember civil war in Europe and see the Union as a means to preserve peace and stability on the continent. Those born in the 80s and 90s see the Union as partly a broken promise – and partly something that took away their jobs and their future. Or in many cases, the young don’t see it as something relevant.

There’s also an interesting change from the old east/west division – to the north/south. More debt and unemployment in the south – more austerity and skepticism to the economic union in the north. And more skepticism to the free flow of immigration and workers within the Union. As most states in Europe were in large part founded on the basis of language and ethnicity – it creates lots of tensions.

And a more general thought on the piece was how wide the cultural gap might has become – between those born before and after the 80s… after the cold war.. and the web always present.

Book review: “To End a War” by Richard Holbrooke

The late Holbrooke wrote this book back in ’99 – a few years after he brokered the peace for Bosnia in Dayton in 1995. It’s a detailed and not very accessible account of the messy negotiations, but the process was interesting.. After four years of wars/brake-up of Yoguslavia, Holbrooke set up a two-month prepping session, interviewing and learning about the leaders and states in the conflict. Then they started the Dayton conference, which lasted for three weeks. After that they signed the peace treaty – but it was another three years of implementing the agreements, drafting the constitutions and setting up multi-ethnic states before the work was done.

The biggest drama in the book was the final days in Dayton – when things were deadlocked on principle and pride. Holbrooke and the team set up a strict deadline at midnight – after which the conference would shut down and the region left in flames. This was to be announced at a press conference at 10 am the morning after. The deadline was passed.. and the team wrote statements and invited the press. It was definite that this was not a bluff. During the night – when the other state leaders realized this, they finally caved.. and an agreement was reached in the morning hours.