Goldman Visited Greek Banks And Believes Things Will Get ...

Goldman Sachs recently visited Greece and met with members of the banking community to get an update on conditions within the sector. Although immediate liquidity is ...

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Greek minister, coast guard discuss improvements in action plan for refugees

#politics

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5 Things You Still Don't Know About Vincent Van Gogh

Perhaps you have a Vincent van Gogh coffee table book. Perhaps you've seen his works in a museum. Perhaps, like myself, you've even seen a tourist couple rub their hands over a van Gogh at one of the big New York museums when they thought nobody was looking. But that cursory knowledge makes you a _potato eater_ compared with the familiarity of someone who's spent over half a decade researching at the museum devoted to the artist in his works, or a lifetime sharing his name. As part of this year's commemorative van Gogh celebrations -- based around the 125th anniversary of his death -- the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam just opened their blockbuster exhibition "Munch: Van Gogh," which pairs the Dutch and Norwegian artists together to highlight the little-known similarities of the two European masters. In anticipation of this exhibit, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam offered The Huffington Post access to multiple employees, including Teio Meedendorp, a key researcher for the museum, and Willem van Gogh (born with the first name Vincent), an ambassador for the museum and the great grand-nephew of the beloved artist. Willem had Vincent's original paintings hanging in his house growing up. HuffPost will be publishing a brief series of articles based on these and other interviews from the museum, with this first one tackling trivia that could only come from spending years deep in research -- or being part of the family.   1. CONTRARY TO POPULAR MYTH, VAN GOGH SOLD MORE THAN ONE PAINTING AND DIDN'T WORK WITH CANDLES IN HIS HAT. With there being as many myths about van Gogh as there are lights in a starry night, it may be difficult for the casual fan to separate the true stories from the false ones. Unlike the yellows of van Gogh's painting, quite a few myths somehow haven't faded over time. Meedendorp told HuffPost that one myth that endures is the misconception that van Gogh only sold one painting in his entire lifetime. According to Meedendorp, researchers of the artist know that van Gogh actually sold "several" paintings before his death. This myth is particularly unfortunate because it also further fuels the idea that van Gogh was fully rejected as an artist while alive, which wasn't the case. Meedendorp points out that he was only working as an artist for 10 years before his suicide and that "it's after some time that you get known and you start to sell." The key researcher at the Van Gogh Museum further explained, "His misfortune was that he only worked for 10 years when he killed himself. He would have sold more if he had stayed alive." On the more romantic side, a popular (and equally false) myth recounts how van Gogh would paint at night, using candles in his hat for light. "It's quite a wonderful myth ... quite lovely in a sense," Meedendorp said, before dispelling any of its truth. According to Meedendorp, the myth originates from the French journalist Gustave Coquiot, who wrote a book on van Gogh in 1922 which included the "anecdote that [van Gogh] was painting with this candle in his hat along the river for 'Starry Night.'" But van Gogh wrote in his own recollection of that moment that it was done "simply by gaslight."   2. YOUNG VAN GOGH WOULD REGULARLY ATTEMPT TO TURN IN FLOWERS INSTEAD OF HIS HOMEWORK, WHICH HE OFTEN DIDN'T COMPLETE. Van Gogh had little interest in doing homework, perhaps one of the more relatable details of his lifetime. When he studied theology in Amsterdam, he also had to take courses on subjects such as algebra, Latin and Greek. According to Meedendorp, he wasn't concerned with these secondary classes for priest-work, and so he put off his lessons. A teacher of van Gogh's during this time told a story, Meedendorp recalled from his research, during which the teacher "could exactly tell in the distance [as van Gogh headed toward him] if [van Gogh] had or had not made his lessons because he would have had some flowers with him." Having little money, van Gogh would steal the flowers from a graveyard on the way, intending to turn those instead of his homework. This "underlined the soft character that Vincent had," Meedendorp said.   3. WHEN VAN GOGH FELT AS IF HE DID A BAD JOB AT THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, HE WOULD FLAGELLATE HIMSELF WITH A STICK. Pulitzer Prize-winning Steven W. Naifeh and Gregory White Smith's book, _Van Gogh: The Life_, details how van Gogh would punish himself physically for religious reasons. Some claims from the book include van Gogh going into storms without an overcoat, only eating black rye bread and sleeping on a walking stick. Although the Van Gogh Museum disagrees with a widely publicized section in _Van Gogh_ -- particularly chapters in which the authors claim that van Gogh didn't commit suicide and was murdered -- Meedendorp did talk about van Gogh's surprising propensity for self-harm. Meedendorp said that "van Gogh would sometimes hurt himself or punish himself if he was not making lessons," an account that also comes from the aforementioned teacher in Amsterdam.    4. VAN GOGH'S LOVE LIFE WAS OFTEN COMPLICATED, BUT WHEN HE FELL FOR A CAFE OWNER WHILE PENNILESS, HE WON HER OVER BY DEDICATING NEW FLOWER PAINTINGS TO HER, RATHER THAN BUYING THE REAL THING. Willem van Gogh told HuffPost of a story he likes "very very much," involving an affair his great grand-uncle had with an older ex-model who ran a Parisian restaurant called the Café du Tambourin. As the great grand-nephew tells it, van Gogh became enamored with Agostina Segatori and eventually made a portrait of her (pictured above left, with Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot creating the other). But during the initial courting, van Gogh "wanted to buy flowers for her and to express his love for her, but he couldnt afford it," Willem said. No longer needing to steal flowers from the local graveyard, van Gogh could act through his art. Willem continued, "When he met Segatori, he was practicing on still-lifes and especially on flower still-lifes." Willem began to laugh and then said, "Every bouquet of flowers he painted, he said to Segatori, 'This one is for you,' instead of giving her a real bunch of flowers. That's a story that I think is very cute." According to the legend surrounding their encounters, van Gogh would often pay for meals at the tambourine-themed restaurant with his paintings, which would then be put up on the walls. This last detail may just be one of those prevailing myths, however.   5. A FAMILY WITH A WIFE AND CHILDREN WAS "THE ONE THING THAT HE REALLY WANTED IN LIFE." VAN GOGH NEVER SUCCEEDED. "The one thing that he really wanted in life [...] was to have a wife and children and, of course, he never succeeded," Meedendorp told HuffPost. According to Meedendorp, the artist knew that "it was difficult for him to meet people," and consequently, start a family. However, since his own family had been so important to him growing up, he continued to dream of having his own. He did spend a year and a half "playing family," as Meedendorp described, in the Dutch city of The Hague, with a model and former prostitute, Sien Hoornik, and her child. After this relatively long relationship, though, van Gogh's broader relationship with women "was more difficult and much shorter," said Meedendorp. The artist had happy but mixed feelings that his brother, Theo, was able to to achieve such a family. When Theo told him he was going to have a son, Vincent van Gogh painted the now famous "Almond Blossom" and gifted it to the couple. Willem van Gogh told HuffPost that this work, which was dedicated to his grandfather, is a particular favorite of his descendants.    BONUS: YOU'VE BEEN PRONOUNCING VAN GOGH INCORRECTLY. IT'S SUPPOSED TO SOUND LIKE "VAN KHOKH." Speaking with these well-researched members of the Van Gogh Museum -- who are, of course, Dutch -- caused a realization that van Gogh isn't pronounced "_van-go_." While all three were beyond helpful (and nobody corrected my American pronunciations), it may have taken me too long over the phone to realize there wasn't another prolific painter during van Gogh's lifetime with a name that sounded mysteriously like "_van-hawk."_ In any case, now you can _van-go_ back and re-read this article with a more accurate pronunciation in your head.   _ALSO ON HUFFPOST:_ For a constant stream of entertainment news and discussion, follow HuffPost Entertainment on Viber. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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Parents, should you let your kids go GREEK?

But to have the more productive GREEK experience, both advocates and critics say that students — and their parents — should carefully consider a ...

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Antikythera Wreck Yields More Treasures of Ancient Greece's '1 Percent'

… — and a piece of a Greek board game are among the … off the coast of the Greek island of the same name … meters) to the surface. The Greek government quickly sent naval support …

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Armin Shimerman To Narrate Tell-Tale Heart at EEK! At The Greek!

… Saturday, October 24 at the Greek Theatre, LA. Presented by Children … The Greek! will also feature a “Trick-or-Treat Village,” in the Greek… throughout Los Angeles including the Greek Theatre and covers entertainment news …

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Neo-Nazi hit on GREEK anti-Fascist rapper was 'professional'

The fatal stabbing of a GREEK anti-fascist rapper by a neo-Nazi supporter in 2013 that shocked the country was a “professional” attack, his father told ...

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5 Major Challenges Greece Faces In The Months Ahead

… requires the Greek government to legislate reforms to restructure Greece's … justice.  2. RECAPITALIZING THE GREEK BANKS Greece's banks have been … .3 billion), will be used, Kathimerini newspaper reported.  It is worth …

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GREEK Top Manager Death in 2005 Could Have Links to US Secret Operation

The suspicious death of GREEK top manager Kostas Tsalikidis in 2005 could be a murder linked to a US secret service operation, according to US ...

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GREEK investors to take Nicosia to court

GREEK investors who say they were discriminated against and lost millions in a bail-in of Cypriot bank deposits in 2013 have launched legal action ...

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GREEK Entrepreneurs Join Forces With NGO To Help Refugees

A Petros Giannakouris/Associated Press A GREEK startup has teamed with a ...

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FYROM Name Dispute Prompts Greek PM to Miss UN General Assembly Session

  The dispute over Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia‘s official name proved to be a small thorn in this year’s United Nations General Assembly annual General Debate. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who is currently in New York, has opted to skip the United Nations General Assembly sessions that centred around the issue of extremism, organized by the United States

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Greek Filmmaker’s Movie “Lobster” to Premiere October 22nd in Athens

The film “Lobster” by Yorgos Lanthimos will make its official premiere in Athens, on October 22nd. The first English-language film by Lanthimos, starring Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz, won the Jury Prize at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. It is set in the future where single people are taken to The Hotel to find a

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Ordinary People Hit The Catwalk at Fashion Event in Thessaloniki, Greece

Professional and amateur fashion designers teamed up with talented architects, painters and theater people to entertain locals and visitors in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, with a unique fashion event entitled “New Beach – New Catwalk – Freedom of Expression On Clothing.” From recyclable materials worn as crop tops, mini dresses, skirts, and coats to unconventional accessories, creators showcased on

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Fruits Deemed ‘Superfruits’ are Increasingly Being Produced in Greece

The cultivation of superfruits in Greece now covers over 700 hectares. Superfruit is a marketing term first used in the food and beverage industry in 2005. The fruits may have nutritional significance due to their nutrient content, antioxidant value or anticipated health benefits and commercial significance associated with novelty of taste and color. “PlantDirect” is responsible

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The Future of Europe: the Eurozone Takes over

The European Union (EU) and its 28 members face fundamental changes over the coming 5-10 years. - Britain will vote in 2016 or 2017 on new terms. If the result is to leave a revision of the structure -- institutionally and functionally -- becomes inevitable. - The Eurozone takes over as the decisive institutional body dividing member states according to status vis-à-vis the single currency. - A common economic policy among Eurozone member states -- sound financial management -- emanates from the debt crisis. - Demography (aging) emerges as one of the dominant issues. - The old European regions anchored in history and tradition bide their time to loosen links with the nation-state. - The debt crisis, demography and migration, and the pressure from a resurgent Russia coalesce into another interpretation of solidarity corroborating commitment to integration as an ongoing process -- not membership because it is advantageous. - The global role focuses on value based questions; crises asking for hard security mainly in form of military intervention will be difficult to manage -- possibly with the exception of adjacent regions calling for operations limited in size and power projection. - The Atlantic Alliance has weakened considerably over the preceding 15 years. Both the US and Europe find it difficult to acknowledge that fundamentally they share the same values, which should push them closer together but in fact pulls them further apart from each other. _Conclusion: _ Europe moves towards a political structure reminiscent of the situation in the late Middle Ages with a loose central power, strong regions, small political entities (Europe's original components), anchored in common and shared values -- in those days Catholicism, now an updated version of European values forged under pressure from globalization. Economic internationalization and cultural decentralization will be key words. It will be strong enough to defend itself -- also militarily -- but reflect a European mindset distancing itself from interventions abroad except close to its borders. VALUES. European integration may be the most impressive social and political engineering the world has seen since the end of World War II. It has proved possible because the nation-states shared common values going back almost 2000 years in the form of Christianity or to be more precise Catholicism and Protestantism. These values go further back to the Greco-Roman times influenced by the Semitic world. The main characteristic is diversity. Ideas about politics, economics, culture and other behavioral trends have thrived in competition with each other. Science and technology was welcomed although not always without tergiversation. The main recalcitrant member states are Britain and Greece. Britain broke with Catholicism in the 1530s when King Henry VIII instituted the Church of England. The door opened for an English mind-set which classified the continent and Catholicism as unfriendly even hostile. It is no coincidence that polls show much stronger sympathy for the EU in Scotland and Ireland -- not in the Church of England. Greece belonged to the Ottoman Empire until the war of independence in the 1820s and its people adhered to the Orthodox Church whose break with Catholicism goes back to 1054 A.D. The large majority of member states keep in step by a common perception of right or wrong, permissible or not permissible, and ethical versus unethical behavior. Impact of new trends on their societies, forming an opinion of what to do about it and their role in the world is 'synchronized' by common cultural heritage. This explains why the EU can go from crisis to crisis without falling apart. Many economists come continually to the conclusion that the enterprise is not viable, but their approach is too narrow, sidelining the common value base and forgetting the lessons of common history over centuries and for some two millenniums. BRITAIN -- IN OR OUT. Britain has never felt comfortable in the EU. Membership runs against the grain of British foreign policy crafted over centuries to stay outside squabbles on the continent while occasionally interfering to preempt a credible threat. The English gained control over Wales, Scotland and Ireland not to allow outside powers a foothold on the British Isles. Britain's European policy has grosso modo been to sit on the fence waiting for the Franco-German axis to forward initiatives and then to shoot them down which invariably failed after which strenuous diplomacy was applied to stop them from going too far. The Eurozone posed a dilemma. It was more suitable and likely to fulfill the ambitions embedded in the Treaty of Rome so after some vacillation Britain joined (October 1990) its harbinger[1]. That proved unworkable and Pound Sterling exited (September 1992). The Franco-German axis stayed firmly in control of the EU. Gradually a movement to withdraw started to creep onto the agenda primarily inside circles of the Tory party. Conceptually Prime Minister Thatcher opened the door stating in 1979 stated '... what we are asking is for a very large amount of OUR OWN MONEY BACK,...'. This was not the of a genuine member state. The trajectory of 'in or out' has over the years given rise to the question of what economic and societal model Britain wants and the answer is a different one from what is found on the continent. When the Treaty about the European Union (The Maastricht Treaty) was negotiated (1989-1991) the stumbling block quickly became social provisions in particular rules and regulations applicable to the labor market. Britain under a Conservative government would have none of it and signed the treaty with an opt-out clause for the social chapter. The opt-out was subsequently lifted in two steps (1997 and 2000) by the labor government highlighting that it was more a question of British domestic policy than European policy. The Tory party views the EU as constraining its effort to demolish parts of legislation turning Britain into a social welfare state; the labor party supports the EU precisely for this reason. The core demand for new terms tabled by the incumbent conservative government is to roll back the situation to 1992 and get guarantees that EU social provisions (broadly speaking) do not apply to Britain. Opinion polls may not be the best guidance to how this thriller will end as negotiations have barely started, but polls indicate that it can go either way. Talk about red tape holding Britain back exercises a strong leverage on business groups and the general public. Expectations of a much higher export to countries like China and India outside membership are constantly floated. The fact that Germany and France who are fully committed to the social chapter export much more to these countries does not dent this argument. Psychologically the British people may be uneasy companions of former enemies like Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. Links with the Commonwealth fade which probably is regretted by many Britons. The Anglo-American partnership that has for decades given Britain a privileged role is judged by some politicians and part of the public to be closer outside the EU than inside despite American statements to the contrary. The sinister combination of a hard rock Tory group voting against whatever the Prime Minister will come up with, a tepid Labor party under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn at best hesitatingly and unconvincingly campaigning for staying inside, and the uncertain card of the Scottish National Party (SNP) might well lead to a majority of votes to take the country out of the EU. It is assumed that after a no vote a free trade agreement like the one Switzerland and Norway enjoy would be negotiated quickly and easily. This cannot, however, be taken for granted. According to article 50 of the treaty a country wishing to secede enters into contact with the EU to negotiate a withdrawal agreement. The tricky part is that the treaty provisions cease to apply to the member in question when such agreement is reached or in case of failing to agree within two years from the decision to secede. Everybody will try to rescue what can be rescued from this shipwreck, but obviously the 27 remaining member states will take the view that Britain has decided to leave so leave you do. The agreement will be eschewed in favor of the EU for two reasons. Access to the market of the 27 member states weighs heavier for Britain than access to the British market for the rest of the EU. The two year clause strengthens their hand as they better than Britain can live without free movement of goods, services, capital and labor. The main argument apparently falling on a lot of deaf ears in Britain is that inside or outside the EU, economic transactions require compliance with EU norms, standards, and various rules. Those rules are shaped by the member countries promoting own interests. Britain outside will not participate in this sometimes laborious process resulting in British interests not being fed into the legislative process. An example is the Swedish carmaker Volvo that felt the consequence of having to adapt to EU rules tailored to EU car producers' interests. It is difficult to estimate how strong the negative impact will be. As seen in many cases it is the long term effect that matters and continuous lower growth will in the long run add up to a substantial loss. Politically the consequences are much more severe and next to impossible to foresee. The fact that the EU's politics will be devoted to tackle this self-created problem sideling other pressing matters are an appalling thought. A fundamental question is whether Brexit would strengthen the integration among the remaining 27 members or throw the EU into a kind of paralysis wondering what has gone wrong and motivated Britain to leave. Judging by history a stronger integration seems much more likely than the alternative after the initial shock and the political tremors. Some observers predict a more inward looking, introvert, and less free trade (market economy) EU, but this is far from certain. Looking at political postures over the past decade or two there are not many signs that Britain has swung the direction of the EU in this direction. The story does not end here. Scotland no longer sees itself as England's acolyte; especially not if, what is likely, a majority of voters in England forces Scotland with deeper historical and cultural links to the continent out of the EU. A second referendum on independence will be unavoidable and this time the vote to leave Britain will prevail. After some turmoil and chaotic probing Scotland will join the EU in its own right -- it will have to go through normal procedure for accession negotiation -- and England try to find some closer relationship with a reluctant, baffled, and perplexed US not really knowing how to handle England's knock on the door. THE EUROPEAN UNION OR THE EUROZONE? It is inconceivable that England cutting the cable will leave the EU without major changes in the structure -- institutional and substance wise. The contours of fundamental changes in a system set up more than sixty years ago has been visible for some time. Some of them would have happened anyway; others will be a consequence of this political upheaval. The Eurozone crowds out the EU -- it is as simple as that. Those having decided to substitute their domestic currency with the single and common currency -- the Euro -- have dared this step expecting stronger influence on decisions and economic benefits. As of now 19 countries out of 28 EU member states have joined the Euro. While many economists -- primarily American and British economists -- watching the Greek crisis, in fact an appendix to the global debt crisis, were busy writing the Euro's obituary Slovakia joined in 2009, Estonia in2 011, Latvia in 2014 and Lithuania in 2015 bringing membership from 15 in 2008 to 19 in 2015. The treaties prescribe formal criteria for membership to the Euro, but the core is sufficient congruity among member states' economic structure to ensure an analogous impact on domestic economies of outside shocks (e.g. fluctuations in the oil price, debt crises). This explains why Greece ran into problems, while Spain plus Italy plus Portugal and Ireland were caught in the slipstream, but not fundamentally wounded. Germany, France, and the Benelux countries plus a couple of other weathered the debt crisis much better for this reason. Britain as a petrol economy with a large financial sector, a small manufacturing base, and a tiny agricultural sector differs from the Eurozone members -- a difference that will deepen with the drive for keeping it out of the social chapter. The Eurozone countries will tend to share views and interests to a much larger degree keeping EU member states not inside the Euro with a different economic structure on the sidelines. Inevitably that will generate a stronger mechanism for Eurozone countries to agree after which the larger caucus of EU member states will endorse it. No written texts will ever put it like this, but in reality that will be how the Eurozone/ EU work in the future. Britain inside the EU would have done its best to limit such a degradation of the EU playing its traditional role of drawing lines for how far the more integration arduous countries can go. The EU moves towards a solar system with Germany and France driving a stronger integration. As was seen in the Ukrainian crisis they will act either alone or drag the EU along. The first circle will be members of the Eurozone either not strong enough or not wishing to be too close to the core two countries. The second circle will be EU members outside the Euro enjoying benefits from the integration and participating in decision making, but with limited influence. Viewing the situation around EUs borders a third circle is possible: Countries wishing to join, but not fully qualified. A kind of special status ('candidate membership') might be envisaged. One model could be membership with rights to participate in decision making, but without right to vote. It seems like a fairly loose conglomeration of nation-states all wishing to work together and joining forces, but harboring different views on how fast and how deep the integration should go. The two extremes in form of a United States of Europe and collapse of the EU can be ruled out. Something in between will emerge. Judging by history the Europeans have been good at inventing political systems and models suitable to tackle challenges and this will continue to be the case. The indispensable partnership is the Franco-German axis that will control and drive the integration. It is not impossible to discern some kind of confederation. Both know that without each other and without the EU they will count for very little in geopolitics and geo-economics. This common interest keeps them together despite tergiversations and occasional quarrels. Few people fancy historical parallels, but this is how the German Empire was created in 1871 and how the Habsburg Empire functioned over centuries. There was a core with a loose knit ring of countries, regions, and peoples around it. The Holy Roman Empire -- not a well-known or popular political construction -- was exactly like this and lasted from the Middle Ages to its dissolution in 1806. The emperor was the formal head of state, but had continually to negotiate his powers vis-a-vis local rulers, but it actually worked constituting a framework for millions of people living in Central Europe. ECONOMIC POLICIES. The global financial crisis hit the Eurozone hard. It exposed weaknesses in the construction of the single currency most of which were well-known, but regarded as calculable risks from its inception. Greece able to borrow almost at the same interest rate as Germany because bonds were denominated in Euros would have been regarded as piffle. The expectation was full awareness among financial institutions that although in the Eurozone a loan to Greece was not guaranteed by the other Eurozone countries. In reality there were two groups of Euro members: Strong countries mainly in Northern Europe and weak countries primarily in Southern Europe. The EU common policies introduced since 1958 had done marvel to the EU in many respects, but divergent economic structures and different economic policies remained. The Northern European countries ran an economic policy aiming at sound financial management, low inflation and cut the coat according to the cloth. Over decades they had moved toward a competitive economy weeding out distortions and privileges. The Southern European countries stuck with an old fashioned economy allowing privileges, patronage, and borrowing to rule the agenda. Until the introduction of the Euro the gap between these two groups was bridged by perennial devaluations of the weaker countries' currencies. It helped for a while, but preserved a non-defensible economic structure. The effect became a gradual decline in national income per capita compared to Northern Europe. The model was workable provided this was politically acceptable and so it was for some time. The weaker countries might have preferred to go on, but it turned out not to be the case for the stronger countries. The depreciations exercised pressure on their economies forcing them to neutralize the negative effects for their competitiveness through even more stringent domestic economic policies. In particular German industry came to fear that the highly successful 'Stabilitaetspolitik[2]' would not be sustainable forcing Germany to consider a weaker Deutsch Mark to forestall loss of market shares. The real driving force behind the long road to the Euro via fixed but adjustable exchange rates was for many years German industry seeing two alternatives: Either a gradual undermining of the 'Stabilitaetspolitik' raising the specter of abandoning low inflation or force the other EU member states to adopt their own version of 'Stabilitaetspolitik'. Germany opted for the second option. Or in other words the German refusal to contemplate higher inflation made the single currency inevitable. As the debt crisis demonstrated, two effects followed. The first one was to force the weaker countries into structural changes long overdue. What they should have done several decades earlier they now had to do quite simply because Euro membership ruled out depreciation. Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal all started this agonizing and painful process. The medicine worked. Their economies turned around and after some years in the grip of recession all of them are back on the growth pattern in 2015. The second one was the gradual adoption of a common economic policy. The one chosen or imposed itself as unavoidable was the one applied by the Northern European countries anchored in sound financial management. Some people call it the German model, but there is nothing German about it as this model has been used by many countries around the globe with success. As of 2015 the Eurozone morphs itself into a genuine Economic and Monetary Union with a common economic structure and a common economic policy underpinned by a fiscal union and a banking union. This was bound to happen and it can only be regretted that it had to be done as a response to a debt crisis making the process laborious and burdensome. The Eurozone is the only place in the world trying to combine social welfare with a competitive economic structure. It is not a foregone conclusion that the endeavors will be successful. Major political developments in the Eurozone countries in the course of 2015 indicate that political forces at the beginning of the year judged to be strong enough to challenge have had to give ground. EUROPE'S BIGGEST PROBLEM -- DEMOGRAPHY. Japan, Russia, and Europe are caught in an analogous demographic trend: Falling labor force both in absolute terms and as share of total population plus more people above 65 years of age in numbers as well as share of population. For the EU people above 65 years compared to people in the working age bracket go up from 22 percent in 2005 to 29 percent in 2020 and 48 percent in 2050[3]. The inescapable conclusion is that there are fewer people in the working age bracket to produce goods and services. Doing nothing currently the preferred way is a cul-de-sac. The shortage of people who are at the disposal of the labor market embodies several dimensions. First, even if, as seems unlikely, fertility goes up, jobs in the care service sector of the economy are not attracting job seekers. Many of these jobs are filled by migrants instead of national citizens. Second, the demographic repercussion on the EU is geographically uneven. The crunch will be acute in the Eastern part of Germany, Northwestern parts of Spain and Italy, and some regions in Central France and South of Poland while large parts of Britain, regions in the Southern part of Spain + Southern part of France + Southern part of Germany and Northern part of Poland can expect a much more favorable demographic development. Third, uncertainty of whether students graduating from European universities may have the right skills to enter the labor force raises the ugly prospect of well-educated people, but well-educated to perform in functions that no longer weigh on the labor market and in the economy. An obvious way ahead is immigration. Europe has gone through several waves of immigration since 1945 with reasonable success. After the end of World War II millions of people entered Western Europe from the east; they were integrated. The immigration/refugees from Central- and Eastern Europe -- in particular the German Democratic Republic (DDR) and in 1956 from Hungary -- were also managed well enough. It was characteristic that migrants shared the basic culture with people in their new nation-state. Since 1960s another wave took off bringing millions of guest workers to Europe. Many of those stayed on changing their citizenship and succeeded in bringing their family to their new home. The classic example is Germany[4]. These people came to work and work was available facilitating the integration. The core problem is that Europe can solve its demographic problem number wise by opening for immigration, but the people wanting and ready to enter Europe -- actually more than ready as they are banging on the door -- do not share cultural identity with the Europeans. They are mostly Muslims and their educational standard may not offer promise of entering the European labor force. In a best case scenario a strong and determined effort to integrate the migrants are called for without any guarantee of success. In a worst case scenario migrants arriving with high expectations to be disappointed realizing that this is not the promised land may turn into a social and political problem -- feeling like outcasts -- with some of them joining extremist forces turning against their new home country. The combination of demographics and migration constitutes a high mountain to climb. Demographics instigate a coalition among voters outside productive life powerful enough to determine economic policy constraining those inside productive life who generate wealth. The result is a growing dichotomy between 'welfare citizens' and 'competitive citizens' undermining nationwide solidarity. Ageing turns it into a generational conflict about distribution of national income with the elderly insisting that the young generation support them and the young generation resisting by drawing lines for how big a burden can be passed on their shoulders. Migration enhances the problem. A large number of Europeans fear for their own future if immigrants arrive putting a strain on welfare benefits already under pressure. There is no common cultural heritage between immigrants from Syria, Libya or Africa and Europe adding an uneasiness of welcoming people who are strangers and may disrupt daily life in local communities. These fears and anxieties are legitimate and cannot be brushed away. Unless solutions can be found, Europe and the refugees face an uncertain maybe even an agonizing future. Solidarity looks fine on paper and in declarations, but is much tougher to deal with in practice. Three policies should be implemented. Stronger external border controls. A policy determining how many migrants/refugees can/will get in is indispensable. A better mix of welfare and competitive economies ensuring that welfare does not impede flexibility plus adjustment and welcoming immigrants under the explicit condition that they adapt to host nations and contribute to their economies. Add to this stronger commitment to economic growth in Europe's adjacent geographical areas. Europe faces an existential problem brought to the front pages by migration/refugees in late summer and early autumn 2015. This is, however, only the tip of the iceberg. Below lurks the challenge of living up to its fundamental values[5] confronted with the combination of demography, migrants/refugees, search for an economic and social model, Britain questioning membership on current terms, lower economic growth and an unstable group of countries around its borders -- Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa. Many observers will ask the blunt question: What's the legitimacy of the European Union if it is used to dilute everything Europe stands for? The key invention of pooling sovereignty has weathered the test of time, but most of the remaining principles need retooling or to be replaced by new principles intercepting changes and new trends. A NEW MODEL -- THE REGIONS; HOW EUROPE LOOKED UNTIL THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. Industrialization required access to a market of a certain size and an institutional framework to provide and guarantee that. The answer was nation-state born in Europe as the twin of the industrial. Cultural minorities were enrolled under the tutelage of the prevailing majority ending the splitting up of Europe in a large number of small states: England versus Scotland, Wales and for some time Ireland, France with regions like Brittany, Provence, and Aquitaine, Germany born in 1871 when German Kingdoms joined Prussia, Italy created by initiatives from the King of Piedmont-Sardinia. The nation-state delivered tangible economic benefits legitimizing its creation. People outside the majority raked in a sufficiently strong increase in living standards to compensate for loss of cultural identity. Logically it is not difficult to grasp that as industrialization fades away and globalization crowds out the nation- state, the political engineering to frame industrialization loses its luster. Nowadays the nation-state is squeezed between on the one hand globalization and on the other hand people's wish to be closer to the decision-making of relevance of their daily life such as the environment, education, health. The old and well-established European regions stage a resurrection. Scotland in Britain and Catalonia in Spain illustrates this by continually requesting to vote on secession or at least to get another 'deal' inside the nation-state. The same is seen in Germany with the federal government under pressure to transfer powers to the laender[6]. France has also moved in that direction over the last 20-30 years. Adjusting to this new trend will take time and much porcelain can be cracked, but the EU will sidle towards creating a new model. As was seen when the German Empire was crafted in 1871 it does not necessarily imply the disappearance of nation-states only their status and influence will be curbed and power transferred either 'upwards' to a changed EU or 'downwards' to regions or other local communities. A multilayered political system will emerge. Europe's main strength has always been diversity and diversity inside a European framework will strengthen removing much of the criticism directed at the current templet accused of favoring centralization and concentration of powers and decision-making. A NEW MODEL -- COMMITMENT TO THE GOAL OF 'AN EVER CLOSER UNION AMONG THE PEOPLES OF EUROPE'. The Treaty of Rome (1958) prescribes 'an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe'. It reflects the ambitions of the six founding member states. Two recent events have brought it into play. The first one is Britain's request to rewrite the terms governing its membership asking the other member states to acknowledge that this objective does not apply to Britain. The other one is the behavior of the Greek government over the first six months of 2015 with acrimonious negotiations for a bail out deal where Greece broke with solidarity in words (policy declarations) as well as specific actions. The conclusion to draw is a sentiment among the majority of member states and in particular the original six ones that either you are member of the EU, committed to solidarity, coherence, common decision-making, and common policies or you are not. Both in the British and the Greek case the message has been conveyed -- albeit in different ways -- that if you do not feel committed to a common course you should consider withdrawal. Solidarity, benevolence, and cohesion are still there. And the EU still works as a problem grinder when a member state tables a problem asking for help. But with one proviso: The member state must feel that it is joining forces with other members, sharing benefits and burdens and not just scraping a lot of money together irrespective of repercussions on the EU or other member states. The conceptual break came with the Lisbon Treaty entering into force in 2009 introducing a procedure in case a member state wants to leave. Analogously a hardening of procedures for joining the Euro and similar enterprises can be envisaged. Hitherto the hopper has been objective criteria which opened the door for Greece to join the Euro. In the future those having started such fora will reserve the right to reject newcomers if not assured and convinced that the newcomers will continue to fulfill the criteria. A NEW MODEL -- REBOOTING THE ECONOMY[7]. The EU has set five ambitious objectives on employment, innovation, education, social inclusion and climate/energy to be reached by 2020. Each member state has adopted its own national targets. The basic idea is to link innovation, qualitative growth and less use of resources to make the EU more competitive by tapping into the vast global market for new industries in these sectors, reaping the benefit of spinoffs, and delivering a better environment for citizens. For this strategy, protection of the environment and resource efficiency play crucial roles. Undoubtedly, these policies will attract criticism, some perhaps warranted. But unlike other major economies, Europe has economic and social goals that encompass more than economic growth and employment. These goals may not be equally shared. Most support is in Northern Europe while Southern Europe and most new member states from Central and Eastern Europe are more reluctant. The ability to reach a consensus despite conflicting views confirms the EU's resilience. Resource efficiency, a flagship of the Europe 2020 strategy, cuts across many sectors. The basic idea is to decouple economic growth from resource use, by pushing the economy toward creating more with less, delivering greater value with less input, using resources in a sustainable way, while minimizing waste and environmental impact. Specific policies are increased recycling and reduced energy as well as synenergy in the use of raw materials. One instrument brought into play at an early stage is tradable permits to reduce greenhouse emissions through the market mechanism and polluter-pays principle. Analysis suggests that a determined and systematic effort will enhance EU competitiveness and contribute to a sustainable, reindustrialized European economy reaping benefits. Requirements include reducing total material requirements by 17 percent to 24 percent, boosting GDP and creating at least 1.4 million jobs. This is not loose talk. The recycling industry has already created 500,000 jobs in the EU. EU core industries in environmental actions in a broad sense have revenues of more than €300 billion, contributing to more than 2 percent of the Union's GDP in 2011. These industries provide nearly 3.5 million jobs and global market share of up to 40 percent. The sector grows more than 8 percent every year. The response to the debt crisis and determination to reconfigure the economic model reveals a determination to reform the Eurozone economies and a deeper understanding of the character of the crises. New ideas are in short supply, but the European soul-searching over welfare, competitiveness and resource efficiency is yielding new approaches. EUROPE IN THE WORLD. After enjoying the peace dividend after the end of the Cold War Europe discovers that the world is not as peaceful as expected. Russia is becoming an unpredictable and destabilizing power next door. Its military arsenal may not threaten Europe proper, but it is strong enough to raise the specter of limited military interventions in what is called its near abroad which includes EU -- and NATO -- members such as the Baltic states. The 'invention' of hybrid warfare poses a new threat asking for counter policies different from conventional military forces. Ukraine is turning into a battle for societal models that neither Europe -- the West -- nor Russia can afford to lose. Russia and President Putin is defending the Russian political system in Ukraine determined to prove that none of the Soviet Union's states -- except the three Baltic States -- can apply the Western model successfully. If they were, the pressure on reform would escalate to intolerable and uncontrollable heights in Russia undermining President Putin's potion. Europe cannot and will not allow the attractiveness of the Western model to succumb especially not under Russian pressure. Turkey flirted with membership over a couple of decades and is still on the list of candidate countries. The fact that it has reaped most of the economic advantages through the association agreement turns membership into a political questionable enterprise from Turkey's point of view while the prospect of seeing EU external border extended to Syria and Iran produces nervousness among Europeans. North Africa poses a potential problem with its high population combined with low growth per capita and behind the curtain millions of people from countries south of Sahara look to Europe as the savior. These are surmountable challenges. They call for adept policymaking, but ideas to find solutions are not out of reach. They call for money, but although the debt crisis and semi-stagnation still haunts Europe the amount required is manageable especially keeping in mind the wind fall reaped through the peace dividend after the end of the Cold War. The disturbing factor is the absence of confronting the issues among European politicians and Europeans buying into populism and still looking to the US as the main partner in the Atlantic Alliance expected to form a rescue party if or when needed. The US has told Europe in no uncertain terms that things are no longer what they used to be. The partnership albeit still existing at least on paper has slipped down the list of priorities. Europe did not respond to the call of the US for the second Iraq war -- right or wrong -- and it left its mark on the alliance. The US is talking about the pivot or rebalancing to Asia. On top of that NATO was a military alliance to defend a societal system against the Soviet Union propagating an alternative -- a situation now confined to history thus removing the core raison d' être for NATO. This is perplexing because both sides overlook sharing analogous values. They are in fact the only 'partner' the other side can count on if it finds itself in a genuine crisis. The appearance of Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDE) makes this highly relevant. Unless the US and Europe can find common ground the prospect of chaos and infighting is too high for comfort as no other country or group of countries are waiting in the wings with ideas and economic power to lead. Much has been said about the rise of China and India, and it is certainly remarkable, but even some decades down the road the US and Europe will still account for more than 1/3 of global Gross Domestic Product -- maybe more. The job is to shape a new geopolitical and geo-economic system reflecting the rules serving the world well since 1945, but adapted to welcome EMDEs and amended to take EMDEs interests into account in decision-.making. Unless done the risk that the system cracks are high indeed and the responsibility for letting this happen rests with Europe and the US. Europe putting much emphasis on soft power -- environment, global warming, and human rights -- might play a prime role convincing the US about this course despite the short term loss of absolute power for the world's only superpower. Sharing power in the short run opens the door for strong influence in the long run. Maybe the hurdle is that the US find it difficult to distinguish power from influence. Global governance sounds good, but out of reach. If not tried, however, the world faces a gloomy future indeed. The Europeans pooled sovereignty in 1951 and 1958 -- an idea that in those days was regarded as fantasy. Maybe Europe will display the same boldness, temerity and inspiration bringing the US and the rest of the world round to some kind of global governance however feeble and tentative the first efforts may be. The digital age implies that a global opinion exists. The game is about shaping perceptions. The Europeans took a while to discover that killing each other and pursuing imperialistic and colonial policies are not in accordance with European values. Atrocities and crimes were committed, but a remarkable political maturity of consensus, cooperation, and compromises now appear on the scene. CONCLUSION. Europe is adapting to new challenges by reforming its political system and economic model. It strives hard to remain faithful to all that Europe stands for purified by the purgatory over centuries. Getting to where it is now Europe has not followed a straight line. Extremism has penetrated mindset and policies and can still be detected. The many ordeals suffered have every time led to a step in the 'right' direction as the unification process after World War II bears witness to. Neither will a new model to be crafted follow a straight line. Confusion, non-transparency, peculiarity even queer ways obscured by meetings and personalities may rule the headlines. Recalling European history this is how Europe has worked and maintained its mixture of centralization, concentration, diversity and competition. The Europeans share basic values. They may not fully trust each other, but mutual trust is stronger and deeper than in any other political conglomerate around the world. A European citizen approaching the authorities feel that if the roles were reversed the decision would be the same. This core element is questioned with the influx of migrants not sharing the same cultural identity. This is why migration/refugees are an existential challenge. The solution can only be to allow migrants/refugees getting into Europe, but with two provisos: Not disrupting the existing societal structure and asking them to adapt to European norms and values. Europe is not multicultural, but the world is. A new political system with another balance between centralized power and decision-making closer to the citizen spearheaded by Europe will be a revelation. Rebooting Europe's economic model to combine welfare and competition and introduce a much higher awareness of resource scarcities will be no mean achievement. Europe will not turn its back to the world but concentrate foreign- and security policy on projection of soft powers -- values. In that respect Europe may intercept better than other powers what social networking means for global power and the answer is the ability to shape perceptions by tuning into the mood of global citizens. There will certainly be many hick-ups along the way and many columnists will make a living by telling that Europe is now out of the game, but the outcome sketched above is by far the most likely outcome. Notes: ------------------------- [1] ERM (European Exchange Rate Mechanism). [2] Economic policy aimed at stability. [3] Japan fares worse with corresponding figures being: 30 percent, 47 percent, and 74 percent. The us is doing better with 18 percent, 24 percent, and 34 percent. [4] 7.4 percent of population in Germany is born outside the EU. [5] Treaty Article 1 a:The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail.' [6] German states. [7] A longer version appeared in YaleGlobal online 27 January 2015. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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Why Merkel's Kindness to Asylum Seekers Could Reflect a German Soft Spot for Islam

When German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that she would take up to 800,000 asylum seekers this year, many wondered whether the lady had slipped in the tub and banged her head or was high on weed. Almost single-handedly she helped to change the mood towards refugees. Ordinary citizens were holding up signs with "welcome refugees" and policemen in uniform were handing out sweets and toys to the arriving children. Parents seeking asylum in Germany were naming their children "Angela Merkel" and Syrians stranded in Hungary chanted "Germany, Germany, Germany." While many in her country supported her, others, and not only members of Pegida, objected. The pope had already boldly reached out to the desperate refugees emerging out of the deadly waters of the Mediterranean and was seen by them as Francis the Fearless. The German chancellor now basked in a new glow as Merkel the Magnificent. In contrast, other European leaders appeared shrunken and reduced. The British prime minister with his miserly intake was seen as Cameron the Curmudgeon and the Hungarian prime minister with his aggressive rejection of compassion as Orban the Odoriferous. The scale of Germany's generosity is blurred because when the world looks at anything German its gaze invariably shifts to the horrors of the last century. Commentators thus suggested that Germany was compensating for the death and destruction it inflicted on the world during the Nazi era. Others looked elsewhere for explanations, with some arguing that Germany needed a young able-bodied and trained workforce to fill the vacuum in its aging and declining population. It is an irony of history that the same Germany that had set out to exterminate one group of "Semites," the Jews, in the last century is now laying out the welcome mat for another Semitic group, the Arabs -- considering that the majority of the migrants are from the Middle East -- in this century. So what caused the springs of human kindness to gush forth in German hearts? My current research suggests another way of interpreting their generosity: it is based in what anthropologists call the deep structures of history and what I term as a German soft spot for Islam. I will be exploring the question in my forthcoming book "Journey into Europe," which is based in fieldwork across Europe, to be published by Brookings Institution Press. The following are some preliminary observations. From the earliest times Germans saw Islamic civilization as powerful, resourceful, sophisticated and different: a worthy friend or, if the circumstances were not propitious, then a worthy enemy. They knew from their history that Islam had defeated their Germanic kin, the Visigoths, on the Iberian Peninsula and many Germans would have noted that twice in two centuries Ottoman armies laid siege to Vienna, in the heart of Europe. As a result, German speakers learned to drink coffee and eat croissants shaped like the crescents worn by Turkish soldiers as emblems of identity. The Ottomans represented an exotic world of dazzling art and architecture but one also that fielded mighty armies with brave warriors. Alliances between German kings and Ottoman sultans resulted in permission to built cemeteries and even mosques in Germany. Because it began at the early history of Islam the soft spot would be embedded in German self-perception to re-emerge regularly over the centuries in the thoughts and actions of Germans. Let me give a chronological list of some prominent Germans and their attitude to Islam through the course of history. Let us start with Charlemagne. * * * CHARLEMAGNE (742-814) _Portrait of Charlemagne. Painting by Caspar Johann Nepomuk Scheuren. DeAgostini/Getty Images._ The king of the Franks, Charlemagne, or _Karl der Große_ as he is named in German, is one of the great founders of both modern France and Germany. The first Holy Roman Emperor, he was the first leader to unite Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire. During his reign in the 700s and 800s, he became among the earliest European leaders to interact with the Muslim world, particularly on his southwestern border in Andalusia. While his relations with the Umayyads in Spain were often contentious, he did not stand in complete antithesis to the Muslim world. Charlemagne developed an unusually warm relationship with Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid in Baghdad, who even gave him an elephant as a token of appreciation for his outreach. Furthermore, Charlemagne allied with the Muslim governors of Barcelona, Saragossa and Huesca to help them contain 'Abd al-Rahman's reign in 777 -- demonstrating a dominance of power politics above all else in his interactions with the Muslim world. FREDERICK II (1194 - 1250) _Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (1194 - 1250). Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images._ If the soft spot theory for Islam has a champion it is surely Frederick II, widely called "Stupor Mundi," or the "Wonder of the World." Of the House of Hohenstaufen and one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of Europe, his enormous energy and ability allowed him to play a central role across the continent and even into the Middle East. In a masterstroke of negotiation that should be taught in the field of diplomacy today, Frederick obtained Jerusalem during the Crusades -- which had been taken from the Christians by Saladin -- without bloodshed. He spoke multiple languages including Arabic; celebrated Muslim festivals in honor of the prophet of Islam; was protected by a Muslim bodyguard; and his imperial coronation mantle, which was made by Muslims for his grandfather, the King of Sicily Roger II, became the coronation mantle for every Holy Roman Emperor until the 18th century and bears Arabic inscriptions. Frederick II promoted learning, especially philosophy and poetry, in his court and was particularly impressed by Islamic sources. He helped to spread Islamic scholarship in the West, sending the work of Muslim philosopher Averroes, whose studies attempted to reconcile faith and reason, to European universities. His enmity with the pope, who referred to him as the "antichrist" and which led him to be ex-communicated, was in inverse proportion to his affinity for al-Kamil, the sultan of Egypt. In his famous deal with al-Kamil for Jerusalem, the two rulers agreed that Frederick would receive Jerusalem but the Muslims would control the mosque complex at al-Aqsa. Frederick arrived, accompanied by his Muslim bodyguard, and proceeded to enter Jerusalem and crown himself king. Shams ad-din, the eminent _qadi_ of Nablus who was assigned by the sultan to host Frederick, silenced the _muezzin_, who recites the call to prayer, out of respect for the emperor. Yet after Frederick's first night in Jerusalem, he complained to the _qadi_, saying, "'O qadi, why did the muezzins not give the call to prayer in the normal way last night?' Shams ad-din replied, 'This humble slave prevented them, out of regard and respect for Your Majesty.'" Hearing this, Frederick said with disappointment, "'My chief aim in passing the night in Jerusalem was to hear the call to prayer given by the muezzins, and their cries of praise to God during the night.'" When Frederick and Shams ad-din entered the al-Aqsa mosque, Frederick voiced his delight at its construction and the beauty of the _mihrab._ Holding the hand of Shams ad-din in affection, Frederick left al-Aqsa and saw a priest with the gospels trying to enter the al-Aqsa forcefully. Furious, Frederick shouted at him, "'What's that you have brought here? By God, if one of you tries to get in here without my leave, I will have his eyes out. We're the vassals and slaves of this Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil. He has granted these churches to me and to you as an act of grace. Do not any of you step out of line.' The priest made off shaking with fear." ALBRECHT DÜRER (1471-1528) _Albrecht Dürer, From El Mundo Ilustrado, Published Barcelona, 1880. Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images._ Albrecht Dürer is widely considered to be the greatest northern European Renaissance artist, and in the words of one art historian, "one of a half-dozen of the world's most renowned artists." Dürer, who was proud of his German identity and signed paintings "Albrecht Dürer, German," appears to have been intrigued by Muslim society and drew a range of Muslim subjects in works, including "Oriental Rider," "Three Orientals," "A Turkish Family" and a portrait of Suleyman the Magnificent, the Ottoman sultan. Dürer's depiction of Suleyman is especially interesting. Suleyman had just ascended to the throne and would go on to take the Ottoman Empire to the zenith of its glory. His period would be renowned for the general tolerance shown to the different peoples living within Ottoman territories and its artistic and architectural attainments. What is significant is that Dürer took time off from painting nationalist themes to pay tribute to this most renowned of Muslim rulers. Dürer's portrait is in black and white and its simplicity only enhances the dignity of the subject. Although it is only a head painting, Suleyman is depicted as a strong, dignified man with a certain compassion in the eyes, a hint of a smile on the lips and strength in the chin. His turban reinforces the stateliness of the man. There are no robes or swords or medals or jewelry on him. Except for the simple bulbous turban, there is no other hint of Suleyman's Islamic identity. The portrait challenges the stereotypes of a sultan considered by his contemporaries as probably the most powerful monarch of his day. This man of immense wealth, pomp and circumstance is portrayed by Dürer in his bare essence and yet he conveys a certain majesty. That is the genius of the artist. Considering the extent and meanness of the caricatures and cartoons of Muslim figures in Europe today, one scrutinizes the turban or the face in vain for any sign of ridicule or caricature. In this regard, Europe seems to have regressed half a millennium after Dürer's time. FREDERICK THE GREAT (1712-1786) _Portrait of Frederick II of Hohenzollern, known as Frederick the Great. Oil on canvas, by Antoine Pesne (1683-1757). Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images._ In his aim to expand Prussian power and territory, Frederick the Great, the "enlightened absolutist," forged strong ties with the Ottoman Empire. In 1761 Frederick established trade relations with the Ottomans after courting them for two decades, and the following year the Ottomans provided the Prussians with camels during Prussia's campaign against Austria in the Seven Years' War. Frederick also welcomed the Turks to Berlin, reportedly saying while discussing the possible arrival of Turkish laborers, "If Turks come to Berlin, mosques must be built for them." Frederick's openness to the Turks coincided with a general craze for all things Turkish, which the king himself observed with some amusement: "It is now the fashion in Berlin to eat dates; and any moment now the_ petits maitres_ will be wrapping turbans round their heads and those with enough money will set up harems. To be fashionable you have to have seen the Turk, everyone is telling stories which would make you fall asleep on your feet." Indeed, when the first Turkish envoy arrived in the city in 1763, he and his extensive entourage were given such an emphatic reception by the cheering Berliners that the bemused envoy wrote to the sultan, "the people of Berlin recognize the Prophet Muhammad and are not afraid to admit that they are prepared to embrace Islam." GOETHE (1749-1832) _German poet, dramatist, scientist and court official Johann Wolfgang von Goethe reclining out-of-doors. Painting by J H Tischbein. Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images._ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany's greatest literary figure, was a true renaissance man who wrote prose, poetry, scientific pieces and many other influential works. Goethe developed a particular fondness for Islam and the Muslim world and his poem the "West-Eastern Divan" evokes Hafiz, the famous Persian poet. Goethe's comments on Islam have led to speculation about the extent of his commitment to the faith, for example, in the following verse: "If Islam means, to God devoted/ All live and die in Islam's ways." No Muslim can be failed to be moved by Goethe's poem, "Mahomet's Song," dedicated to the prophet of Islam whom he calls "head of created beings." The poem compares the prophet to a powerful river that slowly but surely gathers other streams as it flows to its destiny in the ocean where it meets the divine. The poem is a powerful expression of the desire to discover unity in the universe while searching for the divine. Here is a flavor: Ever, ever, on he rushes, Leaves the towers' flame-tipped summits, Marble palaces, the offspring Of his fullness, far behind. Cedar-houses bears the Atlas On his giant shoulders; fluttering In the breeze far, far above him Thousand flags are gaily floating, Bearing witness to his might. And so beareth he his brethren, All his treasures, all his children, Wildly shouting, to the bosom Of his long-expectant sire. MOZART (1756-1791) _Portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Museum of Mozart And Duschek. Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images._ Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was among history's greatest composers. Born to a German father, he would have interacted with a variety of people from different cultures in Vienna, where Turks were among the city's inhabitants and Turkish influences are particularly evident in Mozart's work. The Turkish musical style fascinated Mozart and involved the use of "cymbals, bass drum [and] triangles with the characteristic thrusting Turkish beat." Turkish elements can be seen in works like Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major (known as "The Turkish" and the "most frequently played violin concerto ever written") and the Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, which concludes with the grandeur and beauty of the "Turkish March." The clearest and most obvious example of Mozart's fascination, however, is his opera "The Abduction from the Seraglio" (1782), which tells the story of a Spaniard, Belmonte, who sails to rescue the woman he loves from an Ottoman pasha, Selim, who has locked her away in his harem under the authority of a cruel overseer -- a role intentionally designed to reflect stereotypes of Muslims and Turks. When Selim captures Belmonte and it is revealed that Belmonte's father is an old enemy of the pasha who had treated him cruelly and deprived him of his home and possessions, it seems the fate of the Europeans is sealed. Yet in the end, the pasha, to the surprise of the audience, reverses the common stereotype and releases the Europeans in a Saladin-esque magnanimous gesture, declaring "it is a greater pleasure to repay with good deeds an injustice suffered, rather than punish evil with evil." The opera's dramatic and joyous conclusion, depicted in the film "Amadeus," features the Europeans singing the praises of the pasha. RICHARD WAGNER (1813 -1883) _Portrait of Richard Wagner. Giuseppe Tivoli Photo By DEA / A. DAGLI ORTI/De Agostini/Getty Images._ Wilhelm Richard Wagner is one of the most celebrated and controversial German composers who continues to have an impact beyond his discipline in fields such as philosophy and literature. His popularity was clouded after the Second World War because of his anti-Semitic views and the fact that his work was patronized by the Nazis. What is remarkable about Wagner's oeuvre for our purposes is his diverting from a focus on Norse mythology and writing the unfinished opera "The Saracen Woman," which depicts both Frederick II and his Muslim allies in heroic terms. The story concerns Frederick II's son and successor Manfred and Fatima, the mysterious Saracen woman he fell in love with. "The Saracen Woman" reflects Wagner's fascination with Frederick II, who he called "the most intelligent of all the emperors" who imbued the world "with the heady perfumes of a fairytale." In the story, Frederick "the Great Kaiser, was neither Mussulman nor Christian; a god was he, and reverenced as god he lives still in the morning-land." The reference to "morning-land" is the world of Islam and contrasts with the "land-of-evening" or Christian Europe. In Wagner's opera, Manfred's life changes when he meets Fatima, who appears in his court as a dancing girl and tells him she has been sent to him by none other than his deceased father, Frederick II. Fatima wants to restore the honor and glory of Frederick's house and every step of the way encourages Manfred to act as his father did -- to become a great king who can bridge the Christian and Islamic worlds -- and she prays to Allah she is able to accomplish her task. Encouraged by Fatima and falling in love with her, Manfred is emboldened to follow in his father's footsteps. For Fatima, the coexistence of Muslims and Christians in Italy depends on Manfred. In the Italian Muslim city of Lucera she tells her uncle Ali and the soldier Nureddin, whom she has loved since childhood, to unite behind Manfred so that they in the future may see "glorious days, the days when Christian brother is to Mussulman." NIETZSCHE (1844-1900) _Friedrich Nietzsche, 19th century (1956). Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images._ While it is well-known that philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, whose work contributed to fields such as existentialism and postmodernism, opposed Christianity, it is not widely known that he did not feel the same way about Islam. For Nietzsche, Christianity not only was a destructive force in Europe but also the Muslim world -- and he blamed it for the elimination of the advanced civilization of Muslim Spain. In "The Antichrist," Nietzsche wrote: "Christianity destroyed for us the whole harvest of ancient civilization, and later it also destroyed for us the whole harvest of Mohammedan civilization. The wonderful culture of the Moors in Spain, which was fundamentally nearer to us and appealed more to our senses and tastes than that of Rome and Greece, was trampled down." Nietzsche goes on to condemn the Crusades, noting that instead of having "groveled in the dust" before Islamic civilization as the Europeans should have, they waged war against it. And challenging the notion of "progress" so common in his society, Nietzsche writes that late 19th century European civilization seems "poor" and "senile" compared with 12th century Islamic civilization. Nietzsche, like Wagner, praises Frederick II, calling him a "genius" and celebrating the fact that he fought the papacy while seeking "Peace and friendship with Islam." KAISER WILHELM II (1859-1941) _Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany, 1900. Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images._ Kaiser Wilhelm, the last German emperor in history who led Germany through World War I, spent his career working to elevate the German Empire on the world stage. In doing so, he forged ties with the Ottoman Empire that still deeply influence Germany and Turkey today. Wilhelm held the Turks in high regard and visited Turkey in 1889. In 1898 he entered Jerusalem in a visit that evoked Frederick II, who had arrived centuries earlier. Upon leaving Jerusalem, Wilhelm wrote: "My personal feeling in leaving the holy city was that I felt profoundly ashamed before the Moslems and that if I had come there without any Religion at all I certainly would have turned Mahommetan!" His admiration for the great Saladin was unbounded and he had Saladin's grave in Damascus restored for protection as a "Khalif" and "friend." The Kaiser was known as "Hajji Wilhelm" in the Middle East, the title given to someone who has performed the Hajj in Mecca. ADOLF HITLER: 1889-1945 _Adolf Hitler. Photo by Roger Viollet/Getty Images._ Some no doubt will enquire about the position of that most monstrous and evil of men who murdered millions of people and almost destroyed Germany, Adolf Hitler, regarding the soft spot theory. In his case, we can also see evidence of the theory. Hitler voiced his admiration for Kemal Atatürk whom he called "a star in the darkness" and "the greatest man of the century." Hitler fancied himself, like Atatürk , a brilliant military general and a successful nation builder. Like Atatürk had done with Turkey, Hitler dreamt of forging Germany into a state based on a dominant ethnic group. Hitler even speculated about the possible consequences in history if Charles Martel had not stopped the Arabs at Tours, France, in 732 AD. The Germans, he then ruminated, may well have converted to Islam and "would have conquered the world." During World War II, Nazi radio broadcasts to Muslims cast the English and the Jews as "the common enemies of the Arab-Muslim world and of Germany" and popular songs honoring "Hajj Hitler" were composed in both rural and urban areas in North Africa. Hitler counted among his allies Haj Amin al-Husseini, the grand mufti of Jerusalem, and Hitler presented the blonde and blue-eyed mufti with a certificate declaring him an "honorary Aryan." But the Hitlerian contempt for non-Aryan peoples was difficult to suppress as Hitler is on record referring to Arabs as "half-monkeys." ANNEMARIE SCHIMMEL (1922-2003) _Annemarie Schimmel. Photo by Moenkebild/ullstein bild via Getty Images._ I last met Professor Annemarie Schimmel, the famous German scholar of Islam, when she came to have lunch with me in Sibi, Pakistan where I was a government commissioner in the late 1980s. Nothing about the speaker was ordinary and neither was this statement. She was widely loved in the land and was particularly inspired by Allama Iqbal, the national poet of Pakistan. Both she and Iqbal are great bridges between German and Muslim culture, and in our fieldwork across Europe we had especially visited the sites in Heidelberg and Munich associated with Iqbal. "I am here to search for a final resting place for myself among the Sufis of the Sindh," she said to me when we met. As she spoke, Professor Schimmel had a faraway look in her eyes as if she was already viewing a potential cemetery for herself, and it left me wondering why a German had such a deep connection with Islam. Professor Schimmel spoke five languages of the Muslim world and served as the first woman and first non-Muslim to teach at the University of Ankara from 1954-1959 before going on to teach at Harvard from 1967-1992. With her numerous books, articles and lectures spread over a lifetime on Islam, and particularly Sufism, Schimmel goes down as both one of Germany's most prolific scholars and one of the world's greatest scholars of the faith. ANGELA MERKEL (1954-) _Angela Merkel smiles during a press conference. AP Photo/Michael Sohn._ Angela Merkel's efforts at fostering Muslim integration in Germany have been noteworthy, as particularly seen in her condemnation of the Pegida rallies in December and January. The fact that the usually cautious and subdued Mrs. Merkel stated that "Islam belongs to Germany" and participated in the anti-Pegida rally organized by Muslims at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin suggests the soft spot theory is still applicable. Merkel was not only showing courage but wisdom in reaching out so dramatically to the Muslim community. No other European leader had made a similar or comparable gesture. Several months ago in Berlin, Merkel joined Muslims for the first time at an iftar dinner to break the fast in the month of Ramadan, and the German government announced that not only will Merkel herself host an iftar next year, but it will become an annual occasion for the chancellor of Germany. * * * If I were to cite one or two of the individuals on this list as having a soft spot for Islam, it would be a fact worthy of investigation. I have pointed to a long list that contains such varied names as the greatest of German emperors, the greatest of philosophers, artists, poets and composers, the last German emperor and undoubtedly the most evil and bloody of men produced by the German people. The list surely suggests that the subject of the soft spot theory of Islam in German history is worthy of further research, especially in light of the remarkable welcome the Germans are giving the current Muslim refugees. Because the soft spot theory implies empathy for and understanding of the Other, it is more needed than ever before considering not only the current state of crisis around Muslim communities living in Europe but also the too frequently terrible relations between different ethnic and religious communities across the world. The Germans have taken an important first step in this direction which other European -- and world -- leaders will do well to consider. It is a path on which they will find at least two fine companions -- Francis the Fearless and Merkel the Magnificent. _Akbar Ahmed is Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University, Washington DC. His latest film (2015) and book (forthcoming from Brookings Institution Press) are called Journey into Europe. _ -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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Foreign Minister Kotzias meets with the Norwegian Minister competent for EU and European ...

Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias met today in New York City, on the margins of the UN General Assembly, with the Norwegian Minister competent for European Union and European Economic Area issues, Vidar Helgesen.The two Ministers reviewed the course of Greek-Norwegian bilateral relations and agreed to strengthen cooperation to capitalize on programmes within the framework of the European Economic Area and to expand synergies in education by utilizing the educational institutions based in Oslo for bilateral meetings and exchanges.Mr. Helgesen briefed Mr. Kotzias on the Donor Conference for Syria that Norway will be hosting soon, and they discussed the potential for...

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Foreign Minister Kotzias’ statement to Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) Washington ...

JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, how did your meeting with Sergey Lavrov go?N. KOTZIAS: We have had a number of meetings at the UN. The General Assembly is very, very important for both multilateral and bilateral negotiations, and in this context we saw the Foreign Minister of Russia. 2016 is the Year of Greek-Russian Friendship and cooperation, and I invited him to come to Athens this year so that we can move ahead with our cooperation.JOURNALIST: What other issues did you discuss?N. KOTZIAS: As you would expect right now, we talked to the Russians today about Syria, as we do with everyone...

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Arsenal v Olympiakos: Champions League – live!

* Champions League Group F updates from the game at the Emirates * Live scoreboard! Follow all of the day’s goals and games as they happen * Porto v Chelsea – live! Join Scott Murray for all the latest news * Barcelona v Leverkusen – live! Join Bryan Graham for the latest news * And email jacob.steinberg@theguardian.com or tweet @JacobSteinberg 8.28pm BST That decision to rest Petr Cech doesn’t look too clever now. Fourtounis’s inswinger curls wickedly towards goal and seems to take Ospina by surprise. He gets his bearings wrong and for an inexplicable reason he pats the ball down - I’ve no idea why - and Olympiakos claim that it’s over the line. Siovas tries to bundle it in to make sure but Arsenal hack it away. But wait! The referee has blown his whistle! The fifth official is indicating the ball was over the line! I don’t think it is - the replays seem to suggest it’s not - but what a dreadful mistake by Ospina. 8.25pm BST 39 MIN: Olympiakos win another corner. They scored with their last one. Gabriel conceded it. The Greeks are a big side. Continue reading...

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How a coffee hater found his perfect coffee drink (and maybe you can, too)

I’m 29 years old, and I made it through high school, college, my first, second, third, and fourth jobs, and graduate school (which coincidentally included my fifth and sixth jobs simultaneously) without drinking coffee. That’s not to say I never used caffeine, but it was rare. My caffstinence was not on principle; I simply hated the taste of coffee. It tasted like hot water mixed with dirt. It smelled delicious, but the taste failed to deliver on its olfactory promise. Yet in my 29th year, I’ve become an avid coffee drinker. How did this happen? Well, my journey to the caffeinated promised land followed a roundabout course that began and ends in South America by way of New York City. SUMMER VACATION FOR (MOSTLY) GROWN-UPS In the summer of 2014, between years one and two of grad school, I was in Brazil filming a documentary that would become my master’s thesis film. Those five weeks were intense, intimidating, exhilarating, and imminently rewarding. To cap the trip off, I stayed in the country for weeks six and seven to attend a local soccer tournament called Copa do Mundo (known as The World Cup to Americans). It was the second week of the tournament and my body was in open revolt. My three buddies and I were traipsing around the country, drinking until 2 or 3 a.m. routinely, then getting up (somewhat) early every day to either sightsee, watch a game, or go to a game. I was in a continuous state of physical and mental exhaustion. I had a nagging cough and my voice was perpetually hoarse. I felt like I had a permanent low-level hangover. On unfortunate days, the hangover was positively nuclear. Nevertheless, we had to soldier on; America needed us. Near the end of the trip in Recife, Brazil, after the Americans had fallen to the Germans 1-0 the day prior, my buddies and I had claimed a spot at a restaurant/bar downtown to watch Brazil take down Chile in the morning game. Four or five hours later, the three of us still standing were like the walking dead. We were as tired as we were drunk, which is to say exhausted. My buddy ordered an espresso to inject a little pep into his step. He urged the other two of us to do the same. I figured, _What the hell? We have to rally somehow..._ Those two ounces changed everything. First of all, the espresso (with one packet of sugar, since I’m not that hardcore) was downright delicious. It was so much richer in flavor and texture than coffee. It packed a wallop, too — we were back in action within 15 minutes. We didn’t need to use espresso again that trip, but the incident stayed with me. LIFE A.B. (AFTER BRAZIL) As it turns out, I didn’t drink coffee again during my second year of grad school, either. That all changed with my first job out of grad school. I was hired by CNN on a four-month contract to help curate content for a mobile app concept they were toying with. And while it was an amazing opportunity, there’s only so many hours one can stare at a screen reading other people’s writing before your eyelids start to droop. Luckily for me, the CNN Center in Atlanta has a Starbucks in the lobby — not around the corner, not down the street, in the lobby. Schwing. Every day, as my eyes got heavy around 3 p.m., I’d saunter on down to the Starbucks stand and grab a single shot of espresso with a half packet of sugar. As my caffeine tolerance climbed, I bumped the order to a double with a full packet of sugar. That was enough caffeine to get me through the end of the day without amping me up to the point of getting the jitters.  AN OCEAN OF ESPRESSO IN NEW YORK  When I started working in New York City, the habit followed. But instead of having one realistic option for walkable caffeine, Manhattan boasts an endless supply of roasts: Whether in the guise of giant chains, regional favorites, artisan baristas, or tiny restaurants that happen to have an espresso machine, the island is chock-full of coffee shops. There was an ocean of espresso at my fingertips. As fate would have it, the documentary film team I work on made going for an afternoon coffee a bit of a tradition. We were editing a film about Ikaria, Greece, where people drink one to two cups of Greek coffee every day. Doctors on the island claim it’s a legitimate contributor to the islanders’ exceptional longevity (they live up to 10 years longer than anywhere else on Earth). So, we should be drinking really strong coffee in small portions, too, right? My producer and I started exploring the espresso/coffee shops in the Flatiron District around Business Insider's office. We’d go to a different joint most every day, which got me thinking, what exactly goes into making the perfect espresso? And why is there so much variety between espresso offerings? So I set out to determine the secret to a non-coffee drinker’s coffee drink. I quickly realized I had no idea what I was doing. THE DEATH OF CAFFSTINENCE It came easily enough at first. I preferred espresso to regular coffee because the latter has neither a strong enough flavor nor a thick enough texture for my palette. Also, I’m lactose intolerant, which ruled out pretty much all of the other milk-centric coffee drinks (e.g., latte, cappuccino, macchiato, etc.). My drink of choice was settled. Now, to find the perfect espresso. The first espresso I ordered from a craft brewer was downright undrinkable. I still don’t know enough about the eccentricities of the espresso brewing process to tell you why I hated it; I just knew the acrid, almost sour aftertaste was terrible. If I had to guess, I’d say it was overly concentrated past my taste buds’ breaking point. So fancy wasn’t necessarily better. Check. As I talked to baristas in the following weeks, I came to realize there are a lot of things that play into the flavor of a given espresso: the source of the bean, method of harvesting and processing the beans, style of the roast, coarseness of the grind, density of the pack, length of the extraction, exact temperature of the water… I’m sure I have yet to touch on every factor, so you can imagine my feelings of abject ignorance during this experiment. The sheer variability notwithstanding, as I made the rounds of shops in walking vicinity, I do think I identified a few trends in the espressos I like the most. First of all, I prefer a more robust, chocolatey flavor that’s bitter without going into full acrid. There’s a reason I liked the espresso in Recife so much — the Brazilian bean fits that flavor profile exactly. Subsequently, most of my favorite espressos are either single source Brazilian brews or are a blend with a Brazilian base (which also explains why I liked Starbucks’ offering). Second, I like a 4-ounce double-shot. Many artisanal shops pour a double as their standard, but in a 2-ounce pour, which is why I think it’s too concentrated for me. Again, I could be totally wrong in that reasoning, but it makes sense conceptually. In addition to loving Brazilian beans, the Italian espresso machines/barista methods seem to strike a chord with my taste buds. The best espresso I’ve found to date is at a little Italian restaurant on 17th between 5th and Broadway. It’s not even a coffee shop; they just happen to stock great coffee beans and do whatever it is a great barista does to make liquid ambrosia. It truly is the nectar of the gods. That’s not to say hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurants are the only purveyors of excellent espresso. But, something about their bean + barista(s) + brewing method combination checks all of my espresso boxes. If you find coffee too watered down and/or lacking flavor, yet you crave the payoff promised on other end of the delicious scents emanating from your local coffee shop, the right espresso might do you right. Likewise, you might even love some of the more involved milk-centric drinks, but being as I can’t drink them, you’ll have to research those on your own. If you’re anything like me, though, look for a Brazilian-based blend, an Italian espresso machine, and a 4-ounce pour. Like Julia Roberts in "Runaway Bride," the journey to your preferred style of eggs is an exercise in personal identity and self-discovery. Your ascent into espresso can be every bit as edifying (and delicious). SEE ALSO: 20 PHOTOS OF ARTWORK PAINTED ENTIRELY WITH COFFEE DON'T FORGET: BUSINESS INSIDER IS ON TWITTER Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: There’s a Gatsby-esque mansion on Long Island and it just hit the market for $100 million

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