Deep intellectual debates

I love to read debates in newspapers and magazines - provided that I have the time.
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A lovely one was on the Economist on whether European citizens should take less holiday and work harder .
I just noticed a recent one posted about Obama's performance as well, but have to finish this post first :-)

Now to the one I wanted to blog about:
What is identity and did the French miss an opportunity in their recent "identity debate" to create the social unity needed to play their role in a multipolar world. Is their focus in identity romantic, outdated, narrow-minded and dangerous ? Is France afraid of itself ? At least this is what Guy Verhofstadt suggested in a recent opinion article published in Le monde. Enter French minister of foreign affaire Kouchner: "Je pense que le ridicule tue un peu, mais j'espère qu'il ira bien".

Or with more nuance (Bart De Wever): "Enerzijds het gesloten nationalisme dat ons in een dialectiek van tegenstelling en conflict brengt. Anderzijds het postnationaal wereldburgerschap van Verhofstadt. Dat dit laatste verleidelijk is voor mensen die zich vlot naar een buitenverblijf in Toscane kunnen verplaatsen, is evident. Voor de veelverdiener is het volledig loskomen van gemeenschapsstructuren nu eenmaal de ultieme neoliberale droom". Roughly translated: "Cultural identity might be a luxury product that can be reasoned way by those enjoying a resort in Toscane, but the majority of Europeans require cultural, economic and democratic anchors that are grouped under what was already coined as 'natio' in the 10th Century."

The above transcript reminds me of a history lesson in highschool, now about 15 years ago in which our teacher predicted the identity crisis and ethical vacuum the EU would be facing, pointing out similarities with the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Which is why Rubicon is on my reading list for 2010 :-).