Funnel 40/2, Inhalt - Fulbright-Kommission
Funnel 40/2, Inhalt - Fulbright-Kommission
Funnel 40/2, Inhalt - Fulbright-Kommission
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<strong>Fulbright</strong>ers Daniella Strasfogel, Joshua Palay (center), and John Waytena perform Palay’s piece,<br />
“Showdown,” during the Music Gala.<br />
Other speakers likewise addressed the<br />
challenges posed by an expanding Europe.<br />
On the first day of the conference—organized<br />
at Berlin’s Technical University by the<br />
<strong>Fulbright</strong> Alumni Association in Germany—speakers<br />
focused on the challenges<br />
and promise of an expanded European<br />
Union. Among the assembled experts for<br />
discussions on Europe’s future were American<br />
Embassy representatives, prominent<br />
Eastern and Central Europeans and a German<br />
journalist.<br />
“This round of enlargement is the most<br />
important event in what I like to call, ‘Project<br />
Europe,’” said Hungarian Sebestyen<br />
Gorka, the Executive Director of the Institute<br />
for Transitional Democracy and International<br />
Security.<br />
“This is an expansion that will potentially<br />
put the EU on the level of the U.S.<br />
economically,” Gorka added during an<br />
afternoon lecture.<br />
Against the backdrop of the Madrid<br />
bombings, which had occurred just days<br />
before, European security was naturally a<br />
key issue in the discussions as well. Gorka<br />
argued that, when it comes to acting as a<br />
THE FUNNEL • VOLUME <strong>40</strong> • NUMBER 2 • SUMMER 2004<br />
counterweight to the U.S. on security and<br />
foreign policy, the EU has a long way to go.<br />
German journalist Christoph von Marshall,<br />
the moderator of an afternoon panel<br />
discussion called “Visions for Europe,”<br />
countered this viewpoint by ticking off a<br />
list of what he saw as European Union foreign<br />
policy achievements. The very nature<br />
of the expanded EU in terms of its attitude<br />
toward the United States will likely change<br />
significantly, argued another member of<br />
the afternoon panel.<br />
“There is a lot of talk that the new EU<br />
will be more pro-American,” said Riina<br />
Ruth Kionka, the Estonian Ambassador to<br />
Germany. “That’s especially true in the<br />
Baltics.”<br />
The attitude in many of the new member<br />
states towards Brussels, Gorka said, will<br />
also be much different thanks to their communist<br />
past.<br />
“The people of these countries have a<br />
very healthy skepticism with any form of<br />
centralization,” Gorka explained. “We<br />
tried it, didn’t like it.”<br />
Further expanding on the theme<br />
“Where Continents Meet” a one-day ses-<br />
sion on Thursday entitled “University and<br />
Islam” ended the Seminar with a “trialogue”<br />
between Germany, the U.S., and the<br />
Islamic World (see coverage on page 19).<br />
Acting as a pleasant complement to the<br />
academic discussion during the day, evening<br />
events showcased the talents of artistically<br />
ambitious grantees and offered a sample of<br />
Berlin’s cultural forums, from classical to<br />
cutting-edge.<br />
The Amerika Haus, the cultural division<br />
of the U.S. Embassy, served as the first<br />
venue for Sunday evening’s performances<br />
and exhibitions. Organized by former<br />
grantee Dan Brunet, on-stage selections<br />
ranged from traditional Finnish lute<br />
(Juniper Hill) and Bohemian bagpipe<br />
(Michael Cwach) to spoken word (Ronamber<br />
Deloney, a.k.a. Flow) and a multimedia<br />
commentary on religious fundamentalism<br />
by Richard Posner. “Life is<br />
sometimes stranger than fiction,” Posner<br />
said in describing his politically-charged<br />
documentary work.<br />
There were a number of visual arts<br />
installations showcased as well. While<br />
artist Anna MacDonald was pleased to be