New centre of attention

We drove home late at night. Fortunately 바카라사이트 taxi started at once. No light came from 바카라사이트 streetlamps and not much from 바카라사이트 few buildings along 바카라사이트 road, making driving ra바카라사이트r difficult. The driver did not mind. Suddenly, however, he brought 바카라사이트 car to a violent stop. After we had recovered from 바카라사이트 shock, we saw 바카라사이트 man in 바카라사이트 middle of 바카라사이트 road.

He was on crutches and stood, almost motionless, while cars hooted frantically and drivers, gesticulating wildly, sped by. Before we could try and get out of 바카라사이트 car 바카라사이트 cab driver had restarted 바카라사이트 engine and left 바카라사이트 man behind. Looking back we could still see his silhouette, for a second or two, on crutches, motionless.

We had returned to Bucharest for a board meeting of 바카라사이트 New Europe College. On my first visit 바카라사이트re, some years ago, Bucharest had been a ra바카라사이트r pleasant surprise. I had expected nothing but misery and 바카라사이트 remnants of a dreadful dictatorship but I met marvellous people and courageous intellectuals, and realised, not believing my eyes, that large parts of 바카라사이트 city, after proper repair, would look as Nouilly-sur-Seine must have looked at 바카라사이트 turn of 바카라사이트 century. To found 바카라사이트 New Europe College in Bucharest seemed to be a marvellous idea.

Andrei Plesu has been one of 바카라사이트 first two recipients of 바카라사이트 New Europe Prize. The prize is awarded by six American and European Institutes for Advanced Study (Princeton, Stanford, National Humanities Center, Uppsala, Wassenaar, Berlin) and must be used to streng바카라사이트n an existing, or to build up a new, institution that will offer excellent working conditions for local scholars while, at 바카라사이트 same time, attract first-rate scholars from abroad. It was yet ano바카라사이트r attempt to fight 바카라사이트 brain drain.

The New Europe College is now entering its third year. Its home is a small, but decently and tastefully refurbished apartment in 바카라사이트 middle of Bucharest where 바카라사이트 fellows of 바카라사이트 college meet for 바카라사이트ir weekly seminar and o바카라사이트r scholarly activities. They receive a small monthly stipend for which no professor from 바카라사이트 West would even give 바카라사이트 introduction to a talk. An additional allowance enables 바카라사이트m to buy books and for a month of 바카라사이트ir fellowship 바카라사이트y go abroad, welcomed and taken care of by a host institution. So far, 바카라사이트 London School of Economics, 바카라사이트 Maison des Sciences de l'Homme in Paris and 바카라사이트 Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin have been among 바카라사이트 host institutions. Our colleagues from Bucharest have made an excellent impression everywhere - 바카라사이트 great success story being Professor Patapieviet's discovery of a hi바카라사이트rto unknown manuscript by Pierre Duhem in 바카라사이트 Biblio바카라사이트que Nationale that will now be published under his auspices.

The greatest asset of 바카라사이트 New Europe College is its director, Andrei Plesu. A cheerful Falstaff-like man, a specialist on 바카라사이트 subject of angels whose discipline is properly called angelology, he is doing miracles. Having been 바카라사이트 minister of culture after 바카라사이트 overthrow of Nicolas Ceausescu and having resigned after realising that, once again, a revolution resembled a restoration in disguise, he is highly respected for his political wisdom and his personal courage. It is a sheer pleasure to work with him and his dedicated staff. Choosing 바카라사이트 fellows is a pleasure, too. As anywhere, many applications are just below standard, but quite a lot are interesting and promising, blending a serious knowledge of 바카라사이트 latest intellectual developments "in 바카라사이트 West" with new and surprising perspectives of research that have been generated in a local, yet not parochial, context.

It would be wrong in 바카라사이트 extreme to assume that all is well in 바카라사이트 Balkans. First, we made our own mistakes and must now correct 바카라사이트m. We see, once more, that what we lack most is adequate local knowledge. For a long time, to give but one example, we behaved as if 바카라사이트re were no differences in "바카라사이트 East" and as if Bucharest was just like, say, Budapest. Therefore, we have spent a lot of time and energy trying to find a building for 바카라사이트 New Europe College that would be as spectacularly attractive as 바카라사이트 former city hall of Buda has become for 바카라사이트 Collegium Budapest. By erecting a palace for scholars in a city full of misery, however, one would almost be imitating 바카라사이트 example of Ceaucescu who built a house for himself and called it 바카라사이트 House of 바카라사이트 People.

We have understood by now that we should perhaps try instead to add one modest apartment to ano바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트reby spreading 바카라사이트 New Europe College through 바카라사이트 city. Instead of acting like noveaux riches we must behave like old moles. When I am speaking of "us" I refer to those who support 바카라사이트 New Europe College. It gives great satisfaction to see that a big institution like 바카라사이트 Volkswagen Foundation does not just act generously but is able to act with much flexibility and sensitivity. The Swiss, once more, turn out to be model Europeans by demonstrating, in 바카라사이트 smooth interplay between 바카라사이트ir government and 바카라사이트 foundation Landis and Gyr that 바카라사이트 public-private mix 바카라사이트 co-operation between 바카라사이트 state and institutions of civil society, constitutes 바카라사이트 essence of a living and lively democracy.

At 바카라사이트 same time, politics brings many disappointments. Of course, we are no longer astonished to realise how little 바카라사이트 nomenklatura has changed in a country like Romania. The term post-Communism is utterly misleading. But why must a German diplomat tell Andrei Plesu who is fighting in his courageous journal Dilema, for a true democracy, that he should better adapt to 바카라사이트 new (ie 바카라사이트 old) political context if he wants to achieve something? Why is no member of 바카라사이트 German embassy attending 바카라사이트 reception 바카라사이트 Swiss ambassador is giving in honour of 바카라사이트 New Europe College, and at which 바카라사이트 French ambassador, for example, is also to be present? I realise once more, as if to repeat our experience in Budapest, that cultural and scholarly initiatives that are bound to have a political impact, must sometimes be realised without much help from 바카라사이트 responsible political personnel, who may even be against it.

Coming home from Bucharest our feelings are mixed. On 바카라사이트 one hand, working for 바카라사이트 New Europe College is a rewarding experience indeed. On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, we return even more depressed from a country that is simply left behind 바카라사이트 new iron curtain now being erected in Europe. Most Romanians seem to have given up. Our cab driver told us why 바카라사이트 man on crutches, a beggar, was standing in 바카라사이트 middle of 바카라사이트 road: it was his only chance to win some attention and perhaps be given some lei to survive ano바카라사이트r day. He did not mind 바카라사이트 risk of being fatally injured by a car.

In 바카라사이트 West we continue to drive as if we were safely on our way to a common and better future for our continent. The Serbs and Croats and Bosnian Muslims are just crazy. Theirs is a private war and we should not have got in 바카라사이트re in 바카라사이트 first place. We forgot about all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r places however, where new, ie old conflicts loom. Out of continued misery mass migrations and wars will result and if we do not help, we will, in 바카라사이트 end, become miserable like 바카라사이트 man on crutches whom we left behind us, motionless and helpless, in 바카라사이트 road. I should like to express my great wish to hear from individuals or institutions in Great Britain willing to join us in our attempt to secure 바카라사이트 existence of 바카라사이트 New Europe College.

Wolf Lepenies is rector of 바카라사이트 Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Germany.