Later this month, the US government is expected to review whether it will maintain intact a commercial sanction against a Spanish air company for sending a jet to Syria in violation of a trade embargo. The British-made BAe 146–300 aircraft reportedly is still parked at a Damascus airport despite efforts over the last two years by Spain’s Orion Air S. L. to push Syrian officials to return the jet. The US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security issued a 180-day sanction, known as a “Temporarily Denying Export Privileges Order” (TDO), against Orion and Syrian Pearl Airlines in 2009. It renewed the TDO last April because the jet has not been returned. A batch of US Embassy … [Read more...] about Spanish air firm seeks sanction relief after Syria trade gaffe
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Why open Pandora’s Box?
Reforming the Constitution is a guaranteed way to open up a thousand and one debates about democracy in Spain. The 1978 referendum, in which the current Constitution was approved, was a turning point at a major crossroads in the political life of a country that aspired to be close to Europe, improve the quality of life of its citizens and take on the process of transitioning to democracy under the guidance of a parliamentary monarchy. To think that reforming the Constitution now is the only way to control the deficit is probably a reflection of the need for a renewal of the policies of the political parties, not necessarily generational change. The question is poignant: Is a reform of … [Read more...] about Why open Pandora’s Box?
Spanish air base layoff plan a PR nightmare for Washington
In 2009, US diplomats in Madrid warned Washington that planned civilian defence job cutbacks at US military bases in Morón de la Frontera and Rota could put Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero “in an extremely difficult position” and would become a public relations fiasco for the United States because some politicians would “insist that Zapatero retaliate for the ‘insult.’” The summation made by William H. Duncan, who at the time was the US Embassy’s political counsellor, was part of an effort to get his State Department superiors to convince Pentagon officials not to go ahead with the planned layoffs at these two Spanish air and naval bases. “The principal … [Read more...] about Spanish air base layoff plan a PR nightmare for Washington
Gibson’s undimmed passion for Lorca
I first met Ian Gibson in 2004. While walking through the Madrid barrio of Lavapiés, I had spotted a face that I remembered from the book flap of his biography of Federico García Lorca. Like a weak-kneed groupie, I followed him into a bar and confessed I was a fan of the biography as well as his exploration of the events that led up to Lorca’s death, El asesinato de García Lorca. Gibson, who lived in the area, graciously invited me to sit down and have a drink and I spent 10 hurried minutes with him. Seven years on, I meet Gibson at the same bar (his choice), but this time the interview has been arranged by phone and it coincides with a new edition of his Lorca biography in Spanish, … [Read more...] about Gibson’s undimmed passion for Lorca
Bilingual schooling obsession is gambling with children’s future
At the beginning of this school year, a mother commented to me that she had moved her daughter from one public school in Madrid to another in the same neighbourhood. When I asked why, she said it was because of the bilingual schools project that Esperanza Aguirre, president of Madrid's regional government, has created, which entails teaching 40-50 percent of the school curriculum in English, except mathematics and Spanish language. I was surprised to find out that in fact this mother had changed her daughter from a school that was about to enter the bilingual project to a school that had no intention of doing so. In a country that is so preoccupied with getting a grasp of the English … [Read more...] about Bilingual schooling obsession is gambling with children’s future
Forget the Catalan ban, bullfighting was already in trouble
In Catalonia, the last bull has been killed by a matador’s sword. In January, a ban on bullfighting takes effect in the region and Sunday’s corrida in La Monumental bullring was the last of the season, and, probably, the last ever. There is still the possibility that an appeal against the ban will flourish, although a ruling is still a long way off, but fans and opponents of bullfighting behaved as if Sunday marked the end of an era. The Catalan ruling is indeed a landmark, although a ban has been in place in the Canary Islands for two decades. However, given the tangle of regional politics that lay behind Catalonia’s decision, it seems unlikely there will be a rash of similar bans … [Read more...] about Forget the Catalan ban, bullfighting was already in trouble
Every week is holy week in Seville
Semana Santa is the signature week of the year in Seville. Hundreds of thousands of people gather to marvel as beautifully ornate golden floats featuring lifelike figures of the soon-to-be-crucified Jesus and his tearful mother are carried head-high along the city's winding cobbled streets, followed by hundreds of robed and hooded penitents carrying heavy lit candles or heavier wooden crosses. It's a special kind of open-air theatre, free to view for 10 days straight. The thing is though, while Semana Santa in Seville is impressive, it's kinda tiring too. The city's thronged streets are often impassable, many shops are closed and most … [Read more...] about Every week is holy week in Seville
Tweets and gaffes confuse Madrid’s education debate
Esperanza Aguirre, President of the Region of Madrid, has had to use Twitter twice this month to remove her foot from her mouth. The first mix-up was on September 1, when she suggested that secondary teachers in Madrid only worked 20 hours a week, “much less than most Madrileños,” she claimed. Aguirre had previously made a rather sloppy attempt at communicating her decision to try to save €80 million for the region by sending a letter to affected civil servants with spelling mistakes. The letter, which stated that secondary teachers would have to increase weekly class hours from 18 to 20, angered educators, who claimed that more teaching hours and fewer interns (approximately 3,000) would … [Read more...] about Tweets and gaffes confuse Madrid’s education debate
Mourinho’s mad magic loses its lustre
José Mourinho has always insisted that his antics, provocations and pre-match hyperbole are an unselfish gambit, aimed at drawing attention away from his players. Let’s take him at his word, and examine not the state of Real Madrid, but the state of their coach. Mourinho’s appearance has always seemed to speak volumes about his state of mind. When he started at Chelsea, he dressed like George Clooney, kept physically trim and his haircuts were frequently more fashionable than those of his players. When his relationship with the London club’s owner, Roman Abramovich, started to deteriorate and the team’s performances declined, not only did Mourinho start to look tetchy and disgruntled, his … [Read more...] about Mourinho’s mad magic loses its lustre
Friendship with Chávez “a necessary evil” for Portugal’s Sócrates
Former Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates found himself in a diplomatic quandary when Washington started pressuring him to take a tougher line on Hugo Chávez when the Venezuelan leader visited Lisbon. A series of US embassy cables from 2006 released recently by Wikileaks show how the US government had pushed the Sócrates government on numerous occasions to be more vocal over Chávez’s human rights record. But US diplomats in Lisbon expressed their frustration over Portugal’s hesitancy to take a lead in diplomatic initiatives against the Chávez government because the Sócrates government feared repercussions against the large Portuguese community in Venezuela. Sócrates saw Chávez’s … [Read more...] about Friendship with Chávez “a necessary evil” for Portugal’s Sócrates