Ulrich Beck in German Europe, quoting himself: “The model of Western modernity … is antiquated and must be renegotiated and redesigned… [What is needed is] not just rule-enforcing but rule-altering politics… not just power politics but political design, the art of politics … More and more often we find ourselves in situations which the prevailing institutions and concepts of politics can neither grasp nor adequately respond to.” (p. 16)
“On the surface the European crisis revolves around debts, budget deficits and problems of finance. But the deeper, more authentic question is how much solidarity can and should be achieved in Europe. … The arrogance displayed by northern Europeans in their dealings with the allegedly lazy, undisciplined southerns reveals an altogether brutal cultural ignorance and an obliviousness to history.” (p. 20)
“If we look at the decisive events and trends of recent decades – I have in mind here the Chernobyl disaster, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 on the World Trade Center, climate change, the credit crunch and the crisis of the euro – we find they have two features in common. First, before they actually happened they were inconceivable, and, second, they are global both in themselves and in their consequences.” (p. 23)
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