World and Press April 1
April 1 2022 • No 7 • 74th Year of Publication • Original Pressetexte aus britischen und US-amerikanischen Medien € 2,50 [d] Sprachtraining • Landeskunde • Vokabelhilfen • Übungsmaterial IN FOCUS • Opinion: Germany faces an epidemic of disobedience • Taiwan: Beijing’s threats reinforce the island’s separateness Pages 2/3 USA • Culture wars: Awardwinning books banned from classrooms • Supply chain: How cargo became vulnerable to thieves Pages 4/5 BRITAIN • Future: Met Office forecasts militia war and return of bartering • Comment: Why is parliament banning itself from talking about the monarchy? Pages 6/7 B2–C2 OTHER TOPICS • Refugees: Some escapees risk their lives to return to North Korea • Jobs: Teen truckers handed the keys to America’s ‘big rigs’ • Business: Is interning for an influencer worth it? Pages 9/10/11 für nur € 5,95 Jetzt im Einzelverkauf Zusatzmaterial zu dieser Ausgabe. Im Abo PREMIUM sehr viel günstiger! www.sprachzeitungen.de €2,80 [a] CHF4,50 [ch] | Photo: Getty Images By Jonathan Freedland 1 HISTORY has broken into a sprint. Changes that were imagined to be the work of generations, or even centuries, have happened in days. Geopolitical shifts whose impact will endure for decades have come in hours. All wars are accelerants, but Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is remaking the world before our very eyes. Tom Brady, seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback, announced his retirement from American football after 22 years of setting records and defying time. Read more on pag e 4 0 – 2 TO SEALbesiegeln — shift Veränderung — to endure “In"dZU´‘ fortdauern — accelerant “´k"sel´r´nt‘ Beschleuniger — to remake umgestalten — before our very eyes direkt vor unseren Augen — in increments “"INkr´m´nts‘ Schritt für Schritt — to swallow up “"swÅl´U‘ (fig) s. einverleiben — s.th. profound etw. Tiefgreifendes 3 to rest on s.th. auf etw. stützen — genuine “"dZenjuIn‘ echt — statehood Eigenstaatlichkeit — 2 Start with national identity. The way nations see themselves, and are seen by others, is meant to be the stuff of evolution: slow and gradual, the layers added in increments. And yet Russia’s brutal attempt to swallow up its neighbour has changed something profound in little more than a week. 3 When Putin set out his case for war, he rested it on the claim that Ukraine had no tradition of “genuine statehood”. That was After a long legal battle, Australia’s government has acquired the copyright to the Aboriginal flag. The flag may now be replicated by anyone without a fee. Read more on pag e 8 This bloody invasion is turning the march of history into a sprint COMMENT • UKRAINE The last few days have sealed Ukraine’s place in the global imagination – and for Russia, that’s a big problem. Residents of Irpin in northern Ukraine are being evacuated after Russian forces bombed their city. | Photo: Getty Images gross abscheulich — squeezed h.: unterdrückt 4 embodiment “Im"bÅdim´nt‘ Inbegriff — defiance “dI"faI´ns‘ Trotz — menace “"menIs‘ Bedrohung — rifle Gewehr — trench Graben — to weave into einflechten in — unshakeable “øn"sSeIk´b´l‘ unerschütterlich — conviction Überzeugung — wholly “"h´Ulli‘ völlig 5 to chasten “"tSeIs´n‘ läutern — settled festgelegt — to hail ausrufen — chancellor “"tSA…ns´l´‘ | Image: Public domain gross, but it betrayed a prejudice that Putin did not invent. Long before the Russian ethno-nationalism of today, Ukraine was treated as something less than a nation. In the 20th century, it was caught between the totalitarianisms of the age, squeezed and bloodied by both Nazism and Bolshevism. … 4 That ended a week ago. Ukrainians have acquired a new place in the global imagination, as the embodiment of the spirit of national independence. Already their collective defiance and bravery in the face of a terrifying menace is the material of myth – ballet dancers grabbing rifles, data scientists digging trenches – that will be woven into a national story Ukrainians will tell themselves for centuries. Even when, for the rest of the world, that fades into history, one fact will be left: the unshakeable conviction that Ukraine is a nation, a wholly “genuine” one. Count that as just the first of many ways in which Putin’s mission has already defeated itself. 5 Some of the others are wholly unexpected. As recently as a fortnight ago, chastened by its past, Germany’s settled position was that it would play no part in a war in Europe. Now, hailing a “turning point in the history of our continent,” Germany’s chancellor is sending missiles and anti-tank weapons to help Ukraine, and massively increasing Berlin’s defence spending. There was a time when the prospect of a rearmed Germany would have sent tremors through Europe and beyond. But this week the bestselling Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari called German leadership in the current fight against Russian aggression “the best atonement” for Nazi crimes. … 6 Berlin’s break from nearly eight decades of postwar restraint is perhaps the most concrete example of a phenomenon visible throughout Europe and across the Atlantic. After many years spent contemplating its own decline and decay, the West has rediscovered something like pride and purpose. Continued on page 12 Kanzler(in) — missile “"mIsaIl‘ Rakete — anti-tank weapon Panzerabwehrwaffe — defence spending Verteidigungsausgaben — prospect Aussicht — rearmed “Æri…"A…md‘ wieder aufgerüstet — tremors “"trem´z‘ (fig) Schockwellen — atonement “´"t´Unm´nt‘ Sühne 6 restraint “-"-‘ Zurückhaltung — to contemplate “"kÅnt´mpleIt‘ nachsinnen über — decay Verfall — purpose Bestimmung —
