Global Voices Online

Simon at Simon World looks at the Chinese government's decision this week to spurn the Vatican and appoint their own Bishops:

“Naturally, this debate boils right down to control over Chinese civil society, and whether the Chinese government will tolerate any form of civil pluralism or alternate authority hierarchies in the country, or whether the corporatist model it has adopted will dominate social and even religious life in China, in all its aspects, for the forseeable future.”

Recent Links also in Western Europe

Belgraded reports that, beginning Dec. 19, “there will be no more visa requirement for Serbian, Montenegrin and Macedonian citizens if they want to travel to the Schengen territory” - debunks “some visa-free travel myths.” Jana Orsolic thinks “it's too good to be truth” and shares some of her feelings: “…there's no room for silly excuses for something being done badly because of poor us being isolated.”

The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall: How To Marry a Bulgarian hosts a series of readers' personal reflections: Biliana Velkova, Alexandra Grashkina-Hristova, Maria Vassileva; Hungarian Spectrum writes that “for Hungary and the Hungarians the whole thing started much earlier”; Belgraded writes about the upcoming and much-awaited fall of the “visa wall” for Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia; CAFÉ TURCO writes about the anniversaries of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Kristallnacht, and the destruction of Mostar’s Old Bridge;