With just three days to go before April 22 voting in the first round of France’s presidential elections, three things are clear–though they aren’t really consistent.
The first is that while some polls project incumbent …
After a Week of Bad News, NATO Talks Endgame in Afghanistan
The shadow of American misdeeds fell over a NATO summit of defense and foreign ministers in Brussels. A visibly irritated Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta apologized for the acts of U.S. soldiers who posed in front of the …
Must-Reads from Around the World, April 19, 2012
For Israel, the Problem with Iran Diplomacy Is the Prospect of Nuclear Compromise
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amplified his skepticism of President Obama’s Iran strategy on Wednesday, when he used a Holocaust remembrance speech to warn that Iran was building nuclear weapons in order to destroy …
$100 Billion
India Successfully Tests Long-Range Missile. China Unimpressed
India successfully launched its first domestically developed long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Thursday morning, joining a handful of nations that possess ICBM technology. The Agni V missile, capable of …
India Gets Ready to Test Long-Range Ballistic Missile
India is scheduled to test a domestically developed long-range intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday that, if successful, will be among the most advanced weapons in its artillery. The Agni V missile, capable of carrying …
Mexico Takes Deserved Bows (and Some Boos) at the World Economic Forum in Puerto Vallarta
Argentine President Cristina Fernández did Mexican President Felipe Calderón a big favor this week when, on April 16, she expropriated the Argentine holdings of Spanish oil giant Repsol. The move shocked global capitalists and …
After Months of Arrests, British Prosecutors Consider Charges Related To Phone-Hacking
For many in the U.K., remembering a time before the phone-hacking scandal inundated the country seems difficult. This is, after all, a scandal that’s dominated headlines, inspired two major official inquiries, shuttered one of …
Must-Reads from Around the World: April 18, 2012
Clutching at Straw – With former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw now being accused of complicity in the rendition and alleged torture of Libyan dissident Abdel Hakim Belhadj, The Week investigates why MI6 agents have let …
Does Jakarta Need a 111-Story Tower?
An impressive skyline is not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Jakarta. Indeed, from the city’s traffic-clogged streets, it can be difficult to see anything other than cars, shops and smog. But one property …
How Bo Xilai’s Fall Will Affect China’s Leadership Transition
On Jan. 16, Bo Xilai, who then still ran the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing, declared at a meeting of local officials that “integrity is a kind of blessing” and they should “maintain the Communist Party’s pure and
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Must-Reads from Around the World: April 17, 2012
Thinly Veiled – Following Monday’s U.N. Security Council censure of North Korea for its recent failed rocket launch, China’s Global Times issued a stern editorial — “Pyongyang must remember to heed China’s advice.” The semi-official mouthpiece continued: “Pyongyang should treat China as a friend as China does it. It will pay the price …