News that Moussa Koussa, Libya’s foreign minister, has ditched the dictator and fled to London will boost the morale of the rebels and please NATO. A big-name defection may be exactly what it will take to shake Muammar Gaddafi’s resolve to fight till the bitter end. And they don’t come much bigger than Koussa, a former intelligence chief …
Libya
Global Briefing, Mar. 30, 2011: Secret Wars and Snake Escapes
Libyan Lament — In the besieged town of Bin Jawad, Abigail Hauslohner meets rebel fighters dismayed by the absence of allied planes. “Sarkozy betrayed us,” one says. “There are no planes,” says another.
Cricket’s Biggest Game — In an op-ed for the New York Times, Aakanksha Pande previews today’s India vs. Pakistan semi-final; …
What’s at Stake at the London Meeting on Libya?
The following is a guest post by TIME‘s Vivienne Walt, who is attending the meeting in London over the future of Libya.
Ten days after French and U.S. jets launched Operation Odyssey Dawn in an effort to halt Muammar Gaddafi’s advance on Libyan rebels, the 37 countries involved in the sprawling military coalition converged in London …
Global Briefing, Mar. 29, 2011: Chuck Norris and Other Superheroes
Orator-in-Chief — Obama’s Libya speech was long on doctrine, but short on details, writes Michael Crowley on Swampland; On Global Spin, Tony Karon explains how the president aligned American and Arab goals.
Sizing Up Social Media — A new study, ‘Who Says What to Whom on Twitter,’ shows that a mere 20,000 Twitter users steal almost …
Global Briefing, Mar. 24, 2011: Drug Wars and Arms Races
Gaddafi Holds His Ground — The question of who will lead air strikes on Libya is less important than determining the purpose, terms and limits of the mission, argues Tony Karon on Global Spin. See Christopher Morris’ photographs from Tripoli, here.
Arms Race — The Economist’s ‘Daily Chart’ takes a closer look at the ‘big …
Global Briefing, Mar. 23, 2011: Reality Bites
The Latest on Libya — The U.N.-mandated air campaign over Libya was hardly a knockout blow, says TIME’s reporter in Benghazi. More on Libya, here.
Japan’s Pain — Krista Mahr visits the town of Minami Sanriku, where survivors wonder if they can, or should, rebuild; Hannah Beech explores how Japan’s bureaucracy is slowing …
Global Briefing, Mar. 22, 2011: Battles and Bad Bromance
Leading from the Back — Obama’s approach to Libya shows that “multilateralism can serve American interests,” argues Romesh Ratnesar in his weekly column for TIME.
India’s Future — The FT compares India to Russia, arguing that world’s largest democracy is sinking into crony capitalism.
Counterpoint — In the Guardian, George …
Global Briefing, Mar. 21, 2011: Palin Goes to India, America Goes to War
America At War — Don’t count on a short or limited conflict in Libya cautions Tony Karon on Global Spin; Obama hopes Libya will rehabilitate the doctrine of humanitarian intervention, reports Massimo Calabresi on Swampland.
Tibetan Transition — Pico Iyer writes about Tibet’s ‘quiet revolution’ for the New York Review of Books. In …
Global Briefing, Mar. 18, 2011: Planes, Trains and Automobiles
This Means War? — On Swampland, TIME’s Mark Thompson explains the U.N. resolution on Libya and mulls the possibility of war.
Heading South — In a dispatch from Niigata, Hannah Beech tells the stories of those fleeing Japan’s devastated northeast by train. Full coverage, here.
Mighty Pricey — The United States is spending …
Could The UN Resolution On Libya Signal Sarkozy’s Political Rebound?
Though it took painfully long for the international community to mount its 11th hour intervention into what looked like a looming massacre in the Libya, it’s clear Thursday’s vote by the UN Security Council approving military action to halt fighting and protect civilians won’t signal the beginning to a swift end of the conflict …
Did Gaddafi Really Finance Sarkozy’s Presidential Victory? (Probably Not.)
Stop the presses–or, better yet, don’t.
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi—the no-longer-as-credible-as-once-hoped son of Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi—is claiming his family financed the victorious 2007 campaign of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and now wants that money back. And if the Frenchman doesn’t pay up, the younger Gaddafi …
Global Briefing, Mar. 17, 2011: Broken Promises and Bad Analogies
Broken Promises — TIME’s Krista Mahr meets evacuees in Yonezawa, a city of 90,000 about 60 miles west of the Fukushima plant. There, as elsewhere in Japan, anger is brewing about the handling of the nuclear crisis.
Solidarity — A group of 130 artists plan to boycott the $800 million Guggenheim museum being built in Abu Dhabi, …
Global Briefing Mar. 16, 2011: Conservatives, Closed Doors and Cash Cows
Japan’s Pain —Bill Powell has the latest on the nuclear situation; Michael Schuman weighs in on the global economic impact of the disaster; LightBox showcases pictures of the aftermath.
Bad Times in Bahrain — In a dispatch form Manama, Karen Leigh shows how the country is caught between Iran and Saudi Arabia; On Global Spin, Aryn …