Suspect Cornered – An hours-long stand-off between French police and the 24-year-old man suspected of Monday’s shootings at a Jewish school in Toulouse continues. Reuters reports that police tracked the suspect to an apartment …
Democracy
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 20, 2012
More Syria Leaks – Al Jazeera reveals details from confidential Syrian intelligence and security documents handed over by one of the government’s most trusted officials who recently fled to Turkey. The trove shows President …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 19, 2012
Korean Quagmire – Following negative reaction to North Korea’s planned satellite launch, China’s Communist Party-linked Global Times defends Beijing’s approach towards Pyongyang — under the headline “Why China Can’t Persuade …
“He made the mistake of trying to rally public opinion in favor of his now-defunct bid to join the Politburo Standing Committee -- behaving almost like China was the democracy he said it was -- instead of leaving the decision entirely up to the party. And the party always wins.”
As Extreme-Right Embrace Lifts Sarkozy In Polls, Marine Le Pen Plans Reckoning
French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s efforts to lift his sluggish re-election bid by luring extreme-right voters to his cause have escaped no one—and generated consternation and condemnation across France’s political spectrum.
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 15, 2012
Assad Emails — The Guardian exclusively releases a cache of correspondence purportedly between Syrian President Bashar Assad, his wife Asma and a small inner circle. They show the leader took advice from Iran on how to handle …
“I only pray that you will convince the president to take this an opportunity to exit without having to face charges. The region needs to stabilise, but not more than you need peace of mind. I am sure you have many places to turn to, including Doha.”
Chinese Premier Again Calls for Political Reform, But Will Anyone Listen?
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s three-hour press conference at the close of the National People’s Congress, China’s annual Communist Party-controlled parliament, was his last before he is expected to step down next year. The content …
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Sarkozy’s Xenophobia: French President Panders to the Extreme-Right
French economic growth is slowing, unemployment is rising, Greece is still a risk to default, and the crisis-rocked euro—while somewhat stabilized of late—is still not out of the existential woods. Yet despite those burning …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 5th, 2012
President Putin — Unsurprisingly, Vladimir Putin won a third term as Russia’s president Sunday. In an op-ed following the election, Russian language opposition newspaper Kommersant urges those disappointed by the re-elction of …
“We oppose anyone interfering in Syria’s internal affairs under the pretext of ‘humanitarian’ issues.”
Once Under Siege, a Chinese Village Takes to the Polls
This weekend China will see an exercise of democracy in an unlikely place — a village that just months ago had been in a tense standoff with police. Voters in Wukan, a coastal village of 12,000 in Guangdong province, will go to …