French President Nicolas Sarkozy made his long-anticipated re-election bid announcement Wednesday night and has some good news to jump-start his campaign. On Wednesday morning, figures for the fourth quarter of 2011 showed that …
Democracy
The Anti-Sarkozy: How French Socialist Presidential Candidate François Hollande Would Lead
The Socialist front runner in France’s current presidential campaign promises big changes if he wins elections a bit over two months away. Yet not only does François Hollande remain rather vague about just how he’d do things …
Poets, Peaceniks and Protesters: Meet China’s Leading Dissidents
As Xi Jinping, the man widely touted to be China’s next President, embarks on a trip to the U.S., Beijing’s desire for political stability remains paramount. The past year has seen numerous crackdowns on dissent and arrests of …
Could Arming the Rebels Bring an End to Syria’s Suffering?
All Western interventions in messy civil wars on distant shores seem impossible until they become inevitable. Yet, not even the horrors being visited on an effectively defenseless civilian population by the Syrian regime’s …
Must-Reads from Around the World
Renault’s Morocco Factory: When Globalization and Politics Collide
It’s often said that in both business and politics (not to mention humor), timing is everything. And it was probably that critical element of delivery and context that caused the big news Thursday from French carmaker Renault …
Must-Reads from Around the World
Paradise Lost – Minivan News, an independent news source for the Maldives, has the latest on riots by supporters of former president Mohamed Nasheed, who resigned Tuesday in what increasingly looks like a military coup. The …
Fukuyama’s ‘Future of History’: Is Liberal Democracy Doomed?
“Imagine,” writes scholar Francis Fukuyama in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs, “an obscure scribbler in a garret somewhere trying to outline an ideology of the future.” Fukuyama, a distinguished political philosopher …
Must-Reads from Around the World: Feb. 8, 2012
Iowa Beckons – Communist Party mouthpiece China Daily muses the impact of Vice-President Xi Jinping’s U.S. visit next week. While its news story quotes experts saying it “will help China-U.S. ties fly clear of U.S. election year …
Why Did Merkel Endorse Sarkozy’s French Presidential Re-Election Bid?
How odd is this picture? The leader of one country visits the head of state of a neighboring nation to explicitly support the host’s uphill re-election plans — despite the political and diplomatic problems that may arise if …
“If he gets his hand on that scepter, he's untouchable. He'll turn into a different animal as soon as he tastes blood. And then what? You think he'll just hand back the reins? I really wouldn't bet on it.”
Must Reads from Around the World: Feb. 7, 2012
Syrian Situation – Global Post reports on Syrian Christians’ reluctance to join the uprising against President Bashar Assad. “Syria’s Christians, a fellow minority, believe they need the ruling Assad regime for protection,” …
