French media celebrity (and one time philosopher) Bernard-Henri Lévy has been called many things over the years by his equally large and outspoken armies of detractors and supporters. “Curveball”, however, was never among them. It might be time to consider adding that name to the list. Because Lévy was essential to French President …
Democracy
McCain Visits Rebels In Libya And Calls For Increased Support
Is Sen. John McCain’s visit Friday morning to the Benghazi strong-hold of Libya’s rebel forces a sign of creeping escalation in the conflict with strongman Muammar Gaddafi that may lead to eventual troop deployment by Western nations? Impossible to know at this point, of course, but events coinciding with McCain’s visit to …
Introducing the TIME 100: The World’s Most Influential People
TIME unveiled the 2011 edition of the 100 Most Influential People in the World today and there are more than a few on the list who appear in stories on this blog. Before you get too riled up about the presence of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of a murderous dictator, Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, or even Ahmed Shuja Pasha, chief of …
Hear the Song at the Heart of South Africa’s Hate Speech Trial
For the past week, South Africa has been gripped by a courtroom drama that, 17 years after the end of apartheid, exposes how wide the country’s racial divide can still be. Julius Malema, the enfant terrible of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), is on trial for hate speech because of his insistence on singing a protest song which …
Two Nigerias?
Nigeria is in the midst of its cleanest election ever. Ironic, then, that it should also be one of its most violent – with hundreds dead in the run-up to this month’s vote, and scores more in its aftermath.
Opposition claims that the incumbent Goodluck Jonathan rigged the polls to ensure his overwhelmingly victory in the presidential …
Al Jazeera Correspondent Slams Chinese Coverage of Arab Uprisings
In recent years China has greatly expanded the global voice of its state-run media. The goal is to boost China’s image abroad and to counter the influence of Western media outlets, which some people believe are overly critical of China. In doing so China has looked to the Qatar-based Al Jazeera network as a model of how non-Western media …
Will Israel’s Controversial Foreign Minister Be Forced Out?
By some measures the most powerful politician in Israel is Avigdor Lieberman, the foreign minister who on Wednesday was informed he faces indictment for money laundering. Benjamin Netanyahu may be prime minister, but Lieberman holds the power to collapse his coalition government and force new elections. All he has to do is withdraw the …
NATO Members Feud While Gaddafi Forces Batter Misratah
It’s increasingly looking like the only factor capable of resolving the international community’s dilemma in Libya is also the one element to that will never cooperate in finding a solution: Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi himself. Because as the meetings, summits, and declarations of coalition partners come and go, it becomes …
Why the BRICS Summit Won’t Accomplish Anything
Yep, just what the world needs—another international summit. On Thursday, leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa convened under the palm trees of China’s Hainan Island for the third BRICS summit. The acronym was coined back in 2001 by an economist at Goldman Sachs to describe the bright emerging economies of Brazil, …
Swaziland: How Not to be a Royal
As Britain counts down the days to the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, there comes a reminder from the tiny kingdom of Swaziland in southern Africa of how not to be a monarch. On Tuesday, Swazi King Mswati III, the last absolute sovereign in Africa, unleashed his security forces on pro-democracy demonstrators. Police …
Whose Human-Rights Record is Worse? The U.S. or China?
It’s a spring ritual. Each year, the U.S. publishes its report on China’s human-rights record the previous year—and then China presents its findings on America’s own performance in the same realm. Both countries, as might be expected, find plenty wrong with each other. Indeed, instead of highlighting the actual human-rights …
After Gbagbo’s Arrest, What’s Next for the Ivory Coast?
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Laurent Gbagbo, Ivory Coast’s isolated and besieged strongman, was finally seized by opposition forces in the country’s biggest city, Abidjan. His arrest follows weeks of bloodletting and mayhem in the West African country, fueled in large part by Gbago’s stubborn refusal to accept …
Egypt After Mubarak: More Israel-Friendly Than Expected
The aftermath of the Egyptian revolution continues to offer Israel more comfort than many expected – but also, over the weekend, a warning.
The latest good news is a poll. Despite fears that the demise of President Hosni Mubarak would also spell the end of Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel, nearly two-thirds of Egyptians in a …