Withdrawal Symptoms – In a pact reached after a year of negotiations between the U.S. and Afghanistan, Washington promised military and financial support for a decade after its formal troop withdrawal from the country in 2014, …
E.U.
After Historic First-Round Defeat, Sarkozy’s Re-election Hopes Shrink Further
French voters took a step toward historic change on Sunday when they handed Socialist Party candidate François Hollande a victory in the first round of the presidential election with 28.8% of the vote, just edging second-place …
France’s Stringent Election Laws: Lessons for the America’s Free-for-All Campaigns
If, in the course of lampooning America’s few-holds-barred campaign finance system, Stephen Colbert ever found the need for a straight man to highlight U.S. folly, France would be perfect. French campaigns are parsimonious, …
Must-Reads from Around the World, April 20, 2012
Bahrain Protests – The Guardian reports on a wave of demonstrations in Bahrain to coincide with the controversial Formula One Grand Prix this weekend. The government and organizers have insisted that the event would proceed as …
The French Election By the Numbers: Could a Surprise Be Waiting on Sunday?
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 …
Must-Reads from Around the World, April 19, 2012
$100 Billion
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 …
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 …
Suspended British Lord Denies Offering a Bounty for Obama and Bush
Scandal has once again landed Lord Nazir Ahmed, a British Labour peer, into the hotseat. According to Pakistan’s Express Tribune, Ahmed was speaking at a business reception in Haripur on April 15 when he mentioned the bounty …
Between Growth and a Hard Place: Tough Choices for France’s Next President–Whoever that May Be
As the French presidential election heads into first round voting April 22, a burning question is being grafted to the issue of “who will win?” French and European observers are now also asking “what will the outcome mean …