War on Islam – The Washington Post reports that early morning raids in Paris and other French cities led to the arrest of 19 people suspected of radical Islamist activity. The raids come in the wake of al-Qaeda-inspired gunman …
Elections
Politics, Ahoy! Germany’s Pirate Party Scores Another Election Win
Last September, when the German Pirate Party won seats in the Berlin state parliament for the first time, mainstream politicians dismissed their success as a fluke. Sure, they had secured 8.9% of the vote, pushing them well past …
Zip for Tzipi: Change Atop Israel’s Kadima Signals Opposition in Disarray
Three years after leading the Kadima party to first place in national elections, Tzipi Livni has lost a fight for its leadership, adding to the disarray in an Israeli opposition that grows less coherent while the position of …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 28, 2012
Mounting Pressure – Hot on the heels of allegations Monday by the BBC’s Panorama program that a News Corp. subsidiary company used a computer hacker to sabotage its biggest U.K. rival, the Australian Financial Review has now …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 27, 2012
Life After Chávez – The Economist examines splits emerging in Venezuela’s ruling United Socialist Party as the president undergoes more cancer treatment. “The fissures in the ruling party show only too clearly what is likely to …
Terror in Toulouse: Brother of Jihadist Killer Held by Police
Investigators seeking full details in the spree of violence by self-described al-Qaeda jihadi Mohammed Merah are detaining his older brother on suspicions he may have assisted the murderous campaign that left seven people dead in …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 26, 2012
Noisy Neighbors – China’s Global Times reacts to the Hong Kong election Sunday, by a small elite circle, of Leung Chun-ying as new Chief Executive with an opinionated ode for the region and the mainland to improve their sometimes …
Toulouse Killings Take Center Stage In France’s Presidential Campaign
In solidarity with the victims of the Jewish school shooting in Toulouse, the candidates in France’s presidential election had halted their campaigns. But that demonstration of national unity was all but forgotten by Thursday …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 23, 2012
Non-cooperation – The Jerusalem Post reveals Israel will not cooperate with an international probe into the effects of settlements on Palestinian human rights, after a 36 to 1 U.N. Rights Council vote in favor of the fact-finding mission Thursday. The U.S. was the only country to vote against it. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu labeled …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 21, 2012
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 …
France’s Jewish School Massacre: A Horrified Country Unites After Shooting Spree
France came together in sorrow Tuesday to mark the horrific killing of four people outside a Jewish school in Toulouse Monday — an outrage the headline of the daily Le Parisien called “The Tragedy Stunning France.”
As …
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 …
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.