Throughout much of 2011, Britain was gripped with revelations of the nefarious phone hacking scandal that engulfed one of its oldest newspapers, News of the World. The scandal saw the shuttering of the 168-year-old paper, the …
As U.S. Explores Dialogue with Muslim Brotherhood, Israelis Urge a Tougher Line Against Islamists’ Rise
Unlike its predecessor, the Obama Administration has understood the limits on Washington’s ability to remake the Middle East to its own specifications. The corollary, of course, is that in a rapidly democratizing region, refusal …
The Fukushima Effect: France Starts to Turn Against Its Much Vaunted Nuclear Industry
Is France’s long, proud, and at times defiant affection for nuclear energy finally beginning to wane in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster? While it’s still too early to pronounce France’s nearly four decade love …
Will 2012 Be a Good Year for Elephants?
A new year offers the hope of a fresh start. Few need it more than African elephants. Last year saw a record number of large-scale seizures of illegal ivory—up 200% over 2010—weighing a total of 23 tonnes. That’s 2,500 dead elephants.
Not So Apocalypto: What the Mayan Calendar Tells Us About Latin America in 2012
According to scholars, the fact the Mayan calendar ends by the winter solstice of 2012 is not an omen of the apocalypse, but a rather savvy political move by an ancient monarch. To that end, Global Spin offers its predictions for …
In Post-Gaddafi Libya, Freedom is Messy—and Getting Messier
“I fear this looks like a civil war”, one Libyan rebel commander from Misrata told the Associated Press, in the wake of a fierce firefight between rival militia factions using heavy weapons in broad daylight in Tripoli on …
Two Men Found Guilty of 1993 London Racial Murder
London’s first murder of 2012 took place a few streets away from my apartment, at 4 am on New Year’s Day. Aaron McKoy, described by one friend as “a humble person who loved life,” had been celebrating his 22nd birthday in a local …
As Iran Rattles Its Saber, Should the U.S. Still Ally Itself with Saudi Arabia?
The White House’s Dec. 29 announcement of a $30 billion sale of 84 F-15SA fighter jets to Saudi Arabia came with a lot of subtext. The deal, part of an earlier $60 billion arms agreement between Washington and Riyadh, is slated …
Egypt’s Islamists On the Verge: Will They Make Campaign Rhetoric Reality?
As Egyptians vote this week in the third and final round of elections for the lower house of parliament, the country prepares to usher in its first ever Islamist-led government, and the second Islamist parliament to be elected in …
Youssou N’Dour Tries to Go from Music Superstar to President in Senegal
World music fans know him as a giant, 30-somethings will instantly recognize his voice from the 1994 worldwide smash “7 seconds” and followers of West African politics will, as of this week, know him as a candidate for President in Senegal’s February 26 election. But to see how big Youssou N’Dour really is, you need to hang out with him …
Religion and Sex in Israel: Street Clashes Over Defining a Jewish State
Israel seems to be at war with itself. For two weeks the Hebrew media have been dominated by street clashes between Jews arguing viciously over such matters as sleeve length and bus seating, which in the Israel of the moment are …
A Bus Driver in Southern China Dies of Bird Flu. Could the Deadly Virus Strike Again?
News that a bus driver from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen died of the H5N1 bird-flu virus on Dec. 31 was greeted with a shrug in the nation that serves as the breeding ground for some of the world’s nastiest viruses. …
As Tokyo Cozies Up to Washington, Tensions Flare Over U.S. Military in Okinawa
Some 100 demonstrators staged a sit-in at Okinawa’s government offices this week, incensed by what they called Tokyo’s “sneaky” tactics to keep a U.S. military base on the Japanese island. Sometime before dawn, federal …