In The News

Private Prayers for Assad's Survival

Dilip Hiro June 7, 2011
Street protests, along with a nod from the US, quickly led to the fall of Egypt's long-time ruler. Syrian streets have been the stage for protests and violent clashes since late January, too, but desire for stability from both friends and foes could ensure that Assad stays in power, warns author Dilip Hiro. Russia, a longtime ally of Syria, has supplied the regime with advanced weaponry...

Global Split Over Next IMF Chief

Peggy Hollinger, Barney Jopson, Alan Beattie, Robin Harding May 18, 2011
With 187 member nations and a staff of 2400, the International Monetary Fund promotes cooperation, exchange-rate stability and balanced growth of international trade, particularly during times of economic crisis. The agency of the United Nations has its own charter and finances, according to the IMF website, with members “represented through a quota system broadly based on their relative size in...

Post-bin Laden: Pakistan’s Hour of Choice

Sadanand Dhume May 17, 2011
The Pakistani military at times has condoned extremism, specifically to needle India or squeeze US military aid. But terrorism is not a precision tool. Pakistan’s reputation as a trustworthy partner could be at an all-time low after the US discovered and killed bin Laden hiding near a Pakistani military academy. The international community is wary of Pakistan’s many links to global terrorism....

Not a Laughing Matter

Peter Hartcher May 12, 2011
Australia, member of the Commonwealth of Nations, has gradually shed symbolic homage and perfunctory reports to the British crown, notes Peter Hartcher of the Sydney Morning Herald. Likewise, the percentage of Australians yearning for a break from the monarchy has declined. Hartcher quotes an observation from Wayne Hudson of the University of Tasmania: “tension doesn't erupt much because the...

Europe’s Angry Birds

Nayan Chanda May 9, 2011
European unity is being tested by global recession, fierce international competition and the politics of impatience. Voters in the strongest EU economies are increasingly less keen on bailing out fellow members, like Greece, for economic mismanagement. Right-wing parties with isolationist, anti-immigration and protectionist platforms are gaining traction in Finland, Sweden, Austria, the...

Palestinian Unity Raises New Problems as It Solves Others

David E. Miller April 30, 2011
Internal Palestinian politics and their relations with world have been turbulent since the Islamist resistance group Hamas won a majority of parliamentary seats in January 2006. Rival groups Fatah and Hamas reached an agreement to be signed 4 May, calling for an interim government and elections within a year. The agreement does not detail long-held differences on statehood, peace talks with...

The Threat to Africa's Fledgling Democracy

Kofi Annan April 26, 2011
The yearning for democracy is not enough. Citizens must set high standards for elections – ensuring secret ballots, secure polling places and fair rules – Kofi Annan argues in an opinion essay for the Financial Times. Candidates, too, must accept voters’ decisions. That didn’t happen in Côte d'Ivoire, where Alassane Ouattara was declared winner but President Laurent Gbagbo refused to...