In The News

Down With Democracy

December 7, 2007
Some leaders are so insecure that they cannot withstand any hint of opposition or dissent at all. Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, may have an 80-percent approval rating, and yet his party squashed any questions or debate about his record. Democracy is a complicated process, reminds this article in the Economist. “Everything depends on who is allowed to vote, who selects the candidates or...

“Russia Has Discredited Itself in the Eyes of the World”

Naomi Buck November 29, 2007
The Kremlin has assumed a two-pronged approach toward December 2 parliamentary elections: arresting opposition figures and banning international observers. This has culminated in violence and mass detentions in several cities, with police crushing demonstrations by opposition parties. The Kremlin-backed United Russia party is expected to select Putin as president, through May 2008 when term...

Bye Bye Belgium?

Jon Henley November 27, 2007
Belgium juggles cultural and linguistic differences – French, Dutch and German – through norms of cooperation and a complex system of federalism. Until recently, the country has stood as proof that polarized groups can live together in peace. The failure of Belgium’s politicians to form a national government for nearly six months – and counting – has many questioning whether the country can...

Vive La Vélorution

Manfred Dworschak November 13, 2007
Confronting astronomical gas costs and clogged city arteries, urban residents find a new way to get around. In exchange for little to no fee, they can temporarily rent a bicycle from stations scattered throughout the city and leave them at the destination. The system is wildly popular: For the rental program's first three months in Paris, Vélib provided more than six million rides. Cities...

Sarkozy, The Ambivalent Globalizer

Jonathan Fenby November 9, 2007
When Nicolas Sarkozy was elected president of France, there was talk of a big rupture with the past and France’s full embrace of globalization and American-style capitalism. That stance is about to be tested. He has taken on the powerful public-service unions, cut taxes for the rich and tackled France’s convention of a 35-hour workweek. Yet this Gaullist politician is none too fond of...

Kosovo’s Independence Could Mean a New Conflict

Humphrey Hawksley November 5, 2007
After World War II, Kosovo became a province of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Kosovo, with its majority of ethnic Albanians, enjoyed near-autonomy until 1989 and the oppressive rule of Slobodan Milosevic. The Albanians resisted throughout the 1990s, atrocities ensued, leading finally to intervention by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1999. Yugoslavia splintered...

Dare to Compare?

Kathy Tzilivakis November 2, 2007
The nations of Europe offer a mixed bag when it comes to welcoming immigrants, according to a study from the British Council and the Migration Policy Group, a Brussels-based think tank, partially funded by the European Commission. The Migrant Integration Policy Index assesses countries based on labor-market access, family reunification, long-term residence, political participation, access to...