Worldcrunch
Once the symbol of national unity, Cairo’s central square has become a mix of camped-out revolution holdouts and pent-up bursts of violence. Has this instantly iconic location too quickly lost its historical significance? Or does Tahrir just refl
In the Middle East, water is more than just a precious commodity — it’s a serious sticking point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After a French politician denounced Israel’s policy as “water apartheid,” a deeper l
Op-Ed: New measures have been announced in China to require authorities to inform families of anyone arrested. It is a small sign of progress, but caveats in the law mean that secret arrests are sure to continue. What is the regime afraid of?
Op-Ed: In its renewed push for sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, Argentina is making some major waves three decades after its disastrous 1982 invasion of the British territory. But if it wants something, Buenos Aires must offer benefits — or be prep
Analysis: With his victory on Sunday, Vladimir Putin returns to the Kremlin with a renewed mandate and promises of major reforms. But a growing mass of disaffected Russians may be bound to push the incoming president out of office no matter what he does.
Essay: Perhaps the closest historical comparison with recent worldwide social disaffection and civil unrest is in the lead-up to the mid-19th century revolutions that roiled the globe.
A rare visit to a location deep inside the tropical forest of Mahé, in the Seychelles archipelago, where a prison has been established to hold the captured Somali pirates wreaking havoc in the Indian Ocean. Once captured – and land-locked – the pirates ch
Some 65% of French people surveyed in a new Ipsos-Logica poll aren’t particularly interested in France’s presidential race. Still 78% still plan to vote, according to the poll that also found President Nicolas Sarkozy still trailing his Socialist party ch
Analysis: Though opponents are still questioning the legitimacy of Vladimir Putin’s win in Sunday’s presidential race, one Russian political observer charts the course of his sudden unpopularity last year to an election campaign that saw
Op-Ed: A few years ago, even if its people didn’t realize it at the time, Russia was poised for a new wave of civil action. Though Sunday’s elections may not bring new faces, the nation is forever changed.
Op-Ed: Blinded by its own visions of grandeur, Europe dropped the ball years ago and will make things worse by turning the keys to the empire over to Goldman Sachs-trained “experts” like Mario Monti and Lucas Papademos. Folks, we are witnessing a train wr
Analysis: Vladimir Putin remains the overwhelming favorite Sunday to return to the Kremlin as Russia’s president, following a term as prime minister. Still, with opposition to Putin growing, it was a memorable campaign — even before it began.
Authorities in Buenos Aires are recommending that Argentine firms stop buying British goods. That may be easier said than done. Though Argentina doesn’t buy much from the UK, the British products it does import are difficult to find elsewhere.
Analysis: The spectacle of Hong Kong reporters hounding candidates for upcoming elections has baffled some in China. Yet rabid reporters are a matter of neither conspiracies nor bling — just an important lesson for mainland Chinese about the basics of de
While commentators debate who stood to gain from an alleged plot to kill Putin just days before the presidential election, there is reputed evidence going back several months that might connect the dots.
The youngest in a crowded field of presidential contenders, labor activist Khaled Ali is also the last to announce his candidacy. Not that it was his fault. Until turning 40 this past Sunday, he wasn’t technically old enough to run for the country
Analysis: Neighbors in Europe worry that Germany is either acting too boldly, or not boldly enough. China’s Asian neighbors wonder about the emerging global giant’s long-term plans. Berlin and Beijing face a similar question: What to do
Often with multiple passports, the “foreign” vanguard in the battle for women’s rights in Libya must shift their attention from the evils of dictatorship to the risks of pious Islam.
On the 10th anniversary of the abduction of Ingrid Betancourt, the Marxist guerillas, although weakened militarily, continue to sow trouble in Colombia. They survive thanks to drug trafficking — and refuse the government’s conditions for negotiation.
Following the deaths Wednesday of two more journalists in Syria, veteran French war photographer Patrick Chauvel offers an inside look at the perils – and appeal – of covering the Arab Spring uprisings. In Syria, he says, the protesters “are like
The former head of Israel’s secretive Mossad, retired Gen. Meir Dagan, is surprisingly forthcoming when it comes to the subject of Iran. Dagan, now a consultant in Switzerland, thinks Israel would be stupid to attack.
Russian military helicopters are searching the mountains of Abkhazia, a break-away republic of Georgia, for suspects in a Wednesday ambush on Abkhazian President Alexander Ankvab. The leader survived the attack. Two of his bodyguards did not. Could Moscow
Russia won’t be joining the “Friends of Syria” group for its upcoming summit in Tunisia. Why? Because Moscow sees it as a repeat of the ‘Contact Group on Libya,’ which helped lay the groundwork for foreign military intervention.
As Libya marks the first anniversary of the Benghazi uprising, revelers in Tripoli find themselves in a state of limbo – happy to be free from Muammar Gaddafi, confused by the sudden changes and uncertain about how reconciliation will play out.
As the Russian presidential elections approach, there is still little doubt Vladimir Putin will win. Billionaire and basketball team owner Mikhail Prokhorov, however, continues to keep his hat in the ring. Why? Russia’s Kommersant offers a few explanation
A mix of rapid reform, incalculable wealth and a pious Islamic tradition leaves the Gulf emirate sorting out an uncertain future.
Analysis: Trailing in the polls, French President Sarkozy is struggling to connect with voters the way he did on his way to victory five years ago. Can he tap into his core attributes, or will they wind up driving him to defeat?
Two countries, two revolutions. Yet as both Egypt and Libya transition into new realities, Egyptian workers face the old fact that there are still more jobs across the border. But for the thousands who fled the war that took down Muammar Gaddafi’
The euro zone countries and the IMF are now making it clear to Greece: bailout cash will only come after the kind of drastic reforms that would effectively transform Greek society. But are the measures too drastic to make it possible?
A devastating drought has only made matters worse for residents in the northwestern African nation of Mauritania, where Jihadist attacks and kidnappings attributed to Al Qaeda had already killed off the local tourism industry.
Analysis: Are the new sanctions against Iran just a prelude to war? Despite signs that the punitive measures may be working, Israel still seems gung-ho about attacking. The Jewish state doesn’t, however, have the support of Washington – yet.
How should the West face the rise of China? Culling some insight from a Chinese review of “Angst vor China” (Fear of China), the latest book by Germany’s best-known China expert.
Vladimir Putin is still the man to beat in Russia’s upcoming presidential election, thanks in large part to support from rural working-class voters. As urban protesters take to the streets, Putin heads off to chat up miners and laborers in far-off provinc
Analysis: Rumors have it that Lula is on the road to recovery following treatment for throat cancer. That’s particularly good news for Brazil’s governing PT and its political allies who have suffered without the powerful ex-president&
Seven years after Burundi’s civil war came to an end, Sylvère Ndayishimiye, a former child soldier forced into action by the rebel FNL army, is still trying to shake his memories of murder and mayhem. He made his first kill with a knife – straight to the
The 80-year-old former Soviet leader says Vladimir Putin’s best days are behind him. Putin, Russia’s current prime minister, is hoping to regain the presidency in next month’s election.
Op-Ed: The governing PAN made history last weekend by becoming the first major Mexican party to select a female presidential candidate. Although PAN trails in the polls, Josefina Vázquez Mota – a conservative deputy – could certainly shake things up ahead
The ebbs and flows of human migration include the moments when certain immigrants choose to return to their native land. Moncef Ghezal is set to go back to Tunisia after seven years of farm work in southern Italy. His story reflects big changes on both sh
In Moscow, thousands braved the cold Saturday in marches both for and against Vladimir Putin. Russia’s state-run TV channels made a point of downplaying the latter. Still, there are real signs of change in how the channels cover Russia’s growing
Analysis: A crackdown on anti-mining protestors and the recent appointment of a retired army man as prime minister have some observers warning that Peruvian President Ollanta Humala, who was elected on a progressive platform, is “militarizing” the governm