COMMENTARIES
COMMENTARIES
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The New French Fashion in Civil Rights
Ian Buruma Series: Crossing Cultures 2010-02-08The French parliament wants to ban Muslim women from wearing the burqa – the full, face-covering garment worn by some orthodox believers – in public places. But, while no woman should be forced to cover herself up, nor, in a pluralist society, should anyone be forced not to.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 1074
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The Euro’s Final Countdown?
Sylvester Eijffinger and Edin Mujagic Series: European Economies 2010-02-08
The introduction of the euro in 1999, it was claimed, would narrow the economic differences between the member countries of the monetary union. After the common currency’s first decade, however, increased divergence, rather than rapid convergence, has become the norm within the euro area, and tensions can be expected to increase further.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 2122
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Chile Stays the Course
Carlos Gervasoni Series: Latin America 2010-02-08When Sebastián Piñera – the moderately conservative tycoon who was recently elected president – takes office on March 11, Chile will experience what some political scientists consider a watershed in every successful transition to democracy: the rotation of power among political parties. But, in substantive terms, Piñera represents continuity more than he does change.... read Comments: 1 Recommended: 0 Read: 763
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No Time to Put Climate Science on Ice
Achim Steiner Series: Earth in the Balance 2010-02-05
The science of climate change has been on the defensive in recent weeks, owing to an error that dramatically overstated the rate at which the Himalayan glaciers could disappear. With some strident voices even dismissing climate change as a hoax on a par with the Y2K computer bug, the time has come for a reality check.... read Comments: 1 Recommended: 1 Read: 1386
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Muddling Out of Freefall
Joseph E. Stiglitz Series: Unconventional Economic Wisdom 2010-02-05Barack Obama wanted to bridge the divides among Americans that George W. Bush had opened. But now those divides are wider than ever, and Obama's attempts to please everyone, so evident in the last few weeks, are likely to mollify no one.... read Comments: 4 Recommended: 1 Read: 6171
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The Politics of Cosmic Catastrophe
Richard Weitz Series: Science and Society 2010-02-05
One weighty decision that the world will need to make in 2010 is whether to support an idea raised by Anatoly Perminov, the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, to launch an unmanned mission to redirect a large asteroid that might collide with the earth after 2030. But who decides, and how?... read Comments: 1 Recommended: 1 Read: 1828
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Turkey to the EU’s Rescue
Jean-Pierre Lehmann Series: Europe at Home and Abroad 2010-02-04The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference was an unmitigated disaster for the EU, exposing its marginalization on the world stage. But there is one thing that could revive the EU, give it much enhanced global respectability, and make it an “interesting” place, as well as ensure a return to the international limelight: Turkey’s admission as a full member.... read Comments: 2 Recommended: 1 Read: 2410
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Can Greece Avoid the Lion?
Kenneth Rogoff Series: The Unbound Economy 2010-02-03
Even as the EU and the IMF lay the groundwork for a giant first-round bailout, debate is swirling about whether Greece can avoid sovereign default. The problem is not only the numbers, but also credibility: thanks to decades of low investment in statistical capacity, no one trusts the Greek government’s figures, and Greece’s default history hardly inspires confidence.... read Comments: 2 Recommended: 0 Read: 7851
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Why an American Recovery Matters
Michael Spence Series: The New Wealth of Nations 2010-02-03It is a difficult moment to be optimistic about the future of the world economy. A policy agenda in the US that is overloaded, largely domestically focused, and partially paralyzed will mean a lack of attention to global issues that require cooperation and compromise, including the international dimensions of financial reform. ... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 1 Read: 4455
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Iran’s Revolutionary Echoes
Said Amir Arjomand Series: Islam 2010-02-02
Iran’s continued unrest, now extending through the 30th anniversary of the revolution that toppled the Shah, raises the question of whether the Islamic Republic is about to fall. As in 1979, millions of Iranians have taken to the streets, and the divide between Iran’s society and its government is much greater today than it was under the Shah 30 years ago. ... read Comments: 1 Recommended: 0 Read: 2287
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Europe’s Ukrainian Linchpin
Joschka Fischer Series: The Rebel Realist 2010-02-02Frustrated by immobilism and corruption, Europe has turned away from Ukraine – a stance that could turn out to be a significant mistake. After all, Europe and Russia meet in Ukraine, and its fate will not only be a crucial factor in defining European security, but will also play a substantial role in future European-Russian relations.... read Comments: 5 Recommended: 0 Read: 2216
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Ukrainian Democracy and Its Cynics
Nina L. Khrushcheva Series: The World in Words 2010-02-02
Because Ukraine's Orange Revolution in 2004 turned out to be a seeming unending series of disappointments, most Western leaders are acting as if it makes no difference whether Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko or her rival, Viktor Yanukovich, wins on February 7. They are wrong: a victory for Yanukovich now may be the last free vote Ukraine sees for a long time.... read Comments: 9 Recommended: 1 Read: 3087
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The Treason of the Magistrates
Guy Sorman Series: The World in Words 2010-02-02Justice in democratic countries is supposed to be independent, but some prosecutors and investigating magistrates conveniently forget this. Indeed many among them are deeply enmeshed in politics, pursuing agendas – and vendettas – of their own. ... read Comments: 2 Recommended: 1 Read: 2486
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Japan’s Secret Shogun
Masahiro Matsumura Series: The Asian Century 2010-02-01
With the post-general election honeymoon over, the Japanese public has become increasingly aware that Ichiro Ozawa, Secretary-General of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, is the puppet-master of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s cabinet. Ozawa's role underscores how much the DPJ has in common with its predecessor in government, the Liberal Democratic Party.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 2014
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Debating Defense
Giles Merritt, Robin Niblett and Narcis Serra Series: Europe at Home and Abroad 2010-02-01A dozen international think tanks are organizing a worldwide on-line debate, to be held from February 4-9, in association with NATO, the European Commission, and several governments. Anyone may log on and participate, because without popular engagement, security will remain undefined, and the important reforms that are needed will lack political legitimacy.... read Comments: 0 Recommended: 0 Read: 1405
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