Qatar Punches above its Weight
“Qatar” is no household name. But that is changing. The current round of world trade talks is named for Qatar’s capital, Doha. The Al Jazeera television network is based there; so is the US military’s Middle Eastern command. Why is Qatar suddenly so hot? “…drivers...
What’s the Matter with Pakistan?
The 9/11 Commission Report identified three countries as the top concerns in the war on terror: Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. In theory, nuclear-armed Pakistan has been a US ally for decades. What’s the matter with Pakistan? “It is hard to overstate the...
Russia’s New Direction
Russia’s economy is booming and its debt rated investment grade. And yet, in the past week alone – a near-miss bank run, threats of bankruptcy for energy giant Yukos, and the editor of Forbes magazine’s Russia edition gunned down in an apparent contract hit. Where is...
The Russian Supertanker Turns on a Dime
Russia’s economy is booming and its debt rated investment grade. And yet, in the past week alone – a near-miss bank run, threats of bankruptcy for energy giant Yukos, and the editor of Forbes magazine’s Russia edition gunned down in an apparent contract hit. Where is...
Applauding Zimbabwe’s Implosion
President Robert Mugabe’s program of seizing white-owned farmland has brought Zimbabwe to the brink of famine but has genuine popular appeal in the region. Namibia has announced it will begin expropriating white-owned farms; South Africa is debating how to speed up...
Saudi Arabia’s Costly Stability
In the past two years Saudi Arabia has suffered a series of brutal terrorist attacks, most recently the beheading of an American. Growing alarm about the country’s stability is driving up oil prices. Is Saudi Arabia coming undone? “Saudi Arabia’s thirst for bootleg...
Sudan’s Ugly Politics
Just as a peace deal has been signed between Sudan’s north and south, a new civil war has erupted in the country’s west. One million people have been driven from their homes and face death from starvation and disease in what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian...
Is India’s Shine Gone? (Part Two)
Attempts by India’s governing party, the BJP, to play up the country’s recent economic success and take credit for it backfired spectacularly. India’s rural poor, it emerged, did not buy the success – much less give anyone credit. So the BJP is out and the Congress...
Is India’s Shine Gone? (Part One)
Attempts by India’s governing party, the BJP, to play up the country’s recent economic success and take credit for it backfired spectacularly. India’s rural poor, it emerged, did not buy the success – much less give anyone credit. So the BJP is out and the Congress...
China’s Crony Crisis
The hype on the Chinese market has reached deafening levels. “If you want to be the world leader in your industry, you must be the leader in China,” said G.E.’s Jack Welch. But a rising chorus of dissenters argue the country’s economy is headed for crisis. So which is...