- A world in the balance , Paul Rogers
- The United Nations in trouble, Carne Ross
- What Obama means for Iraq, Zaid Al-Ali
- Russian view of Obama's Election ,
- Sarko: world leader, local problem , Patrice de Beer
- South Ossetia: aftermath of war, Tanya Lokshina
It can be useful at moments of transition to stand back from the flux of immediate events and try to identify wider patterns that can help make sense of them - and where they might be heading. The election victory of Barack Obama in the United States provides such an opportunity. This column outlines five principle areas of concern that the new president will inherit: Iraq, Afghanistan/Pakistan, the al-Qaida movement, tensions between the west and Russia, and the security implications of the... more »
The United Nations in trouble, Carne Ross
The financial crisis has triggered calls for renovation if not replacement of the world's outdated financial institutions. But there is another crisis - where the damage is measured in terms of real blood shed, not dollars or mortgages lost - that shouts out the need for change: this time at the United Nations, the world body charged with international peace and security.
Carne Ross served in the United Kingdom mission to the United Nations from 1998-2002. After resigning from the... more »
What Obama means for Iraq, Zaid Al-Ali
Barack Obama's victory in the election for the next president of the United States on 4 November 2008 was an undeniable symbol of progress for the entire world, including for the middle east. For months, as the opinion-polls fluctuated and Obama gradually established a perceptible lead, Arab policy- makers as well as the general public refused to believe that a man of African descent could rise to the presidency of the most powerful nation on earth. Such a sentiment in part reflected... more »
Russian view of Obama's Election ,
The results of the US presidential elections always draw worldwide attention. This time it was positive. There was none of the usual resentment of the fact that the president of a country which in many respects determines the way the world is run is only elected by the population of that country. American sympathies clearly coincided with those of people in most other countries.
The mass antipathy aroused by the current president has bred an expectation of change from a candidate who... more »
Sarko: world leader, local problem , Patrice de Beer
France's president is a man who relishes crises. As he hops from one to another, from the Russian invasion of Georgia to the financial hurricane, Nicolas Sarkozy thrives in the self-image of "crisis-manager-in-chief" - and strives to make others perceive the halo. It helps that he can - at least until the last day of 2008 - include the "presidency" of the European Union in his portfolio.
Patrice de Beer is former London and Washington correspondent for Le Monde ... more »
South Ossetia: aftermath of war, Tanya Lokshina
In the first week of September, a cherry tree was blossoming in the ruins of Thalmann Street. Cherry trees never flower in autumn except after a war. This street in the old Jewish quarter of Tskhinvali, long deserted by the Jewish community, was almost totally destroyed during Georgia's brief but intense offensive on the South Ossetian capital. I'm staying with a friend in the one house which escaped destruction by shelling and artillery. There is no glass in the windows and the roof... more »
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