Hearts, minds and Mecca

The Economist January 7, 2010 WHEN news emerged of the life-story of the Nigerian who tried to blow up a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day, there were cries of bewilderment in some quarters, groans of dismay in others, and shouts of “I told you so” from a small army of Cassandras. more

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Another war president, after all

The Economist January 7, 2010 “YOU may not be interested in war”, Leon Trotsky is alleged to have said, “but war is interested in you.” On Christmas Eve Barack Obama embarked on a delayed holiday in Hawaii, having lingered to watch the Senate pass its health bill. But thanks to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s bungled Christmas-Day […]

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Sobering up on Arab-Israeli Peace

Foreign Policy January 7, 2010 Almost a year into his presidency, Barack Obama has begun to sober up. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the administration’s policy on the Arab-Israeli issue, where a series of tactical mistakes (none fatal) have left the president and his team battered but wiser when it comes to what’s […]

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