The Week: Most Recent News & Opinion:World News

China's economic growing pains

The Week — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:50:00 -0600

What's wrong with China?
It's struggling to cope with the consequences of its own rapid economic growth. China's economy grew at a red-hot rate of 10 percent a year for the last decade, making the country as a whole much more affluent. But the growth has been very unevenly spread over the vast population of 1.3 billion, causing bitterness and discord. The economic boom has created a new and very visible wealthy class of top government officials and private-business owners, including more than 500,000 millionaires who travel abroad, drive Mercedes-Benzes and Rolls-Royces, and adorn their wrists with...

10 things you need to know today: February 10, 2012

The Week — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:30:00 -0600

1. ROMNEY TRIES FOR A CPAC COMEBACK
Following Rick Santorum's three-state victory on Tuesday, Mitt Romney is trying to "reconnect" with the GOP base at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., where he'll try to convince skeptics on the Right that he should be their presidential nominee. The former Massachusetts governor is set to deliver a speech at CPAC on Friday, where, he says, he'll reassure voters of his commitment to conservative issues and ideology. [New York Times]

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Wikileaks: Does Bradley Manning deserve a Nobel Peace Prize?

The Week — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:10:00 -0600

Three members of the Icelandic parliament have nominated accused WikiLeaks informant Army Pfc. Bradley Manning for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize. Manning allegedly put 250,000 Department of State diplomatic cables, Department of Defense gun camera videos, and other classified documents onto CD-RWs, and sent them to WikiLeaks, which posted them online for all to see. The Icelandic politicians say Manning, who is being court-martialed for aiding the enemy, did the world a favor by exposing America's "long history of corruption, war crimes, and imperialism." Does Manning really deserve a medal?

Manning...

10 things you need to know today: February 9, 2012

The Week — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:30:00 -0600

1. VIOLENCE ESCALATES IN SYRIA
Syrian forces continue to bombard the opposition in the city of Homs, while world leaders debate how best to help rebel forces and civilians. In the last week, Homs residents and activists say hundreds have been killed as President Bashar al-Assad tries to stamp out the country's pro-democracy uprising with military force. [Reuters]

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Could Vladimir Putin really face a 'Russian Spring'?

The Week — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:51:00 -0600

In the largest protests Russia has seen since the fall of the Soviet Union, tens of thousands of people flooded Moscow's streets in recent days demanding fair elections and the end of Vladimir Putin's "corrupt" government. Putin was president from 2000 to 2008. Barred from a third consecutive term, he has spent the last four years serving as prime minister while his hand-picked successor, Dmitry Medvedev, held the presidency. Putin is widely expected to reclaim the presidency in March elections, a scenario which one opposition leader warns could trigger "Russian Spring" protests. Is that realistic...

10 things you need to know today: February 8, 2012

The Week — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:30:00 -0600

1. SANTORUM TRIUMPHS IN 3 STATES
On Tuesday, Rick Santorum won the Colorado and Minnesota caucuses and a nonbonding primary in Missouri, throwing yet another wrench into the volatile GOP primaries. Santorum's sweep, his first victories since he won the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3, casts fresh doubt on frontrunner Mitt Romney's widespread appeal and Newt Gingrich's status as the leading conservative non-Romney alternative. [The New York Times]

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Can America's relationship with Egypt be saved?

The Week — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:55:00 -0600

Tensions between the U.S. and Egypt's provisional military rulers went from bad to worse this week. Egyptian leaders, including newly elected Islamist lawmakers, refused to back down on their decision to arrest 19 Americans and 24 other nongovernmental organization workers accused of aiding violent protests. In response, Washington threatened to cut off $1.5 billion in annual aid to Egypt, arguing that Cairo was launching an illegitimate crackdown on foreign groups that are only trying to promote democracy. Should the U.S. forget about repairing the alliance it had with Egypt for decades under...

Ousting Syria's Assad: Whose responsibility is it?

The Week — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:14:00 -0600

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday, and urged Assad to restore peace in his violence-torn country. Assad reportedly said he wants to see an end to the violence plaguing his country, too, but his forces nonetheless continued their deadly bombardment of the rebel stronghold of Homs. Lavrov's visit came as Russia faces bitter criticism from the West for vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Assad. As violence rages in Syria, the world is increasingly united behind the idea that it's time for Assad to go &mdash...

The brewing proxy war in Syria

The Week — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:55:00 -0600

In recent days, Western governments have loudly expressed outrage over the Russian and Chinese vetoes of a U.N. resolution condemning the Syrian government for its crimes and calling on President Bashar al-Assad to step aside. But this reaction has obscured the symbolic nature of the resolution, and distracted attention from the unwillingness on the part of all members of the Security Council to intervene more directly in Syria. The root of Western outrage over the double-veto was the watered-down nature of the resolution, which, in a bid to broaden support, explicitly ruled out regime change and...

Closing the U.S. embassy in Syria: Will it help?

The Week — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:25:00 -0600

On Monday, as the Syrian military unleashed an unprecedented heavy artillery bombardment on the rebel stronghold of Homs, the Obama administration closed the U.S. Embassy in Damascus. The departure of Ambassador Robert Ford and all other U.S. diplomats comes two weeks after Washington warned the government of Bashar al-Assad that the U.S. would pull out unless Syria stepped up security around the embassy, and just two two days after Russia and China vetoed a U.N. resolution condemning Assad. How will the Obama administration's decision affect its effort to compel Assad to make way for democratic...

Queen Elizabeth's diamond anniversary: By the numbers

The Week — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:25:00 -0600

On Monday, Queen Elizabeth II marked the 60th anniversary of her accession to the British throne by watching schoolchildren in an eastern England town perform a play in her honor. The U.K. will also host a glitzy, days-long Diamond Jubilee in June to more formally and lavishly honor the Queen. In the meantime, here's a statistical look back at her six-decade reign:

25
Elizabeth's age when she became queen

85
Her current age

12
British prime ministers during Elizabeth's reign

12
U.S. presidents during Elizabeth's reign

6
Popes during her reign

30
Corgis Elizabeth has owned during her reign. Currently, she has...

Would Israel attack Iran without U.S. approval?

The Week — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:29:00 -0600

Israeli leaders are delivering their "bluntest warnings" yet of possible airstrikes to disable Iran's nuclear program, something the U.S. and other Western leaders fear would uncork dangerous turmoil in the Middle East. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak says time is running out to rein in Iran before it acquires nuclear weapons (although Tehran insists it only wants to produce nuclear energy). Leaders in the U.S. and Europe are hoping to push Iran to the negotiating table with a potentially devastating embargo on Iranian oil, though Israel appears unappeased. Despite President Obama's assurances...

Why Russia won't take a stand against Syria: 4 theories

The Week — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:53:00 -0600

Just as Syria stepped up shelling on the rebel stronghold of Homs, Russia and China outraged the West over the weekend by vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for its deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters. Russia and China called the proposal "unbalanced," arguing that it focused solely on Assad without targeting armed opposition groups. Moscow maintains that it wants to promote stability and democratic reform, and will dispatch Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to meet with Assad this week. Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador...

The man who stole a glacier... to make cocktails?

The Week — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:30:00 -0600

Finally, a case where environmentalists and climate change skeptics can agree that human activity is to blame for retreating glaciers. Chilean authorities have charged a man with transporting 11,453 pounds of ice stolen from a glacier in the country's Bernardo O'Higgins National Park. The chunks of ancient ice were allegedly bound for sale in the capital city, Santiago. Here, a brief guide to this chilling caper:

Why would people want ice from a glacier?
The man was allegedly part of a group planning to sell the ice to trendy bars and restaurants hoping to offer their customers cocktails chilled...

Europe's unrelenting deep freeze: By the numbers

The Week — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:31:00 -0600

While many parts of North America enjoy an unusually balmy winter, a deadly weeklong blast of frigid Siberian air has swept across Eastern Europe, trapping thousands of people in their homes. Emergency crews are struggling to clear snow and deliver badly needed supplies, as the death toll rises and weather forecasters warn that temperatures could plunge further in some areas early next week. Here, a look at the bitter freeze, by the numbers:

250
Death toll as of Friday morning, up from 114 the night before

1,248
Patients admitted to hospitals for hypothermia and frostbite in the Ukraine, where the...

Dissecting the Mayan apocalypse

The Week — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:25:00 -0600

Who were the Mayans?
The Mayan civilization dates back to 2000 B.C., and extended through what is now southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and parts of Honduras. During the civilization's peak, from A.D. 300 to 900, the Mayans not only built towering temples and pyramids but also created elaborate astronomical maps and calendars and sophisticated mathematical systems. The civilization went into decline after 900, and its once-teeming cities were soon abandoned. Historians dispute why this happened; some say the Mayans were decimated by a 200-year drought, while others say they brought...