Global Agenda articles from December 2006

Global Agenda archives from December 2006

Start me up; A Silicon Valley diary; Webbed, wired and wickied.
December 1, 2006... Our West Coast correspondent thinks outside the inbox Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday Friday INSTEAD of Monday, Friday is usually the first day of my work week. Today the current issue of The Economist appears on...

Restoring the shine; America's capital markets; A new report suggests ways to keep America as the world's leading market for capital.
December 1, 2006... How to keep America as the leading market for capital NEW YORKERS are no strangers to anxiety, but recently the city's moneymen have come close to hyperventilating. A shrinking lead over other financial centres, especially London and Hong...

Argentum argumentum; The next asbestos? America worries about silver additives.
December 1, 2006... The dulling of nanotech's silver lining BEFORE there were antibiotics, doctors used silver in various forms to kill germs. Newborn babies had drops of silver nitrate popped in their eyes to prevent bacterial infections from turning them...

In NATO, but still nervous; The Baltic states are still nervous about Russia; Although the Baltic states are in NATO, they still worry about Russia.
December 1, 2006... The Baltic states still worry about their big neighbour The holding of the NATO summit in Riga on November 28th-29th emphasises that the Baltic states are now firmly part of the Euro-Atlantic community. However, for these countries,...

The Chavez machine rolls on; Venezuela's presidential election; A revived opposition faces a popular president armed with almost limitless oil money and several built-in advantages.
December 1, 2006... A popular president faces a revived opposition HUGO CHAVEZ seems assured of winning a further six-year term as Venezuela's president. In the run up to elections on Sunday December 3rd, most opinion polls give the former army officer turned...

When push comes to shove; The dramas of Russian life; A week in the winter of our Moscow correspondent.
December 4, 2006... A week in the winter of our Moscow correspondent Monday EIGHTEENTH-century England found the denouement of Shakespeare's "King Lear" too bleak, preferring a silly adaptation with a bogus happy ending. For 21st-century Moscow the...

Wobbling, not collapsing; America's wobbly housing market; The housing market is weak, but it has not collapsed.
December 4, 2006... Construction drops again, but it is not all doom and gloom WOE unto the housing market. That is what many economists have been preaching for over a year. American housing prices have long marched upwards at a remarkable pace, particularly...

Uneasy empire; Dutch courage; A masterpiece by Jan van der Heyden.
December 4, 2006... Jan van der Heyden and the mystery of being Dutch THE man at the centre of Jan van der Heyden's "Amsterdam: View of the Sint Antoniespoort" may have his back to you, but there is no doubting his importance. His shoes have bows on them, his...

How to value a grandchild; Economists argue over climate change; How much is a future benefit worth today?
December 4, 2006... First, choose your discount rate ONE month after Sir Nicholas Stern published his review of the economics of climate change, his peers have had time to say what they think of his work. And the answer, it seems, is: not a lot. Sir...

India's blossoming economy; Is India's economy overheating? India's economy is blossoming, but there are fears of tough times ahead.
December 4, 2006... But there are fears of tough times ahead The acceleration of economic growth in India recently has generated upbeat assessments that Asia's other giant is finally becoming as dynamic as China, but also warnings that the economy is...

Blair's nuclear plans.
December 4, 2006... Britain will renew its nuclear arsenal DURING the cold war, Tony Blair was a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), a group calling for Britain unilaterally to give up nuclear weapons. Today, though the Communist peril is...

In Hugo's hands; Hugo Chavez wins again; Power in Venezuela is increasingly in the hands of one man.
December 4, 2006... Another triumph for Hugo Chavez in Venezuela probably means more concentration of power WHEN Hugo Chavez first took office as president of Venezuela, in 1999, he made no mention of socialism. But as he celebrated another crushing victory...

Of secrets and snafus; The dramas of Russian life; A week in the winter of our Moscow correspondent.
December 5, 2006... Monday | Tuesday | A week in the winter of our Moscow correspondent Tuesday I WAS interviewed on a London radio station the other day and asked about the mood in Moscow over the Litvinenko affair, a thrilling (for the British...

Blair's nuclear plans.
December 5, 2006... Britain will renew its nuclear arsenal DURING the cold war, Tony Blair was a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), a group calling for Britain unilaterally to give up nuclear weapons. Today, though the Communist peril is...

In Hugo's hands; Hugo Chavez wins again; Power in Venezuela is increasingly in the hands of one man.
December 5, 2006... A greater concentration of power for the president WHEN Hugo Chavez first took office as president of Venezuela, in 1999, he made no mention of socialism. But as he celebrated another crushing victory in reasonably fair presidential...

Pfaltering; Faltering Pfizer; One drug company's woes hold lessons for the whole industry.
December 5, 2006... The drugs industry shares many of Pfizer's problems JEFRREY KINDLER promised a new mood of speed and decisiveness when he took over as boss of Pfizer in July this year. He may regret that he had the opportunity to demonstrate his resolve so...

When the drugs don't work; Pfizer takes a hit; And that's how the free market works.
December 5, 2006... Pfizer gives a lesson in risk and reward NET profits exceeding $8 billion last year, and $3 billion in the latest quarter alone, are not usually an indicator of a firm in serious trouble. Yet things are going from bad to worse at Pfizer,...

Gridlock in Lebanon.
December 5, 2006... Can the prime minister face down mass protests? The decision of Hizbullah's leader, Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, to deploy his ultimate political weapon, in the form of a permanent protest demonstration in the wide-open spaces of Beirut's...

Pawns on the ground; Dutch soldiers deserve no medals for Srebrenica; Dutch soldiers deserve no medals for their failure to stop the Srebrenica massacre.
December 5, 2006... Dutch peacekeepers may not deserve blame for the 1995 massacre in Srebrenica. But nor do they deserve medals IT SEEMS a provocative, even callous, thing to do. This week the Dutch government awarded medals to soldiers who had failed, in...

Captivated by the Caucasus; The dramas of Russian life; A week in the winter of our Moscow correspondent.
December 6, 2006... Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday A week in the winter of our Moscow correspondent Wednesday I AM receiving letters about an article I wrote a few weeks ago from Armenia, the smallest, poorest, most accursed country in the Caucasus....

Getting away with murder; North Korea and Myanmar; Pariah countries think alike.
December 6, 2006... How Myanmar and North Korea do it IF THERE were a club for pariah regimes, those of North Korea and Myanmar would be founder members. As it is, it is tempting to ask if they have some secret channel for exchanging notes on how dirt-poor,...

Seeking a graceful exit; Seeking a graceful exit from Iraq; The Iraq Study Group issues its report.
December 6, 2006... The Iraq Study Group reportedly calls for American troops to withdraw from combat operations in Iraq and for new diplomatic efforts in the Middle East THE 9/11 Commission set the standard, in recent memory, for a group of grandees advising...

Here we go again; Another coup in Fiji; Fiji has suffered its fourth coup since 1987.
December 6, 2006... Fiji suffers its fourth coup in two decades Fiji has suffered its fourth coup since 1987. On December 5th the head of Fiji's armed forces, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, made good on his recent threat to remove the democratically elected...

Home is where the hearth is; The dramas of Russian life; A week in the winter of our Moscow correspondent.
December 7, 2006... Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday A week in the winter of our Moscow correspondent Thursday THE phoney war continues in Moscow. There has still been almost no snow. When the temperature dropped sharply in October I thought I...

Managing defeat.
December 7, 2006... The Baker-Hamilton report provides bipartisan cover for withdrawal from Iraq AT LONG last, Washington has emerged from its state of denial and is embroiled in the mother of all debates over what to do about Iraq. For the past three years,...

Seeking a graceful exit; Seeking a graceful exit from Iraq; The Iraq Study Group issues its report.
December 7, 2006... The Iraq Study Group calls for American troops to withdraw from combat operations in Iraq and for new diplomatic efforts in the Middle East THE 9/11 Commission set the standard, in recent memory, for a group of grandees advising a...

The fog of the "new cold war"; Russia and the West; A cold peace, if not a cold war.
December 7, 2006... And guess who's winning, so far LIKE analogies involving the second world war, the "new cold war" is not a phrase to use lightly. Or maybe at all. Russia is not now seeking military domination of Europe. It is not a one-party state....

Rates up, again; The ECB raises rates again; Interest rates rise again in Europe.
December 7, 2006... The European Central Bank raises interest rates to 3.5%, as the euro continues to nudge up against the dollar THE euro is on the rise, and it's a safe bet that Europe's central bankers are getting itchy. When the European currency rose...

A "con-ass" controversy; Constitutional reform in the Philippines; Efforts to reform the constitution in the Philippines could stir political unrest.
December 7, 2006... Efforts to reform the constitution in the Philippines could stir political unrest First there was "cha-cha", now the political buzzword in the Philippines is "con-ass". The term, short for "constituent assembly", is making headlines...

French collection.
December 8, 2006... Christie's sells 1,000 pieces of erotica ASSAILED on a daily basis by on-screen sexual imagery, it is hard for us to remember that for centuries erotic literature was produced as secret, often hand-written, drafts, its authors subject to...

Country pleasures; Pleasures and pains of Russian life; A week in the winter of our Moscow correspondent.
December 8, 2006... Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday A week in the winter of our Moscow correspondent Friday TOMORROW is my birthday, and we are going to our dacha to celebrate with some friends. Usually mistranslated as "country...

Too long a life; Too long a life, for Pinochet; Chile's former dictator may, or may not, be fatally ill. But most Chileans wish him gone.
December 8, 2006... Most Chileans want Augusto Pinochet out of the way WHEN Augusto Pinochet had what looked like a fatal heart attack earlier this week, many Chileans, even those who had supported his long dictatorship, thought it might be for the best. "It's...

Rates up, again; The ECB raises rates again; Interest rates rise again in Europe.
December 8, 2006... The ECB raises interest rates once more THE euro is on the rise, and it's a safe bet that Europe's central bankers are getting itchy. When the European currency rose against the dollar a couple of years ago Jean-Claude Trichet, the head of...

'Ere we go... English football for sale; More foreigners are buying top English football clubs.
December 8, 2006... More foreigners are buying English football clubs. A good reason to feel over the moon CRITICS of foreign takeovers of leading English football clubs can be found in some unlikely corners. Arsene Wenger, a Frenchman who manages Arsenal, a...

Getting the picture; Skype goes into video phones; And may soon own the market.
December 8, 2006... Video telephony becomes practical--and free YOU'RE going away on business and want to stay in touch with friends and family back home. Mobile phones, e-mail and instant messaging are all fine. But how much more heartening it would be if you...

Growing slower? Japan's plodding economy; GDP growth is revised down in Japan.
December 8, 2006... Less than encouraging data on Japan's economy Japan's third-quarter economic growth has been revised down, with official data now showing a fall in domestic demand in the three months to September. The new figures (which also include major...

'Ere we go... English football for sale; More foreigners are buying top English football clubs.
December 10, 2006... More foreigners are buying English clubs CRITICS of foreign takeovers of leading English football clubs can be found in some unlikely corners. Arsene Wenger, a Frenchman who manages Arsenal, a big London club, has said he worries that an...

Adios Pinochet.
December 11, 2006... The old dictator is dead. Few will mourn WHEN Augusto Pinochet had what looked like a fatal heart attack early in December, many Chileans, even those who had supported his long dictatorship, thought it might be for the best. "It's high...

A remarkable plot; The Litvinenko affair is not fading away; Assessing the fallout from the Litvinenko murder.
December 11, 2006... Assessing the fallout from the Litvinenko affair THE Russian community in London has until recently been regarded by the natives with wry amusement. The exiled tycoons and billionaire tax refugees at its centre have boosted the price of...

Waste and taste; How countries dispose of rubbish; Some burn, some dump, some recycle.
December 11, 2006... The rubbish tip as cultural artefact FRESH Kills landfill in New York, until recently the biggest rubbish tip on earth, was said to be one of the very few man-made objects visible from space, along with the Great Wall of China. Of the two,...

Unfamiliar falsehoods; Cuban diary; In the twilight of Fidel Castro.
December 11, 2006... Our correspondent explores the twilight of Castro's Cuba Monday I ONCE had a long argument with a colleague about modern advertising. I found its catchphrases empty and ugly. The suggestion that Nike might somehow help you "Do it",...

Taiwan's troubled politics; Taiwan's ruling party fights back; The embattled DPP, Taiwan's ruling party, gets a boost.
December 11, 2006... The embattled ruling party gets a boost The mayoral elections in Taipei and Kaohsiung--Taiwan's two biggest cities--on December 9th commanded almost as much attention as have national polls in recent years. On one level the results can be...

Unaccustomed as I am; Cuban diary; In the twilight of Fidel Castro.
December 12, 2006... Our correspondent explores the twilight of Castro's Cuba Monday | Tuesday Tuesday GUY comes home from work early. Walks upstairs, finds his wife, looking uncomfortable and sweaty, hiding beneath the sheets. He's suspicious, takes...

The branding of malaria; The fight against malaria; How governments and givers can work together.
December 12, 2006... A big opportunity for business-minded philanthropists THIS Thursday George and Laura Bush are due to host a most unusual product launch. The new brand to be unveiled with much fanfare at a White House summit is malaria―or, more...

Yet another problem in the Middle East; The lot of Arab women is not a happy one, says a UN report; A UN report says Arab women are suffering.
December 12, 2006... Arab women are suffering, says a UN report It is not an easy time to be an Arab criticising the Arab world on the international stage. The authors of the hard-hitting series of Arab Human Development Reports sponsored by the UNDP--a frank,...

Strong-arm tactics; Russia's clumsy handling of Shell; Is Russia becoming too risky for foreign investors?
December 12, 2006... Russia's bullying of Shell, over a huge gas project, shows it is becoming a riskier place to do business THE quest for oil demands flexibility when operating in harsh environments, and big companies are used to accommodating some unsavoury...

The isle is full of noises; Cuban diary; In the twilight of Fidel Castro.
December 13, 2006... Our correspondent enjoys the twilight of Castro's Cuba Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday Wednesday HOW does music jump the Muzak gap? Hearing a song for the first time can be magical; the second time better still; a few more listens...

Strong-arm tactics; Russia's clumsy handling of Shell; Is Russia becoming too risky for foreign investors?
December 13, 2006... The bullying of Shell over Sakhalin II does Russia few favours THE quest for oil demands flexibility when operating in harsh environments, and big companies are used to accommodating some unsavoury regimes. These days few places are tougher...

Nothing succeeds like succession; Asian monarchs; Some thrive, though history is against them.
December 13, 2006... The contrasting records of Asia's monarchs IN MALAYSIA uniquely, the job of king is shared around the heads of nine royal families, each of whom gets a five-year turn as Yang di-Pertuan Agong (supreme lord). On December 13th Sultan Mizan...

The turmoil continues; Three weeks into Lebanon's political crisis; Three weeks into Lebanon's political crisis.
December 13, 2006... The country risks becoming an arena for wider regional struggles between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and between America and Iran AS LEBANON'S political crisis enters its third week, a strange equilibrium has set in. Huge crowds continue to...

Reshuffle in Saudi Arabia.
December 13, 2006... The outgoing ambassador to America might become foreign minister The abrupt departure from Washington of Saudi Arabia's highly regarded ambassador, Prince Turki al-Faisal, has been described by close associates as being related to family...

The alternative to war; Elections in Aceh boost peace in Indonesia; Aceh's elections represent a landmark for the peace process.
December 13, 2006... A landmark in the peace process INDONESIA'S province of Aceh, once a byword for the intractability of conflict, is witnessing one of the world's most successful peace processes. That process passed an important milestone on December 11th,...

One country, two systems; Cuban diary; In the twilight of Fidel Castro.
December 14, 2006... Our correspondent enjoys the twilight of Castro's Cuba Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday Thursday PARIS and Havana have at least one thing in common. In both cities the places Ernest Hemingway used to frequent are mobbed by...

The turmoil continues; Three weeks into Lebanon's political crisis; Three weeks into Lebanon's political crisis.
December 14, 2006... Lebanon risks becoming an arena for wider struggles AS LEBANON'S political crisis enters its third week, a strange equilibrium has set in. Huge crowds continue to gather daily in Beirut's swanky downtown to demand the resignation of the...

An excess of conscience; Amnesty takes on Estonia; Estonia is right and Amnesty is wrong.
December 14, 2006... Estonia is right and Amnesty is wrong AMNESTY International used to be an impartial and apolitical outfit, focused on the single burning issue of political prisoners. Your correspondent remembers its admirable letter-writing campaigns...

Turkey stuffed; Turkey stuffed in its EU talks; EU leaders have enough of Turkey, for now.
December 14, 2006... EU leaders discuss enlargement, but shun Turkey MOST European Union summits are family gatherings. They are a bit bad-tempered sometimes, of interest to family members, certainly, but not usually of much concern to anyone else. This one may...

A little bit better off; Circumcision and AIDS; More evidence that circumcision can slow the spread of HIV.
December 14, 2006... More evidence that circumcision can slow the spread of HIV EVERY body part is there for a purpose, so it is not usually a good idea to remove one of them if it is healthy. But the results of two trials, announced on Wednesday December 13th,...

In the balance? A stroke, and the Senate shudders; If a Democratic senator were to die, the party would lose control of the Senate.
December 14, 2006... A Democratic senator suffers a stroke, startling Washington. If he were to die, the Democrats might lose control of the Senate HOW much does it matter that Tim Johnson, a Democratic senator, was admitted to hospital on Wednesday December...

Now we make politics; Cuban diary; In the twilight of Fidel Castro.(City overview)
December 15, 2006... Our correspondent enjoys the twilight of Castro's Cuba Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday Friday USUALLY a policeman sitting in the back of my car would make me nervous. Two of them doubly so. But not this time....

It's good to talk; What did the US-China talks achieve? Warm discussions but little hope of a strengthening yuan.
December 15, 2006... America still worries about China's weak yuan IN SEPTEMBER, Henry Paulson, America's treasury secretary, emerged from a meeting with Wu Yi, the vice-premier who negotiated China's entry into the World Trade Organisation, to announce that...

In the balance? A stroke, and the Senate shudders; If a Democratic senator were to die, the party would lose control of the Senate.
December 15, 2006... If a senator dies, the Democrats lose control of the Senate HOW much does it matter that Tim Johnson, a Democratic senator, was admitted to hospital on Wednesday December 13th after suffering a stroke? Perhaps a great deal. Before and after...

As good as it gets; Digital cameras; The technical limits to quality.
December 15, 2006... Nikon's new camera favours quality over quantity SOMETHING interesting is stirring the pixelated world of digital photography. One of Japan's most respected camera companies is challenging the trend to cram ever more pixels on to each new...

Blair's rotten week; Tony Blair's rotten week; Might one foreign policy initiative distract from two corruption stories?
December 15, 2006... Tony Blair wants to be remembered for more than going to war in Iraq and refining the art of political "spin" IT SEEMS that Tony Blair still hopes to leave office, some time next year, commanding the admiration of a sizeable number of his...

Africa's economy.
December 15, 2006... It should do well next year, if commodity prices stay high The African economy is set for a fourth consecutive year of above-average growth, according to the World Bank's 2007 Global Economic Prospects, released on December 13th....

Farewell Annan; Kofi Annan heads for the exit; The UN secretary-general prepares to leave office.
December 18, 2006... Kofi Annan's UN leadership comes to an end. It was marked by his wish to protect civilians from horrors, and by a difficult relationship with America WHATEVER disadvantages Ban Ki-moon brings with him as he takes his seat as the eighth...

A rotten week; Tony Blair's rotten week; Might one foreign policy initiative distract from two corruption stories?
December 18, 2006... Mr Blair hopes his Middle East trip will distract critics at home IT SEEMS that Tony Blair still hopes to leave office, some time next year, commanding the admiration of a sizeable number of his countrymen. He is well aware that the British...

Sotheby's in the spotlight; A great Rembrandt for sale; Sotheby's hopes to keep its edge.
December 18, 2006... A great Rembrandt goes to auction ASK either of the two auction giants which of them is best as selling Old Master paintings, and you can be pretty sure they will puff out their chests, stick their thumbs under their braces and announce:...

Comrade Climate-change; Winners and losers from climate change; Russia wins, most others lose.
December 18, 2006... Global warming is good for Russia SOME consequences of global warming are unambiguously bad. Rising sea levels can't do anybody any good. Nor can higher temperatures in hotter bits of the world. But the warming of the Arctic is not quite...

Tiger-hunting in Bangalore; An Indian diary; The tech tigers of Bangalore.
December 18, 2006... Our American business editor fears for his job Monday I RETURN to Bangalore after three years expecting much to have changed. Even so, it is a surprise to find the place has a new name. City leaders want it called "Bengalooru", a...

In a bear hug.
December 18, 2006... Belarus will suffer as Russia raises gas prices Belarus, for so long the recipient of Russian largesse on gas pricing, is under intense pressure to pay much more for its gas from 2007 and to surrender control over its energy industry....

Farewell Annan; Kofi Annan heads for the exit; The UN secretary-general prepares to leave office.
December 19, 2006... Kofi Annan's UN leadership comes to an end WHATEVER disadvantages Ban Ki-moon brings with him as he takes his seat as the eighth secretary-general at the UN on January 1st, he at least lacks the baggage that burdened the man heading out of...

Tiger-hunting in Bangalore; An Indian diary; The tech tigers of Bangalore.
December 19, 2006... Our American business editor is closed down abruptly Monday | Tuesday Tuesday A BOOZY Bangalore night out with two prosperous young professionals who are among the thousands of visible winners from India's technology boom. First,...

E Pluribus Unum; Empires by other names; Private equity firms may be the new conglomerates.
December 19, 2006... Private equity firms may be the new conglomerates ARE private-equity firms the new conglomerates? The two look more and more alike. The dozen or so top private-equity firms have taken positions in an extraordinarily diverse range of...

The spectre of civil war; The spectre of civil war in Palestine; The Palestinian president's call for early elections may spark a bloody showdown.
December 19, 2006... Fears of a bloody showdown among Palestinians "THE Arab world's only true democracy," is how Palestinians are fond of calling their quasi-state. But its democratic credentials are being sorely tested. In an angry speech on December 16th,...

Japan's economy; Japan economy; The Bank of Japan keeps rates on hold.
December 19, 2006... Expect the Bank of Japan to raise rates in January The policy board of the Bank of Japan (BOJ, the central bank) voted unanimously at its meeting on December 19th to leave interest rates unchanged at 0.25%. In part the decision reflects...

Thai markets rout.
December 19, 2006... Thailand's curbs on currency speculators caused such a slump on its stockmarket, and jitters across Asia, that its authorities have been forced into an embarrassing climbdown FOR most of this year, South-East Asian countries have worried...

Upbeat in Udaipur; An Indian diary; The problems of success.
December 22, 2006... Our American business editor welcomes the weekend Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday Friday IN A film called "Octopussy", based on short stories by Ian Fleming, Roger Moore's James Bond enjoys nights of pleasure with...

Thai markets rout.
December 22, 2006... Thailand reverses clumsy efforts to curb speculators FOR most of this year, South-East Asian countries have worried that the strength of their currencies is making their exports pricey at a time when the economy of America, their biggest...

Exit the dragon; China updates its image; Learning from great powers down the ages.
December 22, 2006... A rising China debates its place in the world CHINA is changing fast, but its intellectual debates have much in common with those of the 19th century. Back then the elite argued endlessly about what made the West powerful and what a weak...

Coining it; Wall Street's bumper year; American investment banks are celebrating record profits.
December 22, 2006... American securities firms have had a bumper year IT HAS been a year to make even Croesus blush for the big Wall Street securities firms. Goldman Sachs, Bear Stearns, Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers have all announced record profits and...

Seeking the upper hand; Iran's reformists have a few reasons to cheer; Local elections give Iran's reformists something to cheer.
December 22, 2006... Local elections give Iran's reformists a few reasons to cheer Iranian voters have turned up their noses at the "Pleasant Scent of Service" list of the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in municipal elections. His ideological mentor,...

An iron ruler dies; Turkmenistan's iron ruler dies; Turkmenistan's iron ruler dies.
December 22, 2006... Turkmenistan's dictator, Saparmurat Niyazov, is killed by a heart attack. It's a tough season for tyrants SPARE a thought for despots this Christmas. Their lot seems not to be a happy one. Late on Wednesday December 20th, Turkmenistan's...

The devil you know; What next for Belarus? It may have to be a deal with Lukashenka.
December 22, 2006... Belarus should brace for a deal with Lukashenka WESTERN strategy for toppling the authoritarian and murderous regime in Belarus is roughly this: "Have meetings, give the opposition money, have more meetings, give more money". You have...

Hasta la Vista; A first look at Vista; It's great, but wait before buying.
December 22, 2006... Why Windows rules the world FROM the end of January any Windows-based personal computer that you buy will come with a new version of Microsoft's operating system, called Vista. Make no mistake, this is more than just a slicker, prettier...