Global Agenda articles from March 2006

Global Agenda archives from March 2006

Iraq grows ever more sectarian; Iraq after the shrine bombing; The Sunnis rejoin coalition talks, but the threat of civil war remains.
March 1, 2006... There have been bloody reprisals and mass demonstrations across Iraq following the bombing of a Shia Muslim shrine in the city of Samarra. A weekend curfew calmed things somewhat, and Sunni leaders have said they will re-enter talks on joining...

Closing the borders to business; Economic nationalism; France and others close their borders to business on "strategic" grounds.
March 1, 2006... A wave of cross-border mergers is sweeping across Europe. But as globalisation and no-holds-barred capitalism gather strength on the continent, France and others are trying to stiffen the barriers to economic integration on "strategic" grounds....

Fowl times for poultry farmers; Avian flu; France's poultry industry shudders as the virus continues to spread.
March 1, 2006... Avian flu is popping up in new countries in Europe, Africa and Asia, renewing worries about the possibility of a global pandemic. Though much attention is focused on France, where the first European case of the deadly H5N1 strain on a poultry...

The third wave.
March 1, 2006... This time, emerging markets are for real HERE is an arresting little flake from this week's blizzard of news: Hugo Chavez--president of Venezuela, self-styled leader of the Bolivarian populist revolution, scourge of American imperialism and...

Closing the borders to business; The backlash against cross-border mergers; France and others try to stiffen the barriers to economic integration on "strategic" grounds.
March 2, 2006... A wave of cross-border mergers is sweeping across Europe. But as globalisation and no-holds-barred capitalism gather strength on the continent, France and others are trying to stiffen the barriers to economic integration on "strategic" grounds....

The wrong approach to rights? United Nations reform; The wrong approach to human rights?
March 2, 2006... The United Nations is mulling over the creation of a new council to replace the discredited Commission on Human Rights. Some think the proposal now on the table, though far from perfect, is worth adopting. America begs to differ SAY...

Pumping out songs--and pumping up prices?
March 3, 2006... Record companies around the world are reaping ever greater sums from the digital downloading of songs. But as online music moves into the mainstream, the industry faces suspicions that it is fixing prices for tunes. That will hardly endear it...

Ma Bell, reunited with one of her Babies; AT&T's purchase of BellSouth; Ma Bell is reunited with one of her Babies.
March 6, 2006... AT&T has sent shock waves through America's telecoms industry with its $67 billion acquisition of BellSouth. Though the deal may look like a partial reversal of the forced break-up of "Ma Bell" in 1984, the days of monopoly and high prices are...

End of the club.
March 7, 2006... The New York Stock Exchange becomes a for-profit organisation. The good days must be over IT TOOK only two years for the founders of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to abandon their outdoor perch underneath the buttonwood tree on Wall...

Do as I say, comrade; Post-Soviet autocracies; From Belarus to Uzbekistan, the crackdowns continue.
March 7, 2006... Repression in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus and several other post-Soviet republics is smothering hope that democracy will spread further in the region. As Russia asserts its dominance over neighbouring countries, backing autocrats and...

Raising the stakes in the battle over abortion; The battle over abortion; South Dakota raises the stakes.
March 7, 2006... The state of South Dakota has weighed into America's noisy debate over abortion by banning the practice in almost all circumstances. The new law will not take effect any time soon. Rather, it is intended to provoke the new-look, more...

Do as I say, comrade; Post-Soviet autocracies; From Belarus to Uzbekistan, the crackdowns continue.(trend of democracy)
March 8, 2006... Repression in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus and several other post-Soviet republics is smothering hope that democracy will spread further in the region. As Russia asserts its dominance over neighbouring countries, backing autocrats and...

Raising the stakes in the battle over abortion; The battle over abortion; South Dakota raises the stakes.
March 8, 2006... The state of South Dakota has weighed into America's noisy debate over abortion by banning the practice in almost all circumstances. The new law will not take effect any time soon. Rather, it is intended to provoke the new-look, more...

Steady quotas, uncertain supply; Oil markets; OPEC keeps quotas steady, but worries over security of supply continue to grow.
March 8, 2006... OPEC has decided not to lower its production quotas, to the relief of oil-consuming countries. But the amount the cartel pumps may no longer be the main factor determining prices. Security woes in some of the big oil-producing countries have...

Raising the stakes in the battle over abortion; The battle over abortion; South Dakota bans almost all terminations, in the hope of provoking a national challenge to abortion rights.
March 9, 2006... The state of South Dakota has weighed into America's noisy debate over abortion by banning the practice in almost all circumstances. The new law will not take effect any time soon. Rather, it is intended to provoke the new-look, more...

Bowing to the pressure from a hostile Congress; DP World agrees to sell its American ports; Dubai and the Bush administration bow to the pressure from a hostile Congress.
March 10, 2006... Dubai-based port operator DP World has said it will divest its American port operations, in response to the hostile reaction of Congress to its planned takeover of the facilities as part of a wider acquisition. The Bush administration, which...

Dubai seeks to calm the storm over ports; DP World agrees to divest its American ports; Dubai and the Bush administration bow to pressure from a hostile Congress.
March 10, 2006... Dubai-based port operator DP World has said it will divest its American port operations, in response to the hostile reaction of Congress to its planned takeover of the facilities as part of a wider acquisition. The Bush administration, which...

The "Butcher of Belgrade" cheats justice through death.
March 13, 2006... Slobodan Milosevic has been found dead in his cell at the Yugoslav war-crimes tribunal in The Hague. By evading justice, he has ensured that his legacy will continue to poison relations in the Balkans and beyond IN 1988, in front of...

Europe's merger wave; European mergers; The wave continues to swell, to the chagrin of economic nationalists.
March 13, 2006... Bids by Nasdaq for the London Stock Exchange and Merck for Schering suggest that Europe's merger wave is swelling, despite an upsurge of economic nationalism among the continent's governments. The forces of business may prove stronger than...

Europe's merger wave; European mergers; The wave continues to swell, to the chagrin of economic nationalists.
March 14, 2006... Bids by Nasdaq for the London Stock Exchange and Merck for Schering suggest that Europe's merger wave is continuing to swell, despite an upsurge of economic nationalism among the continent's governments. The forces of business may prove...

Laying the ghost of 1923.
March 14, 2006... Germany issues its first inflation-linked bond OF ALL the world's cities, Frankfurt is perhaps the most likely to have a museum devoted to money. Granted, it lacks the scale and buzz of New York, and it has abandoned any serious pretensions...

Showdown in Jericho; Trouble in the West Bank and Gaza; An Israeli prison raid sparks Palestinian protests and a spate of kidnappings.
March 14, 2006... Israeli soldiers launched an assault on a prison compound in the West Bank town of Jericho on Tuesday, attempting to snatch Ahmed Saadat, the leader of a left-wing Palestinian group. Protests erupted across the Palestinian territories, and...

The "Butcher of Belgrade" cheats justice through death.
March 16, 2006... Slobodan Milosevic has been found dead in his cell at the Yugoslav war-crimes tribunal in The Hague. By evading justice, he has ensured that his legacy will continue to poison relations in the Balkans and beyond IN 1988, in front of...

Rattling Tony Blair; British politics; Blair's authority is dented as he is forced to rely on opposition support to get a key reform bill passed.(education bill)(Law overview)
March 16, 2006... Britain's Labour government has won a parliamentary vote on a controversial education bill, but only with support from opposition Conservatives. The latest rebellion in the ruling party raises new doubts over Tony Blair's authority and whether...

Laying the ghost of 1923.
March 16, 2006... Germany issues its first inflation-linked bond OF ALL the world's cities, Frankfurt is perhaps the most likely to have a museum devoted to money. Granted, it lacks the scale and buzz of New York, and it has abandoned any serious pretensions...

Showdown in Jericho; Trouble in the West Bank and Gaza; Israel's assault on a prison in Jericho sparks Palestinian protests and kidnappings.
March 16, 2006... Israeli troops raided a prison in the West Bank town of Jericho on Tuesday, seizing the leader of a left-wing Palestinian group after foreign monitors had withdrawn. The assault sparked protests, kidnappings and strikes across the Palestinian...

Waiting for the next level.
March 16, 2006... Sony has confirmed that it will delay the launch of its new games console, the PlayStation 3, by several months. The Japanese company's position as top dog in the video-games business looks increasingly precarious IT'S official. After...

Rattling Tony Blair; British politics; Blair's authority is dented as he has to rely on the opposition to get a key bill passed.
March 17, 2006... Britain's Labour government has won a parliamentary vote on a controversial education bill, but only with support from opposition Conservatives. The latest rebellion in the ruling party raises new doubts over Tony Blair's authority and whether...

Europe's last dictatorship? Just grin and bear it; Belarus's sorry election; The revolution will not be televised.
March 17, 2006... The presidential election in Belarus on Sunday will be neither free nor fair. But unlike the rigged poll in neighbouring Ukraine in 2004, it is unlikely to lead to a democratic revolution--and there is little the West can do to dislodge the...

1968 all over again? French protests against a new labour law; The government faces another angry challenge as students and trade unionists take to the streets.
March 17, 2006... Protests are growing in France against a new law easing regulations on the hiring and firing of young people. Large, violent demonstrations in the past week have provoked President Jacques Chirac to call for talks between ministers and youth...

Europe's last dictatorship? Just grin and bear it; Belarus's sorry election; The revolution will not be televised.
March 20, 2006... Some form of sanctions are likely to be imposed by the European Union against Belarus after its autocratic and egomaniacal leader, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, won a landslide victory in a flawed election. Though some protests followed the vote, a...

Chasing Prudential.
March 20, 2006... Aviva has offered [pounds sterling]17 billion to buy Prudential, a rival British insurer. A successful deal would create a domestic champion to rival Europe's biggest insurers. But Prudential may prefer to wait for a better offer from abroad,...

Hamas unveils its cabinet.
March 20, 2006... Hamas will govern the Palestinian Authority alone, having failed to enjoin other parties to join it in the cabinet. Though the new government will have a number of technocrats, the lines are now clearly drawn between an Israel that has given up...

France's embattled government.
March 20, 2006... Mass demonstrations continued in France over the weekend as students, trade unionists and other protesters called on the government to scrap a new labour law for young people. Trade union leaders were due to decide on Monday whether to call for...

The third wave.
March 21, 2006... This time, emerging markets are for real HERE is an arresting little flake from this week's blizzard of news: Hugo Chavez--president of Venezuela, self-styled leader of the Bolivarian populist revolution, scourge of American imperialism and...

Chasing Prudential.
March 21, 2006... Aviva has offered [pounds sterling]17 billion to buy Prudential, a rival British insurer. A successful deal would create a domestic champion to rival Europe's biggest insurers. But Prudential may prefer to wait for a better offer from abroad,...

France's embattled government.(protest against labor law for economic development)
March 21, 2006... Mass demonstrations continued in France over the weekend as students, trade unionists and other protesters called on the government to scrap a new labour law for young people. Trade union leaders and students have called for a general strike on...

Asian promise; The Buttonwood column: Asian promise; Finding value in Asia.
March 21, 2006... How a mere hack can help you, for once THREE weeks ago, this embodiment of Buttonwood suggested that international investors were riding a third post-war wave into emerging markets; that private capital flows were nevertheless still meagre...

De Villepin blinks.
March 22, 2006... France's increasingly isolated prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, has hinted that he will compromise in the face of mass protests against his new labour law for young people. Ahead of a big demonstration planned for Tuesday, with little...

Pipeline politics.
March 22, 2006... Energy-rich Russia has proposed piping gas and oil to resource-hungry China. But Russia's record of using energy exports to promote its foreign policy interests suggests that, if the new pipelines are actually built, supplies could be a source...

A farewell to arms.
March 22, 2006... The Basque separatist group, ETA, has declared a permanent ceasefire, marking an end to nearly four decades of terrorist attacks in Spain in which some 800 people have been killed. It is a significant boost to the government of Jose Luis...

Fatherland, liberty and blood; Basque terrorism: Voters reject it.
March 22, 2006... With Northern Ireland at relative peace, the terrorist campaign in Spain's Basque country is western Europe's most enduring civil conflict. Spain's ruling People's Party had wanted to form an anti-nationalist alliance with the Socialist Party...

Europe's unreformed economies.
March 23, 2006... Leaders of the European Union gathered in Brussels for a summit to discuss economic reform and fears of a resurgent protectionism--but few expect much of substance to be achieved. Italy's government is keen to portray France as protectionist....

A farewell to arms.
March 23, 2006... The Basque separatist group, ETA, has declared a permanent ceasefire, marking an end to nearly four decades of terrorist attacks in Spain in which some 800 people have been killed. It is a significant boost to the government of Jose Luis...

The EU and America put sanctions on Belarus's leaders.
March 24, 2006... The European Union and America will impose sanctions against Belarus's political leaders, including President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who won a landslide victory in a rigged election last week. The EU and America also deplored the use of riot...

De Villepin embattled.
March 24, 2006... Union leaders are due to meet the embattled French prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, after more mass protests and violence this week. Opposition to a new labour law for young people may culminate with a large demonstration planned for...

Europe's unreformed economies.
March 24, 2006... Leaders of the European Union gathered in Brussels for a summit to discuss economic reform and fears of a resurgent protectionism--but few expect much of substance to be achieved. Italy's government is keen to portray France as protectionist....

De Villepin embattled.
March 27, 2006... Talks between union leaders and the French prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, have broken down as protests continue against a new labour law for young people. Union bosses and student leaders are planning a series of large demonstrations...

Democracy flourishes in Kiev, but is smothered in Minsk.
March 27, 2006... The party of Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine's president and the hero of 2004's "Orange Revolution", has suffered a heavy defeat in parliamentary elections. It will only remain in office if it forms a coalition with old allies. But while democracy...

Israel's uncertain election; Israel's election; A poll packed with uncertainties.
March 27, 2006... Israelis go to the polls on Tuesday. Ehud Olmert and his Kadima party, founded by Ariel Sharon, are widely expected to win. But there is uncertainty about the margin of victory, and thus about the composition of the next ruling coalition. As a...

De Villepin embattled.
March 28, 2006... Talks between French union bosses and the prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, have broken down as protests continue against a new labour law for young people. Union and student leaders organised a series of large demonstrations on Tuesday,...

Democracy flourishes in Kiev, but is smothered in Minsk.
March 28, 2006... The party of Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine's president and the hero of 2004's "Orange Revolution", has suffered a heavy defeat in parliamentary elections. It will only remain in office if it forms a coalition with old allies. But while democracy...

Israel's uncertain election; Israel's election; A poll packed with uncertainties.
March 28, 2006... Israelis go to the polls on Tuesday. Ehud Olmert and his Kadima party, founded by Ariel Sharon, are widely expected to win. But there is uncertainty about the margin of victory, and thus about the composition of the next ruling coalition. As a...

View from the top.
March 28, 2006... In the world economy these days, winners increasingly take all. Maybe that's reflected in the world's stockmarkets FROM his perch high in The Economist's tower in St James's, this incarnation of Buttonwood has a splendid view of London's...

De Villepin embattled.
March 29, 2006... Talks between French union bosses and the prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, have broken down as protests continue against a new labour law for young people. Union and student leaders organised a series of large demonstrations on Tuesday,...

Israel's uncertain election; Israel's election; A poll packed with uncertainties.
March 29, 2006... Ehud Olmert is setting about building a coalition government after his Kadima party won the largest number of seats, 28, in Israel's general election. The victory was not emphatic, and he is likely to enter into talks with Labour and other...

View from the top.
March 29, 2006... In the world economy these days, winners increasingly take all. Maybe that's reflected in the world's stockmarkets FROM his perch high in The Economist's tower in St James's, this incarnation of Buttonwood has a splendid view of London's...

Bernanke steers a steady course; Bernanke's first move; The Fed delivers another rate rise, probably not its last.
March 29, 2006... In its first meeting since Ben Bernanke took over as chairman, America's Federal Reserve has raised its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, to 4.75%--its fifteenth hike since mid-2004. Markets would like the new boss to reveal...

Sticks, carrots and fences; America and immigration; Another great debate that divides Republicans.
March 29, 2006... America is in the midst of a great debate about immigration. The House of Representatives has passed a punitive bill that would make living in the country illegally a federal felony, while a Senate committee has approved a softer version that...

Pappy pinched; The strange case of Charles Taylor; Nigeria--and justice--catch up with West Africa's answer to Milosevic.
March 29, 2006... Liberia's ex-president, Charles Taylor, is to be deported from Nigeria after three years in exile. Police detained him on Wednesday, two days after he vanished from his villa. He faces 17 charges at a war-crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone...

Whiter than white?
March 30, 2006... A new formula for bond-market transparency--as recommended by dentists WHO remembers the Belgian dentist, the legendary buyer (so market lore has it) of tax-efficient Eurobonds. Buttonwood can reveal that this dull but largely inoffensive...

View from the top.
March 30, 2006... In the world economy these days, winners increasingly take all. Maybe that's reflected in the world's stockmarkets FROM his perch high in The Economist's tower in St James's, this incarnation of Buttonwood has a splendid view of London's...

Pappy pinched; The strange case of Charles Taylor; Nigeria--and justice--catch up with west Africa's answer to Milosevic.
March 30, 2006... Liberia's ex-president, Charles Taylor, has been delivered to a UN-backed war-crimes court in Sierra Leone. He faces 17 charges relating to a brutal conflict that killed hundreds of thousands of people. American diplomatic pressure, as...

eBay's bid to stop the injunctions; The pros and cons of patents; The Supreme Court weighs into the battle between the trolls and the tech giants.
March 30, 2006... America's Supreme Court is hearing a case between eBay and MercExchange, a small tech firm, that will determine whether patent-holders can expect to win injunctions against companies that appropriate their intellectual property as a matter of...

Taxing times for Thailand; Thailand's election; Taxing times for Thaksin.
March 31, 2006... The snap general election called by Thailand's prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, looks set to go ahead on Sunday, despite all attempts by his opponents to halt it. But the vote may not produce a workable parliament, nor end the street...