Global Agenda articles from September 2006

Global Agenda archives from September 2006

An end in sight?
September 1, 2006... A truce between the Lord's Resistance Army and Uganda's government could signal the end a long and murderous conflict. But the crimes of the rebel group's leaders may go unpunished IN GULU, capital of the war-ravaged Acholi district of...

Going deeper green.
September 1, 2006... A new law to limit greenhouse-gas emissions beefs up California's reputation as an environmental trailblazer but will have little effect on global warming CALIFORNIA is America's most populous state and, if independent, would boast the...

From bad to worse.
September 4, 2006... Sudan's government rejects both African Union peacekeepers and UN soldiers in Darfur. With a military offensive underway, the situation in the region looks more dreadful than ever IS THERE any chance for peace in the war-ravaged region of...

Trials and politics.
September 5, 2006... The far-reaching political implications of a drawn-out trial in South Africa ANOTHER season, another trial for Jacob Zuma. On Tuesday September 5th South Africa's former deputy president appeared in court to face charges of corruption and...

NATO takes the field.
September 5, 2006... The alliance is fighting for the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan FOR the surviving optimists on Afghanistan, as it struggles to put three decades of civil war behind it, the battle that erupted in southern Panjwayi district on...

Inversion and reversion; The Buttonwood column: Inversion and reversion; Some things are too good to last.(Column)
September 5, 2006... Some things are too good to last THE outlook for financial markets over the next 12 months depends on the answers to two questions. First, what does it mean for the American economy that short rates are above long bond yields--that, in the...

Some rare good news from Iraq?
September 6, 2006... The recent capture of a top al-Qaeda man in Iraq does not mean that the Americans and their Iraqi allies are winning the war SOUNDING unusually perky, the Iraqi government has presented the recent capture of the supposed deputy commander of...

Oh, do keep up.
September 6, 2006... Plodding international firms rush to find new leaders and new ideas HOW should well-known companies struggle to keep up with the pace of change in their markets? From cars to telecommunications and entertainment, established firms are...

Inversion and reversion; The Buttonwood column: Inversion and reversion; Some things are too good to last.(Column)
September 7, 2006... Some things are too good to last THE outlook for financial markets over the next 12 months depends on the answers to two questions. First, what does it mean for the American economy that short rates are above long bond yields--that, in the...

Oh, do keep up.
September 7, 2006... Plodding international firms rush to find new leaders and new ideas HOW should well-known companies struggle to keep up with the pace of change in their markets? From cars to telecommunications and entertainment, established firms are...

Tortured logic.
September 7, 2006... George Bush admits that the CIA did have secret foreign prisons where interrogators used "alternative" procedures on terrorist suspects, but claims it was all to the good AMERICA has long been suspected of using harsh interrogation...

The long goodbye.(Tony Blair)(Gordon Brown)
September 7, 2006... Tony Blair says he will quit as British prime minister within a year, but Gordon Brown, his finance minister and presumed successor, faces tough challenges of his own "I WOULD have preferred to do this in my own way", explained Tony Blair,...

Tortured logic.
September 8, 2006... George Bush admits that the CIA did have secret foreign prisons where interrogators used "alternative" procedures on terrorist suspects, but claims it was all to the good AMERICA has long been suspected of using harsh interrogation...

Bets are off.
September 8, 2006... Another jolt for online gambling in America THE arrest in America of the boss of one online gambling company could be considered bad luck. But when a second--Peter Dicks, the non-executive chairman of Sportingbet, a similar firm from...

Still on guard.
September 11, 2006... Although there has been no terrorist attack on American territory since September 11th, 2001, not everybody is happy with America's homeland-security efforts IN THE five years since the dramatic terrorist attacks on Washington and New...

Bets are off.
September 12, 2006... Another jolt for online gambling in America THE arrest in America of the boss of one online gambling company could be considered bad luck. But when a second--Peter Dicks, the non-executive chairman of Sportingbet, a similar firm from...

On your marks.
September 12, 2006... As Americans in a clutch of states vote in primary elections for November's general poll, the race to control Congress gets underway PITY Lincoln Chafee. In Rhode Island, a traditionally Democratic New England state, the senator is trying...

The dogs of debt shall bark; The Buttonwood column: The dogs of debt shall bark; The corporate-bond market is riskier than it looks.(Column)
September 12, 2006... The corporate-bond market is riskier than it looks THE bear market in global equities came to an end in March 2003. Astute observers who had been watching the corporate-bond market beforehand might have expected the rally. Corporate-bond...

Unity, not recognition.
September 12, 2006... The two main Palestinian parties have agreed to form a unity government, but don't expect it to change their relationship with Israel and the world SOME four months after it was first proposed, Hamas, which runs the Palestinian Authority...

Sailing apart.
September 13, 2006... How three corners of the Balkans are coping with the idea of statehood and democracy WHEN talking about the enlargement of the European Union it used to be fashionable to cite the "regatta principle". For the Balkans this meant that while...

On your marks.
September 13, 2006... As Americans in a clutch of states voted in primary elections for November's general poll on Tuesday, the race to control Congress is now fully underway PITY Lincoln Chafee. In Rhode Island, a traditionally Democratic New England state, he...

Unity, not recognition.
September 13, 2006... The two main Palestinian parties have agreed to form a unity government, but don't expect it to change their relationship with Israel and the world SOME four months after it was first proposed, Hamas, which runs the Palestinian Authority...

Sailing apart.(Montenegro, Montenegro)
September 14, 2006... How three corners of the Balkans are coping with the idea of statehood and democracy WHEN talking about the enlargement of the European Union it used to be fashionable to cite the "regatta principle". For the Balkans this meant that while...

Bitter sweet.
September 14, 2006... A European tax ruling relating to Cadbury Schweppes raises as many questions as it answers THE only people certain to benefit from this week's ruling by the European Court of Justice on the taxation of foreign subsidiaries of British firms...

Right ahead.
September 15, 2006... Sweden's ruling Social Democrats face a poor election result SWEDISH elections are usually humdrum affairs that take place in September every fourth year and are comfortably won by the Social Democrats. But the election on Sunday September...

Dark days at Ford.
September 15, 2006... Any mood you like, as long as it's black WHEN Ford unveiled its plan for a "Way Forward" in January, the future of the company and its workers seemed pretty bleak. Its declining share of the market for new cars in America and the prospect...

Stirring up anger.
September 18, 2006... The Pope's partial apology for a speech which offended some Muslims may not be enough to calm a serious row A PERSONAL expression of regret from Pope Benedict XVI over a speech which offended Muslims has proved only partially successful in...

Sweden's Moderate revolution.
September 18, 2006... Sweden's shift to the right offers lessons to other European countries--and raises questions about the success of some parts of its social model THE outcome of Sweden's cliffhanger election was in doubt until late on Sunday September 17th....

Stirring up anger.
September 19, 2006... The Pope's partial apology for a speech which offended some Muslims may not be enough to calm a serious row A PERSONAL expression of regret from Pope Benedict XVI over a speech which offended Muslims has proved only partially successful in...

Turning grey.
September 19, 2006... The IMF and World Bank are getting on. They are struggling to find new roles at a time of global economic stability RAYMOND MIKESELL, a professor of economics at the University of Oregon, died on Thursday September 14th at the age of 93. Mr...

Thailand in crisis.
September 20, 2006... Thailand's armed forces move against the prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, while he is out of the country RUMOURS of an impending military coup have been circulating in Bangkok for weeks. Until now it was unclear if they were just wishful...

The George and Mahmoud show.
September 20, 2006... The Iranian and American presidents both spoke to the United Nations' General Assembly on Tuesday. Neither man is backing down from confrontation IT WAS not a debate, at least not formally. But when George Bush and Iran's Mahmoud...

A funny shade of green.
September 20, 2006... Russia is threatening to hold up big foreign energy investments on environmental grounds. Many suspect that this is a ploy to wrest fresh concessions from Western oil companies IT IS rare that Russia's government receives wholehearted...

Be careful what you wish for.
September 21, 2006... Many outsiders are calling on China to let its undervalued currency, the yuan, appreciate. But is that what the rest of the world really wants? WITH HIS first official trip to China as America's treasury secretary underway, there is little...

The George and Mahmoud show.(George Bush )(Mahmoud Ahmadinejad )
September 22, 2006... The Iranian and American presidents both spoke to the United Nations' General Assembly on Tuesday. Neither man is backing down from confrontation IT WAS not a debate, at least not formally. But when George Bush and Iran's Mahmoud...

Your call may be recorded.
September 22, 2006... Telecom Italia is mired in controversy over political meddling in its business strategy and the emergence of a phone-tapping scandal AS CONNOISSEURS of recent Italian scandals know, phone-tapping is often central to the unfolding drama. But...

Poland's crumbling government.
September 25, 2006... The ruling coalition is falling apart. Elections will follow by the end of November unless the country's prime minister can rapidly build a new majority A CONSPIRACY theorist might wonder if this autumn had brought something odd to the...

Oil slides down.
September 26, 2006... Cheaper oil is welcome but it is unclear whether lower prices will last. Worse, the uncertainty may reflect worries that America's economy is weakening too TWO months ago headlines were trumpeting record oil prices. Today the cost of...

Lighting up a lawsuit.
September 26, 2006... Tobacco companies face another big lawsuit in America over "light" cigarettes, but producers have been heartened by recent legal victories IT MAY be too early for top tobacco executives to lean back, pour a drink and take a satisfied draw...

Democrats seek advantage.
September 27, 2006... A report by America's top spies suggests the war in Iraq is encouraging terrorism. It marks a chance for Democrats--finally--to agree how to fight for electoral advantage on foreign policy THE WAR in Iraq is inspiring new terrorists and...

Take me to your leader.(secretary general candidates for United Nation)
September 28, 2006... The UN's leading members are trying to pick a new secretary-general for the organisation. South Korea's cautious foreign minister, Ban Ki-moon, seems to be the favourite BAN KI-MOON does not ruffle many feathers. South Korea's foreign...

The Dow rides high.(trends in stock market in United States)
September 28, 2006... America's main stockmarket index is nearing a record high. Are investors overly optimistic? WALL STREET has had the breathless anticipation of a man waiting for a sneeze that won't quite come. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has been...

Take me to your leader.(election of the secretary general of the United Nations)
September 29, 2006... The UN's leading members are considering candidates for a new secretary-general for the organisation. South Korea's cautious foreign minister, Ban Ki-moon, remains the clear favourite BAN KI-MOON does not ruffle many feathers. South Korea's...

Lula's second chance.(Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva)
September 29, 2006... Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is expected to win re-election. He needs a clearer idea of what to do with his second and final term in office FOR many Brazilians Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been the best of presidents....