Resources
Analysis
A pause in Paris
France: At the midpoint of his presidential term, Nicolas Sarkozy’s zeal for reform appears to be waning – jeopardising longer-term economic recovery
The real reward
As Brazil, barely hit by the global crisis, lifts ever more citizens from poverty, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva nears his final year in office held in high regard
Principal content
Abbas hits out from the shadows
Mahmoud Abbas’s decision not to contest the next Palestinian presidential election is a reflection of how quickly and dramatically the hopes for peace that accompanied the election, a year ago, of US president Barack Obama have been extinguished, writes Roula Khalaf
Why chief executives struggle as politicians
Michael Skapinker on where many come unstuck
The open question in Obama’s Afghan plan
Philip Stephens on the way forward for the US president
Not all bubbles present a risk to the economy
Stick with the zero-interest rates, says Frederic Mishkin
Obama has lost sight of the centre
Clive Crook on poor election results for the Democrats
Related content and features
More comment and analysis
Lending must support the real economy
It is beside the point to focus on bonuses, like Paul Krugman, or financial democracy, like Robert Shiller, writes Dirk Bezemer
The US must cajole Iran into a nuclear deal
The Tehran regime is not about to fall, so Obama should focus on winning Russian support for a strategy of containing Iran’s nuclear weapons potential, says Robert Litwak
Rebellion in the ring at Sarkozy’s circus of contradictions
Either he must step back and assume the traditional role of a French president, or he will have to go the whole hog and admit France has become a US-style regime, writes Peggy Hollinger
EDITORIAL COMMENT
Brown’s damp squib
There is a debate to be had on how to raise revenue, and maybe on how to tax excess bank profits as rent. That should not be mixed up with the difficult debate on how to regulate the banking system
Dodging the graft
The UN Convention against Corruption must be strengthened. The World Bank cites estimates putting illicit financial flows at a staggering $1,000bn a year
US health reform clears first hurdle
Reformers need to build US public support by acknowledging and responding to voters’ concerns, which they have patently failed to do. Until that changes, the project is in jeopardy
DEBATES & POLLS
What is the military for?
Can Britain afford a cold war-era nuclear deterrent? New aircraft carriers? Typhoon fighter aircraft? Have your say about Britain’s role in defence on the Arena Blog
New chapter of MBAs take oath to do better
No single group can be blamed for the economic meltdown, a number of high-profile MBAs have been implicated. Are MBA programmes useless?
Book review
On Compromise and Rotten Compromises
The key pacts of the 20th century can help us understand compromise as a political act. John Lloyd reads an account of morality in action
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