OPINION
Brown and Sarkozy shine while Bush stalls, says columnist
Financial Times (UK) Oct 14, 08 12:10 PM CDT
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The financial crisis hasn't just transformed the business world, writes Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman; it's transformed world politics as well. Who are the winners and losers of the market upheaval? Gordon Brown seems more and more the "improbable savior" of the financial system. The British bailout has been taken up in Europe and the US, and the lugubrious PM is now an economic hero. George W Bush is the anti-Brown: the normally chipper president looks "panicky and out of his depth."
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New York Times Oct 12, 08 3:20 PM CDT
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European leaders emerged from a summit in Paris today and echoed the latest from Washington and London: It's time to buy up the banks, the New York Times reports. None of the 15 nations named an official price, but Germany and France will roll out plans tomorrow to buy equity stakes in troubled banks. “The goal is to kick-start the interbank lending market,” said Belgium's finance minister.
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Negotiation with radicals seems necessary, but Karzai's not the man for the job
Der Spiegel Oct 7, 08 3:24 PM CDT
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Germany’s government decided today to send 1,000 more troops to Afghanistan and to keep its forces there for 14 more months, Der Spiegel reports. But as Angela Merkel’s government recommits to the fight, the German press argues over whether a radical change in strategy—including diplomatic engagement with the Taliban—is necessary.
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A week after ripping US for crisis, dismissing need for own plan, Brown et al. retool
Bloomberg Sep 30, 08 2:38 PM CDT
(Newser)
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European leaders are eating their words a week after criticizing the US for allowing its banks to run dry and engineering a system-wide bailout for financial firms, Bloomberg reports. Governments across Europe, including Germany, the UK, Belgium and France bailed out banks across the continent and pledged support for others as Europe faces its own financial meltdown.
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Party had tapped rival foreign minister to challenge Merkel
Der Spiegel Sep 8, 08 6:18 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The leader of Germany's Social Democrats has resigned after the party leaked that it had chosen another leader to face Angela Merkel in next year's general election, reports Der Spiegel . The party's candidate will be Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the current foreign minister in Merkel's grand coalition government. Kurt Beck, who has led the struggling SPD since her 2005 election victory, blamed "systematic misinformation" in the media for his decline in authority.
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New fury at Russia's formal recognition of breakaway states
Reuters Aug 27, 08 2:25 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The West is preparing to crank up diplomatic pressure on Russia after its challenging move formally recognizing breakaway Ossetia and Abkhazia in the wake of its invasion of Georgia. The US, Europe and NATO have condemned the action, but Russia remains defiant. "We are not afraid of anything, including a new cold war," said Russian President Dmitri Medvedev after formally recognizing Georgia's restive states. "If Europeans want a worsening in relations, they will get it of course."
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Analysis
Merkel could be valuable go-between
New York Times Aug 25, 08 10:05 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A fretful Eastern Europe is hoping Germany can play a key diplomatic role in its stare-down with Russia, the New York Times reports. Until recently, relations between Moscow and Berlin were too cozy for the Caucasus’ tastes, but East German-born Angela Merkel has distanced herself from Russia just enough to be a credible mediator, criticizing the country's leaders on democracy, press freedoms, and human rights.
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American, European diplomats push to get Russian troops out
Times (UK) Aug 15, 08 7:31 AM CDT
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Condoleezza Rice arrived in Tbilisi today, where she said her immediate goal was to get Russian troops out of Georgia. The secretary of state stopped over in France to meet with Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president who brokered a ceasefire that Moscow has flouted. Rice's trip follows an American airlift containing medical and humanitarian supplies for Georgians, which drew strong opposition from Russia, reports the Times of London.
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Candidate meets Angela Merkel before public address
Reuters Jul 24, 08 5:39 AM CDT
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Barack Obama arrived in Berlin this morning, where he met Angela Merkel at the German chancellery ahead of a major speech this evening. The Europe leg of the candidate's tour followed an early-morning stop at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Obama will speak to the chancellor and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, her foreign minister and chief rival, before his address at the Siegessäule at 7:00pm local time.
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Dem wants backdrop
of Brandenburg Gate
Der Spiegel Jul 9, 08 7:45 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Barack Obama will be in Berlin in 2 weeks, and his campaign wants to stage a major speech at the Brandenburg Gate, the most famous symbol of German reunification. Berlin's mayor is keen on the idea, reports Der Spiegel , saying yesterday that he'd love Obama to address the public there. But Angela Merkel's office is opposed to letting a candidate, not an elected president, speak at the site.
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GLOSSIES
Carla Bruni's outfits something of an obsession, though there's a flip side
W Jul 8, 08 2:57 PM CDT
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Move over, Hollywood—these days, fashion designers are dying to get their wares on a new kind of celebrity: politicians. The last time Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy visited London, Dior issued no fewer than five press releases on their outfits, and Louis Vuitton has even hired Mikhail Gorbachev as a model. But not everyone thinks the trend is chic, reports W in a look at political stars.
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Five don't pass the 5'6'' mark
ABC News Jul 6, 08 1:47 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The leaders at this week's G8 summit are all political big shots, but they're pretty diminutive face-to-face—five don't even make it past 5'6''. Russia's Dmitry Medvedev brings up the short end of the stick at 5'2'', and Canada's Stephen Harper is the only one to pass the 6' mark. But luckily for the G8, reports ABC News, the Napoleon complex is just a myth.
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