The result of Chile’s presidential election reflects less the achievement of the rightwing candidate than the failure of the centre-left coalition, says Justin Vogler.
Barack Obama’s great promise is so far unfulfilled. But his record in office - and his capacity to improve it - must also be measured against the nature of the institution he heads, says Godfrey Hodgson.
The path to a resolution of Iran’s internal political crisis and its international nuclear confrontation is uncertain. Volker Perthes outlines four possible ways forward.
The political projects of Latin America’s radical leaders have democratic rhetoric at their core. But their dynamics, as in Hugo Chávez's Venezuela, often seem to pull in another direction. The tensions will come to a point of decision in this decade, says Ivan Briscoe.
A relatively stable statelet in the Horn of Africa needs wise international intervention to bolster its nascent democracy, says EJ Hogendoorn.
Spain’s tenure of the European Union’s presidency is a rare opportunity for its prime minister to make his mark on the international stage, says Guy Hedgecoe.
The “salvation narrative” projected onto Barack Obama created false expectations on the left and invited his demonisation by the right
Yegor Gaidar, architect of the radical economic reforms in Russia which followed the fall of Soviet power, died on 15 December. Dmitry Travin reflects on the achievement of a great economist and patriot who saved his country and quietly shouldered the hatred that followed.
The young student protesters flocking in defiance onto the streets and campuses of Iran are prepared to fight until the end, says R Tousi.
A "great debate" over French national identity is compromised by its politicised character and exclusionary discourse, says Patrice de Beer.
Scotland's nationalist government projects the confident vision of a country moving towards independence. But the cramped nature of much public debate inhibits the renewal it seeks, says Tom Gallagher.
