ANTALYA, Turkey. The skies over the Middle East and South Asia were crowded Monday night as no fewer than seven VIP aircraft carried heads of state and government from one summit to another. It began stage two of a moveable feast. The special planes, most of them 747s, brought President Obama and the leaders of China, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Australia and Canada from the … Continue reading Antalya Is a Moveable Feast
Forty years ago a brave band of junior officers overthrew Portugal’s dictatorship. On April 25th, 1974 thousands poured into Lisbon’s plazas in celebration. Flower sellers did a brisk trade in red carnations that poked from the barrels of soldiers’ rifles. Marcelo Caetano, the despot who headed the fascist government in power since 1932, fled to Brazil. The young captains behind the coup had seen for … Continue reading Remembering Portugal’s Revolution That Changed Africa
Zimbabwe is entering an unsteady transition politically and economically. Robert Mugabe, its sole leader since independence in 1980, turns 90 on February 21st. He can’t live forever. Who will follow Mugabe and what course will his successors steer? After four years of gradual improvement, the economy is again deteriorating. Money is in short supply. Workers are losing jobs. Government is starved of tax revenue because … Continue reading Zimbabwe’s Transition to What?
Barry D. Wood 