The unimaginable has happened, to the displeasure of arrogant Europe. Africa, thought to be so poor that it would agree to anything, has said no in rebellious pride. No to the straitjacket of the (...)

Last month Hugo Chávez and his Bolivarian revolution were defeated for the first time, albeit by barely over 1%, in the constitutional reform referendum. Those who opposed him and those who supported him both challenged what he has done so far and what he plans to do in future. Will the shock be enough to provoke some real (...)

The many regional and sectarian leaders in Iraq now wield a power over ordinary citizens that the new national institutions cannot, and may not want to temper. Iraq may fall into a second violent civil war. Or it may become an imperial protectorate with a privileged military and sharp class divisions.