COVER: Special Report: Drifting Toward Disaster (All editions). Arab
leaders know what fragile old mosaics their countries really are. To put the
mosaic back together, or just to keep it from falling apart, a new kind of
glue is needed for Arab societies, something other than coercion, deception
and stultifying tradition -- something called opportunity. That's what Arabs
are looking for. Their tragedy is that neither their many wars nor their rare
moments of peace have ever been able to assure it, writes Middle East Regional
Editor Christopher Dickey.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020929/NYSU005 )
Slow Death. One of the most potent threats to Middle East security is
chronic illiquidity -- the main source of rising unemployment and stagnant
economies in the Arab world. The problem is not merely weak revenue, but a
lack of modern banks and financial tools to lure cash out of burgeoning black
markets and into the faltering daylight economy. No matter what happens in or
to Iraq, a worse region-wide crisis is brewing, reports Special Correspondent
Stephen Glain.
Dream House. The Masri family is the most influential Palestinian family
on either side of the Jordan River. It has been the leading investor in the
Palestinian Authority and Jordan since the Arab-Israeli peace process began.
And in a region dominated by largely unpopular leaders, the Masris are
genuinely admired, reports Glain. Israelis tend to see them as a force for
moderation. And Palestinians see them as an authentic Palestinian voice-one
wealthy enough to command Israeli respect.
Going Its Own Way. For the first time since World War II, Germany is
charting a course that may split it not just from Washington but from the rest
of Europe as well, report European Editor Michael Meyer and Special
Correspondent Stephan Theil. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder's independent
demarche on Iraq has alienated not just President Bush, but also his European
allies. And with Brussels facing a slew of weighty decisions, Germany's
isolation comes at the worst possible time for Europe.
Back to the Future. Russian President Vladimir Putin is supposed to be
presiding over a sober, authoritarian and decriminalized New Russia, as some
call it. But suddenly it's back to the bad old days of the "Wild East," with a
rash of killings and kidnappings of leading businessmen and politicians. Most
Russians believe the deaths are linked to the same factors that drove the Wild
East of old: the creation and frantic redistribution of wealth in the Putin
era and, on a lesser scale, the settling of old feuds. Special Correspondent
Eve Conant reports.
China's Family Ties. With communism crumbling, clan power is making a
comeback in China, and kinship ties are back in vogue, reports Beijing Bureau
Chief Melinda Liu. Tattered genealogy books are being restored. Clan temples
are being renovated. And clan elders have once again assumed political
influence, especially in southern provinces such as Guangdong, Jiangxi and
Hunan.
'I Yelled At Them to Stop'. The official story from U.S. troops in
Afghanistan is that Operation Mountain Sweep -- a weeklong hunt for Qaeda and
Taliban fugitives in eastern Afghanistan in August -- was a resounding
success. But as Contributing Editor Colin Soloway reports, U.S. Special
Forces, Afghan villagers and local officials living in or near the valley say
the mission was a disaster. Witnesses claim that American soldiers of the
82nd Airborne division succeeding mainly in terrorizing innocent villagers,
and setting back counterinsurgency and intelligence operations in the area by
at least six months.
Ready For a Role Change? Not so long ago, the International Monetary Fund
was the pinstriped fireman of global finance, and mostly praised for its work.
Now the "Fund" is just a four-letter word for "angry." But it isn't just the
Birkenstock set who are making life miserable for the IMF, reports Special
Correspondent Mac Margolis. Lately prominent bankers, analysts and Ivy League
luminaries have all taken turns flaying the Fund -- for "losing" Russia, for
making wrongheaded policy prescriptions in Asia, for doing too much, for doing
too little.
The Rap of Luxury. This is the rich sound of hip-hop: cash registers
ringing loudly for luxury brands. Stars like Busta Rhymes and P. Diddy have
expensive tastes and have made themselves powerful pitchmen, lifting the
aspirations of youth culture for life's finer things while spiking sales of
such products as Cadillac Escalade, Cristal champagne and Burberry. The
phenomenon would seem to benefit everyone, but no marriage is perfect, reports
Senior Editor Johnnie L. Roberts. Hip-hop stars often aren't cashing in, and
executives worry about long-term damage to their brands.
The Bionic Man. British cybernetics professor Kevin Warwick has devoted
his efforts to proving that implant technology can create a new form of
mind-machine communication. He says brain implants may allow human minds
commune with each other without need for "the silly noises of speech," and he
envisions a world of 2050 dominated by a master race of cyborgs, their brains
all linked to a global network. Special Correspondent William Underhill
reports.
LETTER FROM AMERICA: Southern Charm. Writer John Ness reflects on his
experience with alcohol while attending the University of the South (also
known as Sewanee) in the mid-90s. "Shakespeare and strong drink were not
mutually exclusive in some quarters, and that could include classrooms," he
writes. "Some professors invited students to have a tipple during the last
class of the semester."
TIP SHEET: Certified Organic. Organic farms still provide less than
2 percent of the food supply in the United States, but they are flourishing as
never before. Over the past decade the American market for organic food has
grown by 15 to 20 percent every year. But what are consumers getting out of
the deal? It can be tough to tell, reports Senior Editor Geoffrey Cowley.
WORLD VIEW: Gore As You've Never Heard Him. Al Gore's speech on Iraq last
week was intelligent, but ultimately about tactics, not strategy, contends
Editor Fareed Zakaria. Gore should have focused not on Iraq, but on the issue
that traditionally decides American elections-the economy. Zakaria offers his
own version of the speech he thinks Gore should have made.
INTERVIEW: Robert Galucci, dean of Georgetown School of Foreign Service.
Galucci, one of Washington's foremost experts on weapons proliferation, thinks
there is a "very, very high probability" that the Iraqis have regenerated
chemical weapons. He says that in order for weapons inspections to be
effective, there have to be "no sanctuaries and no-notice inspections: any
place, any time without notice ... Second, we must know where to go. We would
rely on intelligence from concerned states, and on information from defectors
and others."
SOURCE Newsweek
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