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| October
2001 |
 |
| Megawati
Sukarnoputri emerges from behind Abdurrahman Wahid (Photo:
AFP). |
Inheriting Indonesia
Her name literally means “daughter of the storm clouds,”
which may just make President Megawati Sukarnoputri the best
person to lead Indonesia out of its current state of instability.
Megawati took office on July 23, after the impeachment of former
President Abdurrahman Wahid, a respected Muslim leader whose
political career ended ingloriously amid charges of corruption
and misrule. So far, the signs look promising. Political commentators
have praised Megawati’s cabinet choices. And in her first
major address as president on Aug. 16, she revealed a surprisingly
liberal program, which allayed fears that she may be a puppet
of the military. She acknowledged East Timor’s independence,
which she had opposed in 1999, and promised to protect human
rights.
The challenges before her administration are formidable. Separatist
conflicts are escalating; the economy is in disarray; and corruption,
the legacy of Suharto’s 32-year dictatorship, is rampant.
Tackling corruption must be one of Megawati’s top priorities
if she is to restart the flow of aid from the International
Monetary Fund that was suspended during Wahid’s erratic
presidency.
Megawati Rises to the Challenge
Jakarta's independent newsmagazine Tempo looks to Megawati's
background as a clue to what the future might bring. 
Asian Neighbors Think Alike
Manila's The Philippine Star (independent), comments
on the striking similarities between Megawati and Philippines
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Mega, Put the "I" in
Innovation
Denny JA, executive director of Jayabaya University in Jakarta,
gives Indonesia's new president his prescription for the country's
ills.
|
| September
2001 |
 |
| (Photo:
AFP) |
The
Balkans, 10 Years After
Remembrance of Things Not-Quite-Past
WPR's Belgrade Correspondent, Katarina Subasic, reflects
on her efforts—and Serbia's—to come to grips with
the country's past...
Troubled Times, 10 Years On
Belgrade's Reporter takes stock of the past 10 years
in the Balkans and looks at how each country in the region is
faring today.
Macedonia's 'Liberation' Army:
A Learner's Lexicon
For months, a guerrilla organization operating in Macedonia
has been known by the same abbreviation as the one that fought
the Serbs in Kosovo. Confusion over what to call these rebels
in Macedonia is part of the general difficulty in getting a
clear picture of their origins, structure, and goals.
Zurich's Neue Zürcher Zeitung
explains...
| Available
Only in the Print Edition: |
West's
Temporary Thing | Slobodan Casule, Dnevnik, Skopje
Shortsighted in Skopje | Sokol Dervishi, Gazeta
Shqiptare, Tirana
See what you're missing—click
here for a free sample issue, no strings attached. |
 |
| Into
Mexico from Guatemala: Crossing the border at the Suchiate
River (Photo: Silva/Getty Images). |
Mexican
Immigration: Closely Watched Borders
Negotiating a Migration Accord
Diego Cavallos, writing for Rome's Inter Press Service, reports
on the recent bilateral accord protecting Mexicans immigrating
illegally to the United States...
Mexico's 'Southern Plan': The
Facts
In the early weeks of June, the Mexican police deported over
9,000 immigrants who had snuck into Mexico from Central America,
in a crackdown of unprecedented scale. Velia Jaramillo reports
for Mexico City's Proceso...
The Southern Border: a Virtual
Line
Isaín Mandujano, also writing for Proceso, sees
only an artificial distinction between the southern states of
Mexico and their Central American neighbors.
| Available
Only in the Print Edition: |
Deaths
on the Devil's Highway | Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, Reforma,
Mexico City
A Questionable Bartering Chip | La Journada,
Mexico City
See
what you're missing—click
here for a free sample issue, no strings attached.
|
|
| August
2001 |
 |
| Silvio
Berlusconi smiles after the Italian Parliament returns
a vote of confidence in his government. (Photo: AFP) |
Apocalypse—Later
“Before May 13, some of Italy’s leading intellectuals
were vehement opponents of Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing
coalition; today their silence is deafening.”
Franz Haas, writing for Zurich's conservative Neue Zürcher
Zeitung, wonders where the criticism of Italy's new president
has gone.
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