The Week (January 5)
Taiwan’s January 13 presidential election “will have major implications for domestic and global politics.” Current president Tsai Ing-wen is limited to two terms and must step down. Current favorite Vice President Lai Ching-te is likely to continue cozy relations with the U.S., further distancing Taipei and Beijing. His victory might “rankle Xi’s government and increase pressure in the form of military activities around the island.”
Tags: Beijing, Favorite, Implications, January 13, Lai, Military activities, Politics, Presidential election, Pressure, Rankle, Successor, Taiwan, Tsai, U.S., Victory, VP, Xi
The Week (April 25)
Emmanuel Macron may have “roundly defeated the right-wing antiliberal candidate Marine Le Pen in the second round of France’s presidential election,” but this is no time for complacency. “Placed in the broader historical context… the battle in France between liberals and antiliberals, center and periphery, is far from over. Indeed, if recent trends continue, the likelihood of a defeat for the center and triumph of the antiliberal right or left will continue to rise, with one of the extremes running a good chance of prevailing in the coming years.”
Tags: Antiliberal, Center, Complacency, Defeated, France, Historical context, Le Pen, Liberals, Macron, Periphery, Presidential election, Right wing
Politico (November 10)
“Forty-eight hours after Joe Biden emerged as the winner of the U.S. presidential election, Europe was still basking in the afterglow.” Even conservatives whose “traditional ties” with “the Republican Party frayed when Trump came to power.”
Tags: Afterglow, Basking, Biden, Conservatives. Traditional ties, Europe, Frayed, Power, Presidential election, Republican Party, Trump, U.S., Winner
Wall Street Journal (May 7)
“Good political news is scarce in Latin America these days, so it’s worth noting the upset victory on Sunday by Vice President Juan Carlos Varela in Panama’s presidential election.” This anti-corruption underdog prevailed against the former mayor of Panama City, the incumbent’s hand-picked successor who had already made moves to subvert the constitution. “The real victor is Panama’s young democracy.”
Tags: Anti-corruption, Constitution, Democracy, Incumbent, Juan Carlos Varela, Latin America, Panama, Politics, Presidential election, Underdog, Upset, Victory
Time (October 23)
“We’re in the final few months of what’s shaping up to be the hottest year on record. In September, Arctic sea ice melted to its smallest extent in satellite records, while the Midwest was rocked by a once-in-a-generation level drought. Global carbon dioxide emissions hit a record high in 2011 of 34.83 billion tons, and they will almost certainly be higher this year….Given all that, it might seem reasonable to think that climate change —and how the U.S. should respond to it — would be among the top issues of the 2012 presidential election.” Instead, climate change has gone largely unmentioned.
Tags: Arctic, Climate change, CO2, Drought, Presidential election, U.S.
