Washington Post (June 16)
Forty years ago, the Watergate saga unfolded, ultimately toppling President Richard Nixon. The episode left a deep scar on the American psyche. “Nixon and the Watergate episode did great, perhaps irreparable, harm to the American spirit…. The flag our forefathers raised on the moral high ground looked suddenly shabby and soiled.” Distrust of government and “the presumption of corruption” became the new norm. Today, that distrust continues. We are “a country without faith or trust in its institutions—from the presidency to Congress to the judiciary.”
Tags: Corruption, Distrust, Government, Nixon, U.S., Watergate
Financial Times (February 16)
India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is considered an upright and squeaky clean politician. Yet he has failed to trample out corruption. The telecom scandal revealed crony capitalism cost the government about $40 billion. The Financial Times expects more. “When you are prime minister of India, it is not enough to be clean yourself…. By failing to stamp down on graft, even among close associates, Mr Singh is frittering away the chance to modernise the country.”
Tags: Corruption, Graft, India, Telecom scandal
