Moisés Naím / The Huffington Post
Not too long ago Mexico was regarded as the Latin American nation most likely to become a developed country. Now it is commonly seen, if not as a failed state, at least as a nation where some of the most powerful and ruthless criminals on the planet control important parts of the territory and critical public institutions.
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Moisés Naím / The Washington Post
Cherry blossoms and anti-globalization marches. For many years, these were inevitable rites of spring in Washington. But today, while the cherry trees are still blooming, the street demonstrations have wilted.
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Moisés Naím / The Huffington Post
What would have happened if during World War II the allies had bombed the gas chambers or the railway lines that transported millions of innocent people to their deaths in Auschwitz and other camps? It could not be done. We didn't know. We could not divert resources from other fronts. It was not a strategic priority. These are some of the answers commonly given to this thorny question. More than a million men, women and children died at Auschwitz. Something similar could have happened in Benghazi.
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Moisés Naím / El País
A lot is happening in Latin America. The dynamism in business, politics, society, international relations, and even the criminal cartels is obvious. In contrast, U.S. policy toward Latin America is lethargic, unimaginative, and surprisingly irrelevant.
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Moisés Naím / El País
It is as impossible not to be moved by the images of suffering and destruction in Japan as it is not to be surprised by the stoicism of the victims. Usually, the scenes following a disaster are of panic, disorder, and even looting. In Japan, we see long lines of people calmly awaiting medical attention or buying food. And faces that reflect an unimaginable pain that is seldom expressed stridently. The Japanese deserve our admiration and solidarity.
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Moisés Naím / El País
Forbes magazine just published its annual list of the richest people in the world. There are no surprises. The number of billionaires increased, as did their average wealth ($3,500 million). And while the majority of billionaires are still American, that percentage is declining as the percentage of rich people from poor countries grows. Thus, countries like China, Brazil, India, Mexico, Turkey, Ukraine, or Russia produce many mega-millionaires.
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Moisés Naím / The Washington Post
Every year, thousands of the world's most influential people descend upon Switzerland in late January for five days of debating, networking, fine eating and a little skiing, too. The gathering, called the World Economic Forum, has grown enormously popular over the decades - and has gained a steady chorus of detractors as well. In truth, the meeting is neither as exclusive or conspiratorial as its critics claim, nor as world-transforming as its boosters imagine. The following myths are just a few of the misconceptions that have sprung up around the singular institution known the world over simply as "Davos."
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Moisés Naím / El País
Raúl Castro and Otmar Issing could not be more different. The first is a Cuban soldier and the second a European economist. Castro is one of the founding fathers of the communist regime in Cuba and Issing is one of the fathers of the euro. While Castro was fighting to export the Cuban revolution, Issing was working for Europe’s integration and is one of the architects of the European monetary system. Castro is about to turn 80 years old and Issing is 75. I don’t know if they know each other, or if they have ever spoken, but I doubt it.
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