Party Over
As the global economy teeters, will governments struggle to stay in control?
BY ROMESH RATNESAR
We were once told we lived in an age when politics no longer mattered. The free market had won. Wall Street ruled. The nation-state was history. And who cared about things like governments and politicians when we were all getting so rich?
It all seems so long ago. Suddenly that peaceful prosperity is no longer assured, and politics has returned to the stage. 2001 presents grave challenges for leaders from Washington to Moscow to Jakarta. A U.S. slowdown will force some governments to take drastic steps to avoid getting ravaged. If they fail, they will pay the price — at the polls or in the streets.
Old headaches will remain: Africa, the Middle East, North Korea, Sri Lanka. But in other corners — Taiwan, Kashmir — hope glimmers. There will also be democratic surprises no one can predict: Who would have guessed at this time last year that voters in Yugoslavia would do what nato could not? Or that one-party rule would end in Mexico? Or that the U.S. presidential election would hinge on the votes of a few hundred Floridians? Not all the news will be good, and you may not want to watch. But if you don't, here's what you'll miss:
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The Year Ahead
Politics
- United States
- Europe
- Asia
- Africa
- The Middle East
- Peacekeeping
- Arms Control
- Viewpoint: Globalization, the Sequel
Business
Technology
Arts & Media
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