Word: amid
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...Generals' Shame Your cover photo paints a tellingly bleak picture of Burma's suffering [May 19]. It is ludicrous that amid such a catastrophe the military junta asked people to vote on a constitutional referendum to enable their sham "discipline-flourishing democracy." It is even more reprehensible that, while people are starving and dying in the cyclone's wake, the military is hampering the efforts of relief workers. Too bad Burma's resources are not as coveted as those of the Middle East. If they were, surely the U.S. and a coalition of other willing allies would have forced more...
Still, the wealth already amassed in these bounteous days for energy exporters should provide a cushion for years to come. Amid this euphoria, few seem to fret about the other seemingly glaring risk to the Gulf - the possibility that property speculation in cities like Dubai might lead to a bust. Mohamed Bin Ali Alabbar, chairman of Emaar, the region's leading property developer, says Dubai still has plenty of room to grow as a services center for the Gulf and its 200 million people: "The region is expanding, Dubai is too small, and so more needs to be done...
...Beirut. Prior to his election as President, Suleiman was commander of the Lebanese army, an appointment he was accorded in 1998 under the auspices of Syria, which then dominated Lebanon. Since Syria disengaged from Lebanon in April 2005 following mass street protests, Suleiman has steered an even course amid feuding Lebanese factions. His priority has been to preserve the integrity of the Lebanese army, widely regarded as almost the only functioning state institution. Suleiman's profile rose considerably last summer when the army engaged in a bloody three-month battle against the Al-Qaeda-inspired Fatah al-Islam faction...
Crocker, who said he had been to Najaf only once before, visited amid speculation that Sistani is losing patience with the U.S. presence in Iraq. In recent days, there have been reports that Sistani has been quietly issuing religious edicts, or fatwas, calling for the armed resistance to U.S. forces. Such a move by Sistani would essentially mark a reversal of his passive cooperation with the U.S. enterprise in Iraq to date. However, Sistani's aides deny the reports. "Nothing like that came from the office of the ayatollah," said Hamid al-Kahfaff, a spokesman for Sistani in Najaf...
...Amid all this shadowboxing, mind-reading and recalibrating, how can Clinton and Obama possibly work out their differences? All of our reporting suggests that it's already begun...