Word: bleak
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Root of Kenya's Chaos As a Kenyan, I was troubled by "The Demons That Still Haunt Africa," which distorted the situation in Kenya either out of ignorance or in keeping with the Western media's romance with the bleak face of Africa [Jan. 21]. The postelection skirmishes in Kenya are not a natural consequence of poverty. Kenyans have been poor but peaceful for decades. Rather, the protests are the language of the weak against a regime that rigged itself into power. Second, tribalism is not new; it started with the imperial British driving wedges between people to facilitate colonization...
...However the current drama shakes out, the long-term prospects for Italy's political life appear bleak. Since eking out a win in April 2006 over controversial media mogul Berlusconi, Prodi's reign atop a fractious nine-party coalition has been an example of Italy's endemic political paralysis. Prodi has been busy trying to fend off - and recover from - a half-dozen near-crises since taking office 20 months ago, rather than focus on much-needed reforms to the pension and justice systems. Meanwhile, state air carrier Alitalia bleeds money, and its hoped-for merger with Air France...
...region has been devastated by three major wars and numerous insurgencies on what are today Palestinian territories known as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The efforts of many U.S. presidents and several supposed breakthroughs have proved fruitless. This millennium, the prospects for peace have seemed unusually bleak: More than a thousand Israelis have been killed as a direct result of the terrorist tactics employed by Fatah, Hamas and other Palestinian groups since 2000, while Israeli counterattacks and military operations have killed more than 4,000 Palestinians...
...second, more fundamental criticism of Amtrak underscored by the looming strike is that its prospects of ever reaching a state of self-sufficiency are bleak. In spite of modest increases in revenue this year, Amtrak, which has been the beneficiary of rising gasoline costs and long lines at airports, may never be able to operate without federal subsidies. Given its permanent state of dependence, the federal government should cease prolonging Amtrak’s operational control of intercity rail services and instead allow competing firms to bid on rights to operate passenger trains on corridors of their choosing a strategy...
...Given the unpredictable nature of this campaign, and the fact that Romney can fund a long campaign from his own bank account, it doesn't seem all that foolish to stay in the race, no matter how bleak his prospects might seem today. In a year when a little known Baptist minister can come from nowhere to win Iowa, a left-for-dead septuagenarian can claw out a comeback win in New Hampshire, and when Hillary Clinton can begin the day fighting back rumors that she's dropping out the race and end it by delivering a victory speech - anything...