Word: blocs
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...rather than the self-indulgence that characterized Cuban society before 1959 and American society today. He has carried out this social revolution with little tolerance for dissent, but at the same time with a regard for human life and mercy that is not only unparalleled in the old Soviet bloc but is also rare by the standards of most Latin American countries...
...nuclear secrets in 2000 and the Hainan Island spy-plane episode last year. Until Sept. 11, China felt the U.S. was preventing it from attaining its rightful place among the world's leading nations despite its surging economy and influence. It even tried to create its own regional security bloc last year by expanding an agreement with Russia and four Central Asian republics. With Bush talking about an "evil axis" that includes North Korea, he needs to assure China that the war on terror won't become a worldwide turkey shoot, destabilizing its borders...
This new interpretation is taking shape in different places at different speeds. Although non-Muslims often view Islam as a monolithic bloc, the religion is characterized by its diversity. With over a billion believers scattered across every continent, as well as separate Shi'ite and Sunni traditions, the Muslim community (or ummah) has long been a philosophical construct rather than a demographic reality. That's true in Europe, where Muslims are divided by country of residence as much as by country of origin. "The problems Muslims are facing here are deeply influenced by the institutions of the countries where they...
...divorces has increased by 30% since 1990, and fertility rates have fallen to just 1.2 children per woman - down from 1.7 children per woman more than 20 years ago and 2.4 in 1960. In the Netherlands, 23% of children are born out of wedlock. And in the Eastern bloc, out-of-wedlock births in Poland have almost doubled in the past 20 years, while in the Czech Republic, marriage rates have fallen by 23% over the last decade. What's more, increasing numbers of Europeans are choosing not to have children at all, a trend that not only promises some...
...Middle East imbroglio has left many African nations silently seething over the extent to which their own concerns are being eclipsed by the Arab bloc sticking to its guns over the language condemning Israel. Although many African governments sympathize with the plight of the Palestinians, they're uncomfortable with the Arab bloc's apparent willingness to scuttle the whole conference by insisting that the harshest possible language on Israel remain in the final document - because the conference declaration must be adopted by consensus, the impasse over Israel and Zionism threatens to derail the entire enterprise. That prompted the Africans...