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...Hizballah's power reflects a larger truth about the pitfalls of democracy in the region. "The religious fundamentalists are the only real countervailing power to the local oligarchs," a Middle Eastern diplomat told me. "There may be, as President Bush believes, a general desire for freedom, but the number of people who really understand democracy and free-market economics is very small, and it's groups like Hizballah that are ready to move into the vacuum...
...proposed exemptions: defense spending, R&D costs and contributions to the E.U. budget. The proposals drew fire. "Adding a long list of exemptions would blur the picture," says an Estonian diplomat. "Inflation, investment and credit ratings are all at stake." Juncker even warned the pact could be left as is, which would rile France and Germany. Next week, he'll bring ministers together again to try to find a compromise. But few expect a solution until E.U. leaders meet in Brussels later this month - if then. BA Gets A New Pilot Talk about getting an upgrade. Willie Walsh, former boss...
Last month the Australian government asked Israel to recall a diplomat who, if the stories about him are true, was quite the ladies' man. The reason for the request is secret, but the episode has the capital twittering with gossip about espionage and sex. It's also a reminder of the Cold- War days when John Symonds, the kgb's so-called "Romeo agent," visited the country. "I did a lot of damage down there in Australia," says the former Scotland Yard detective, contacted by Time at his home in England...
...Taiwan likes Japan, too: although the 50 years of Japanese rule were sometimes harsh, Tokyo developed the island, educated its people, and helped give Taiwanese an identity different from their mainland cousins. "The Japanese brought security, peace, and law and order," says Joe Hung, a retired journalist and diplomat who has written a history of Taiwan. "And that started Taiwan's modernization...
...pulling Negroponte out of Baghdad at such a critical moment. With Iraq's freshly elected National Assembly about to start writing a new Constitution, and the American exit strategy waiting to be negotiated, "this is the worst possible time to be sending in a newcomer," says a Western diplomat in the country. "This is a time when the U.S. would want an ambassador here who already has built up close contacts with Iraqi leaders." Negroponte has won plaudits for having a light touch with local officials, always offering advice rather than giving orders...