Word: specters
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...Minister Rafik Hariri, charges and counter-charges over alleged Syrian responsibility continue to haunt the Middle East. But the outcome of the investigation into the killing of a leader who stood up to Syrian influence in his country may yet be decided in the realm of politics. Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, a senior Republican who recently visited Syria, last week publicly suggested that the U.N. inquiry into Hariri's killing could be reduced in scope in exchange for greater security and political cooperation from Damascus in key areas of U.S. concern. Specter said he had been told by King...
...Looming specter-like above Lebanon's worsening crisis during the past three years has been the U.N. investigation into Hariri's murder, the final results of which are awaited by the Lebanese with a paradoxical blend of hope that it will end the crisis, and dread for what the truth might entail...
...with many of the President's uncomplicated-sounding proposals, the idea of space-age missile defenses masks a swarm of complexities. It raises the specter of an arms race in space, which ultimately could be more expensive and dangerous than the one taking place on earth. In a prompt and strong reaction, Soviet Leader Yuri Andropov personally warned: "Should this conception be converted into reality, this would actually open the flood gates of a runaway race of all types of strategic arms, both offensive and defensive." Even more ominous, the development of a missile defense system could undermine the very...
...major retrenchment could have serious consequences for China's economy and society. The specter of legions of laid-off migrant workers roaming the streets in search of jobs is bound to keep Beijing's economic policymakers, who fear the political consequences of widespread social unrest, up at night. Sun, the Lehman Brothers economist, says as manufacturers are pushed to the brink, China's stock markets could see sharp declines. Given that many large, listed Chinese companies pad their profits by investing in stocks themselves, "a big correction could bring [corporate earnings] even lower, and a vicious cycle could result," says...
...wary of any developments that could mar its triumph. In the longer term, Beijing needs to contain and manage those centrifugal forces that threaten to break off any part of China. Those concerns, as well as an overall desire to maintain social stability as growing inflation raises the specter of economic turbulence, weigh heavily against the Chinese leadership opting for the sort of brutal crackdown that ended the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. The enraged citizenry of Western nations would likely make their own governments' support for the Olympics untenable if China's streets were drenched in blood...