Slate Magazine - International Papers

The international press smells blood in the Democratic primaries.

Susan Daniels — Wed, 5 Mar 2008 16:02:43 EST

It seems Tuesday's dramatic primaries were being watched as closely abroad as they were at home. Sen. Hillary Clinton's wins in Ohio and Texas prompted the international press to trowel on the sports metaphors—mixed and otherwise.

[more ...]

Foreign press fails to make fun of U.S. election system shocker!

Susan Daniels — Wed, 6 Feb 2008 15:10:29 EST

As the international press reports on the outcome of the Super Tuesday races, there is a curious lack of grousing about the complexity or craziness of the U.S. electoral system or the lack of a clear winner in the Democratic contest. It's almost as if they're, well, excited about this race. Can this be true? An editorial in Britain's Independent sums things up nicely:

[more ...]

The press watches Fiji's slow-motion coup.

Susan Daniels — Wed, 6 Dec 2006 12:06:11 EST

After repeated threats and a protracted buildup, Commodore Frank Bainimarama finally seized control of Fiji's government this week, suspending civil liberties, claiming presidential powers for himself, and deposing Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. Bainimarama's troops surrounded parliament and brought an abrupt end to debate in the Senate; they set up checkpoints across the capital city of Suva and imposed restrictions on local media. Not surprisingly, the international press was virtually unanimous in deploring the coup. They also largely agreed on the motivations for the takeover: Bainimarama objects to Prime Minister Qarase's plan to grant amnesty to those involved in a coup attempt that the military leader helped to quash in 2000.

[more ...]

What foreign papers said about the midterm elections.

June Thomas — Thu, 9 Nov 2006 08:36:43 EST

The international press struck familiar notes in its coverage of the U.S. midterm elections. Editorial writers at Britain's Daily Mirror and Lebanon's Daily Star reached into their big bag of clichés and pulled out the "C word." The Mirror said that the Democrats must "use the US constitution to coral the cowboy," while the Star declared that "American voters have demonstrated a belated understanding of what people virtually everywhere else have known for years: George W. Bush is a dangerous cowboy who needs to be restrained." Displaying more subtlety, the Thursday cover of Britain's Independent featured a huge photograph of the president with the headline, "It's the War, Stupid."

[more ...]

Middle East papers on the Lebanon conflict.

Zuzanna Kobrzynski — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 17:39:05 EST

After a six-year absence from Lebanese soil, Israeli forces returned Wednesday in retaliation for the kidnapping earlier this week of two IDF soldiers by the Lebanon-based, Iranian- and Syrian-financed terrorist organization Hezbollah. The English-language Middle Eastern press coverage ranges from credible and insightful to rants that would warm the cockles of David Duke's heart.

[more ...]