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Meet the Man Shaping Turkey's New Diplomacy

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:58:49 GMT

What you need to know about the person shaping Turkey's muscular new foreign policy.

Davutoglu: Inside Turkey's New Foreign Policy

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:53:13 GMT

Turkey's foreign minister discusses his country's expanding role as a regional power.

Why Turkey Was the Iraq War's Real Winner

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:09:48 GMT

Turkey is the surprising beneficiary of our misadventures in the Middle East.

Japan Takes Governance Lessons From Britain

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:37:29 GMT

A radical political shift is underway in Tokyo. For the past several decades, bureaucrats have ruled Japan. It has been they, not elected officials, who have played the leading role in drafting budgets, writing legislation, and regulating Japan's industries. Politicians from the entrenched Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) not only looked the other way, they actively abetted the bureaucrats, cooperating with them behind closed doors to stuff the budget with pet projects and undermine the ability of the prime minister and cabinet to set the agenda. The result was that private interests often trumped the public interest. Debt ballooned—to what is now a staggering 190 percent of GDP, the highest of any wealthy nation. What's more, Japan punched well below its weight on the world stage, as one inept prime minister after another struggled to make his mark.

France's Wild Economic Plans

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:30:15 GMT

Once obscured by the crisis, Sarkozy's financial follies are growing ever plainer.

Gordon Bajnai, Hungary's P.M., Takes the Lead

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:27:43 GMT

Gordon Bajnai became Hungary's prime minister in April when his predecessor, who'd lied about the dire state of Hungary's economy to win an election, was forced out. After warning his countrymen that "this will hurt," Bajnai, a 41-year-old former investment banker, embarked on a series of bold reforms. He recently sat down with NEWSWEEK's Ginanne Brownell to talk about the economy, the Lisbon Treaty, and climate change. Excerpts:

'Tis the Season for Pop-Up Shops

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:13:05 GMT

Japanese tourists and Londoners crowd outside the Louis Vuitton pop-up shop at Selfridges, jostling to get in. They don't have much time; the space inside the British department store opened in November and will close in January. Offering merchandise like key rings, dog accessories, and handbags, the shop serves not only as a backup for the brand's always-packed permanent space in Selfridges, but also as a lure for new customers who might not normally venture into Louis Vuitton. Earlier this year Jimmy Choo and Edun operated temporary shops in the store, and two weeks ago London jewelry designer Anna Lou opened her market-stall-inspired shop. "Pop-up retail is a different take on the whole limited-edition concept," says Linda Hewson, head of creative for Selfridges. "It causes a stir, then disappears, and people are really fascinated by that."

A New Kind of Bollywood Film

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:07:59 GMT

Midway through Vishal Bhardwaj's 2009 movie (), the hero is captured by thugs looking to recover $2 million in stolen cocaine. As the goons torture him to find out where he's hidden the drugs, they run into a problem: he stammers so badly that they can't get a word out of him. So sing, they say. Out come his answers, to the tune of a popular song. Problem solved. Except the hero the thugs have captured isn't the thief. His twin brother, who lisps, stole the dope. And the twins haven't spoken to each other for years.

Capitalism Thrives in North Korea

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:00:19 GMT

Private enterprise is thriving in the Hermit Kingdom, and Kim Jong Il is powerless to stop it.

My Encounters With Two Accused Nazi War Criminals

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:40:27 GMT

On the eve of what may be the last Nazi trial, the son of Holocaust survivors recalls encounters with two accused war criminals.

Why Obama Is Going to Copenhagen

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:58:16 GMT

Now that the Copenhagen talks look likely to fail, it is safe for President Obama to go.

What to Do When Refugees Refuse to Go Home

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:30:23 GMT

When wars end, refugees don't always go home.

Singh’s War

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:08:20 GMT

No mercy for the Maoists.

Newsweek Reporter's Ordeal in Iran

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:47:47 GMT

On June 21, reporter Maziar Bahari was rousted out of bed and taken to Tehran's notorious Evin prison—accused of being a spy for the CIA, MI6, Mossad…and NEWSWEEK. This is the story of his captivity—and of an Iran whose rampant paranoia underpins an ever more fractured regime.

Zakaria: In AfPak, India Is the Real Prize

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:10:16 GMT

A relationship Obama should nurture.

A Look Inside Iran's Regime Driven By Nuclear Ambitions

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:55:30 GMT

They warned him not to talk. When Maziar Bahari was finally freed after 118 days in an Iranian prison on phony espionage charges, he was instructed never to speak of what had happened in jail. If he told his story, his interrogator said, he would be hunted down. "We can put people in a bag no matter where in the world they are," the interrogator said. "No one can escape from us."

Manmohan Singh On Afghanistan, Pakistan and China

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:45:35 GMT

Wearing a white kurta and a blue turban, India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, 77, appeared relaxed on the eve of his state visit to Washington, which takes place this week. Many Indians worry that the Obama White House, unlike the previous two American administrations, may tilt toward China instead of India. Singh sat down in his Delhi residence last week to discuss with NEWSWEEK's Lally Weymouth how he believes India and the United States can work together to further their strategic partnership and why he believes it is critical that the U.S. not leave Afghanistan. Excerpts:

Medvedev Is Reinventing the Red Army

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:08:05 GMT

How Medvedev plans to reform the military—and why Obama should not be worried.

A Q&A With Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:18:17 GMT

When Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected Liberia's president in 2005, she inherited a country wrecked by civil war and began to transform it. Today, school enrollment is up 40 percent, Monrovia has power and running water, and trade in diamonds and timber is up again. NEWSWEEK's Jina Moore met recently with the former World Bank economist to talk about terrorism, the resource curse, and Obama's Africa agenda.

Khamenei Will Be Iran's Last Supreme Leader

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:53:05 GMT

The clerical establishment has become so sick of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that they will not replace him when he dies.