2 July 2012

July 2012
...Egypt in transition; Libya's election;
Europe, German fears; Norway
a year on; who really rules Mexico? the
Kazakhs speak out; China, where your iPad is
made; Ecuador's environmental misstep; special
report, the cult of tourism; London's
summer of celebration...and more...
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A federal Europe, by order - Serge Halimi
The true believer's faith is strengthened by disaster. So the true believers in a federal Europe have no intention of abandoning the monetary, budgetary and commercial integration policies that have exacerbated and prolonged the economic crisis. On the contrary, they want to increase the authority of those responsible for these policies. If European summits, stability pacts and disciplinary measures haven't solved the problem, then that, our true believers assure us, is because they did not (...)Translated by Barbara Wilson -
Germany's resounding Nein* - Olivier Cyran
Angela Merkel has long resisted all warnings to ease up on austerity and reform the EU's banking system, including from the IMF's Christine Lagarde. The reason lies in domestic politics, and the fears of the German peopleTranslated by Charles Goulden -
A year after the Utøya massacre
Norway's day of reckoning - Remi Nilsen
Anders Behring Breivik's trial has ended, a year after the mass killings that shocked Norway. The country's prosperity masks a growing social inequality that has allowed the anti-immigrant populist right to harness the frustrations of those who feel they have been left behindTranslated by Charles Goulden -
24 june beginning of the end to illgotten privileges
Egypt's first civilian president - Alain Gresh
The election of a president backed by the Muslim Brotherhood is a milestone for Egypt. Yet it is just one step in the long transition to democracy that began with the fall of MubarakTranslated by Charles Goulden -
Nine months of latent civil war
Libya's unquiet election * - Patrick Haimzadeh
The war may be over but Libya is far from quiet. Oil production is back to normal, but that is all. The constituent assembly elected in July will be working in an atmosphere dominated by ever more powerful tribal leaders and conflictTranslated by Barbara Wilson -
The cartels are winning the war
Mexico's other government - Jean-François Boyer
Mexico's general election takes place in a climate of countrywide terror and violence blamed on incumbent president Felipe Calderón and his war on drugs. Yet the trouble really began when Mexico finally democratised in the 2000 electionTranslated by Stephanie Irvine -
Where your Ipad is made
China's company towns* - Jordan Pouille
The Taiwanese company Foxconn, the world's leading electronics supplier and mainland China's biggest private-sector employer, is beginning to outgrow its factories in ShenzhenTranslated by Charles Goulden -
The Foxconn empire* - Jordan Pouille
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Oil workers protest over inequality and corruption
Kazakhstan's 99 per cent* - Régis Genté
Protests by Kazakhstan's oil workers in 2011 were crushed, but anger remains over huge inequalities of income and lifestyleTranslated by Charles Goulden -
Kazakhstan figures*
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Reverse economic migration to Africa
Angola helps out Portugal - Augusta Conchiglia
The former colony has become an unexpected source of jobs and investment for Portugal in the global downturnTranslated by Charles Goulden -
Leaving the oil in the ground may cost too much
Ecuador's plan falters - Aurélien Bernier
The Yasuní initiative seemed to break a deadlock: it proposed the world should compensate Ecuador for not extracting oil from a biodiverse national park. But the money is not rolling inTranslated by Charles Goulden -
The cult of tourism
China goes on holiday* - Pál Nyíri
In 1999 the Chinese were given three seven-day national holidays a year. Since then, the domestic tourism market can reach over 300 million trips during peak periodsTranslated by Charles Goulden -
Grand Tour with a degree* - Bertrand Réau
Sciences Po students study abroad in their third year, for many of the same reasons that their elite forebears across Europe once took the Grand TourTranslated by Charles Goulden -
Who benefits from holidays?* - Gilles Caire
Adding to the ways in which we can help the countries of the South, 'Travel not Aid' seemed a good new slogan. But in a globalised world, does the reality live up to the intentions?Translated by Charles Goulden -
A London summer, then and now
The amusements of the people - Veronica Horwell
LMD English Edition exclusive