Word: reformist
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That such dramatic developments in two such sensitive cases should come now is probably no coincidence. Call them Exhibits A and B in the case to protect France's legal system from President Nicolas Sarkozy's reformist zeal. Sarkozy wants to do away with the post of independent investigating judge - a key feature of France's legal system - and place control of criminal inquiries in the hands of politically appointed state prosecutors. Citing a small number of high-profile instances in which judges have overstepped their investigative and detention powers, Sarkozy says he wants to reform France's inquisitorial justice...
Liberia represents one of the best tests of Africa's capacity for regeneration. A small nation with a population of just 3 to 5 million - the new government has yet to conduct a reliable census - it has a reformist leader, two ports, rich resources and a history of exporting. In the 1950s, rubber powered economic growth of 8%, second only to Japan that decade. Fixing Liberia should still be a relative cinch. "It's everybody's favorite model," says a Western economist in Monrovia. "If it doesn't work here, it doesn't work anywhere...
...large segment of Iran's population remains incredulous. The propaganda campaign may well sway many Iranians, especially those who consume only state media, but many others see straight through it. Criticizing Ahmadinejad's claim that the Islamic Republic foiled an attempt at a velvet revolution, Iran's former reformist President Mohammed Khatami met with families of the detained this week. "If this poisoned propaganda and security atmosphere continues ... we must say that what happened was a velvet coup d'état against the people and the republicanism of this state," he said. Millions of Iranians may agree. For now, though...
...clear where the movement is headed. The regime has crushed challenges to its authority before, most recently in 1999, when students poured into the streets to protest the closing of a reformist newspaper, prompting the government to unleash vigilantes on them. The state deployed its shock troops again this time: members of the Basij, a pro-Ahmadinejad paramilitary group, stormed dormitories at Tehran University, reportedly killing five students and detaining hundreds. At least one demonstrator was killed when a Basiji opened fire on a crowd. There are eyewitness reports of deaths from clashes across Iran. Yet no matter what transpires...
...government has long relied on state media as a primary tool for tarring its opponents as enemies or foreign agents and shaping Iranians' understanding of the news. Reformist politicians and clerics have long sought oversight over the institution's vast budget and activities, viewing IRIB as perhaps the government's most indispensable means of thwarting change. In a student uprising against the Islamic authorities in 1999, young people chanted slogans against state media and demanded the firing of its chief...