Word: riven
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...Carter's era, the Democratic caucus was riven by ideological differences and too disdainful of the President to work with him effectively. Senate associate historian Donald Ritchie says you have to go all the way back to the dawn of F.D.R.'s second term in 1937 to find a President aligned with a filibuster-proof Senate majority that has comparable cohesion and potential to pass significant legislation. "Doing the filibuster at every whim to block us is not [an option], and that makes legislating a lot easier," says New York Democrat Charles Schumer. (See a day-by-day look...
...institutions, are simply political fetishes. But his analysis, delivered with clarity and wit, digs deep into how they increase the risk of wars, uprisings and riots for the world's poorest. In rich democracies, elections allow citizens to hold their politicians accountable. Collier shows how in poorly educated places, riven by ethnic and tribal rivalries, the easiest way to win is not good governance, but bad. In a world that rewards the rituals of democracy - not just with local votes, but with fat aid checks from abroad - thuggery and vote-rigging...
...sure where Niazamuddin's loyalties lay. The local Afghan army commander was sure he was Taliban, though the U.S. commander wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. If Niazamuddin was willing to lead a search, that would provide an example of solid leadership in a town riven by extremist sympathies. But Niazamuddin had gone back on his offer. If members of the Taliban found out he had led the Americans to suspicious houses, he said, they would kill him. The operation's leader, 1st Lieut. Glenn Burkey, exploded with frustration. U.S. forces had taken gunfire from the village...
That's now changing. A new generation of Muslim builders and designers, as well as non-Muslims designing for Muslim groups, often in Europe or North America, are updating the mosque for the 21st century, sparking not just a hugely creative period in Islamic design, but one riven by controversy. The disputes over modern mosques echo larger debates taking place in the Islamic world today about gender, power and, particularly in immigrant communities, Islam's place in Western societies. Even the simplest design decision can reflect questions that are crucial to Islam and its adherents: Should women be allowed...
...picture of the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo has grown tragically familiar: a region with great natural wealth, riven by war, racked with hunger and traumatized by a long history of colonial abuse, postcolonial kleptocracy and plunder. In the past 10 years alone, millions have died here, and more die each day as a result of the conflict. Most die not from war wounds but from starvation or disease. A lack of infrastructure means there is little medical care in the cities and none in rural communities, so any infection can be a death sentence. The most...