Nation Topics - World Leaders | The Nation

After nine years, Tony Blair's magic has worn off. His Labour Party has mutated from an imperfect conduit of progressive change into an active obstacle to it.

Slobodan Milosevic died without a definitive judgment of his
responsibility for war and crimes against humanity. Now others will
judge him, precisely what he wanted to avoid.

Michelle Bachelet has vowed Chile will be a different country by the
end of her four-year term. But she will likely be remembered more for
continuity than for change.

Russian human rights activist Gregory Shvedov examines how Vladimir Putin's tactics toward Chechnya align with George W. Bush's "global war on terror."

The World Social Forum in Caracas provided living proof of
alternative political and social visions, but raised new questions
about government co-optation.

The inauguration of Evo Morales as Bolivia's first indigenous
president opens a new era for Bolivia and a turning point for
political, diplomactic and trade issues in the Americas.

Will Palestinians be compelled to live by Ariel Sharon's repressive vision or will they compel Israel to accept genuine self-determination for the
Palestinian people?

Suddenly, the Sharon era is over. And Sharon's centrist Kadima Party may emerge as the dominant force after the March 28 elections.

Ethnic cleansing, chemical weapons, self-appointed executioners: Sound
familiar? The US occupation in Iraq has created conditions just as
bad--if not worse--than Saddam Hussein's ruthless regime. And the
increasingly isolated George W. Bush insists on staying the course.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Argentine soccer hero Diego
Maradona led thousands in a massive rebuke of George W. Bush, his trade
policies and his neoconservative agenda at the Summit of the Americas in
Mar del Plata Argentina. Despite some sporadic violence, the protest
focused on developing indigenous alternatives to US-led trade
initiatives policies.