World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

The first round of the French election seems to have gone to the Socialist candidate, Hollande.  President Sarkozy came in a close second, but the pollsters are suggesting that the second round vote (between only Hollande and Sarkozy) will lean toward Hollande.  The far-right candidate, Le Pen, came in very strong with nearly 19% of the vote.  The only strategy available to Sarkozy is to  appeal to the far right in the second round–a strategy that will only strengthen the right wing in the near term.

We all tend to think of China in terms of its total population: it is, and remains, the most populated country in the world.  But how the ages of that population are distributed has important effects on the economic growth of the country, and China is looking at a serious drop in the number of working young people.  How this may affect China’s future role in world affairs, is a topic addressed by The Economist.

The politicization of the Syrian violence has been going on for some time and the Washington Post, upped the ante with a news report that the rebellion is being infiltrated by Islamic jihadists.  If one reads the article carefully, there are only references to “reports” and a small number of known individuals of only rumored political affiliation crossing the border.  There is, of course, always the possibility that more radical elements are moving into the country, but this report is clearly politically driven by sources who wish to heighten the fears of the West for what is happening in Syria.  We should keep an eye out for more substantive reports.