Syrian President Assad made a surprise visit to Moscow as Russian President Putin emerges as a power broker in Middle Eastern politics. Russia is flexing both its military and diplomatic muscles in an attempt to preserve Assad’s position. Putin has also been on the telephone with a number of leaders in the Middle East, trying to assuage their apprehensions about a final political settlement in Syria. There is little question that Putin has outmaneuvered the West with this gambit; whether he can make good on his promises remains to be seen. In many respects, Russia has more to fear from the Islamic State than does the West.
At least 14 campuses in South Africa have been closed because of student protests against tuition increases. The protests, however, also signal widespread dissatisfaction with political governance in South Africa as young people express their views on how the government regards them and their future. The students have marched on the South African Parliament, and it is safe to say that the protests represent a significant challenge to the traditional ruling parties in South Africa.
Argentina is holding a national election on Sunday and few in Argentina expect the results to change much in terms of the sluggish economy or the unresponsive politics. President Cristina Fernandez has overseen a steady deterioration of the economy during her terms in office, and the ruling party candidate, Daniel Scioli, does not offer genuinely different policies. Those policies have led to capital flight out of the country, high inflation, and slow growth. His opponent, Mauricio Macri, is trailing in the polls and his policies roughly correspond to traditional neoliberal economic policies.
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