George Bush and the world

Economist article

Anyone determined to make the pursuit of freedom and democracy in other people's countries the organising principle of their foreign policy has to feel comfortable leading from the front. Far from being chastened by the difficulties of winning the peace in Iraq, his first term's biggest overseas adventure, George Bush has started his second term bent on tackling tyranny worldwide. After a certain amount of scoffing and some alarm (whose country would the neo-cons be trampling across next?), the idea is catching on in surprising places.

As it does so, from Ukraine to Kirgizstan, and from Afghanistan and Iraq to Lebanon, other problems too—especially the rift with parts of Europe over Iraq—are coming to seem more tractable. The hope is that this, in turn, may make it easier to manage the security challenges that America and its friends face in Iran and North Korea. Given a newly co-operative spirit, optimists argue, even the row between America and the European Union over whether the Europeans should lift their embargo on weapons sales to China may be turned to advantage, if the two sides can sit down and sort out their differences.

Read the entire article. In fact, bookmark economist.com and push it to the top of the list. The economist is unrivaled in it's efforts and achievements, in my mind. My only problem with them is that I ordered a subscription a few weeks ago, and have yet to receive the magazine.

The article summarizes what Bush is doing with Europe, especially with regard to China and the mid-east, and makes accurate predictions of what to expect.
The only flaw I can find is the by-default acceptance of the EU as a powerful body. The Guardian (note: frequently very biased, occasionally reduced to the status of "socialist rag") reports that France may reject the EU constitution. If this happens, the EU will likely collapse, as France is a founding member and, along with Germany, provides the power behind the EU (hat tip to Captain's Quarters). This makes one ponder the fate of the Euro, as only France and Germany have the power to print the currency, and they can abuse that power to help their economies at the expense of euro-using neighbors.

Meanwhile, Canada is engaged in a corruption scandal, a big one. $250 million worth (multiply by 10 to convert to American proportions). Apparently, the government has funneled taxpayer money to companies for little or no work, and those companies in exchange provided services or donations to the ruling political party. Another hat tip to Captain's Quarters for this one. Might I add, he even got a mention in The Economist – that is something to be proud of.