Today we continue our coverage of the global outpouring in regard to the September 11 anniversary. This article is one of the dozens of stories posted on Worldmeets.US since yesterday. The funk the United States is currently in is of great concern to U.S. allies like Japan, who depend on American influence for their own security and prosperity. This editorial from Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun illustrates the...

Do Not Lose Heart, We Were Made for These Times Mis estimados: Do not lose heart. We were made for these times. I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world right now. It is true, one has to have strong cojones and ovarios to withstand much of what passes for “good” in our culture today. Abject disregard of...

At a time when America appears lost, and its leadership continues its reckless bid for global supremacy, it is interesting to recall the story of the only American who participated in India’s freedom struggle and was imprisoned by the British-Indian government. He gave up Western clothes and donned home-spun Khadi dress. A highly impressed Mahatma Gandhi wrote in his Young India: “No Indian is giving...

Has the 2008 economic crisis in some ways corrected for the mistakes America made after September 11? Former Brazil foreign minister and ambassador to the United States Roberto Abdenur writes that the global financial crisis has served to open the United States to greater cooperation with the world – if only the Tea Party would get out of the way. For Brazil’s Folha, former Brazil Foreign Minister...

Could it be that the United States, Iran and Israel have been conniving to keep Syrian Dictator Bashar al-Assad in office? Columnist Iraq Al-Mutari of Iraq’s Al-Iraq News Agency asserts that Iran is not only working with Washington to thwart Syrian protesters, it is running rings around America in Iraq. For the Al-Iraq News Agency, Iraq Al-Mutari writes in part: It’s no secret that the occupied...

What lessons should Arabs draw from the fall of Muammar Qaddafi? According to columnist K. Selim of Algeria’s Le Quotidien d’Oran, Arab leaders had better absorb the fact that times and the world are changing fast, and that they must embrace reform before reform is imposed on them from the outside – namely by the West. For the Le Quotidien d’Oran, K. Selim writes in part: It must be noted that...

Were the 2001 Bush tax cuts more damaging to the United States that the September 11 attacks? Columnist Cesar Avo of Portugal’s Sol newspaper praises billionaire investor Warren Buffet for his assertion that America’s wealthy should give up the Bush tax cuts and pay more – for the good of the nation. For Portugal’s Sol newspaper, Cesar Avo starts out this way: In the year that the Twin...

Should China use its massive holdings of American debt to interfere in U.S. domestic politics? According to this column by Senior Editor Ding Gang of the state-controlled People’s Daily, American arms sales to democratic Taiwan undermine China’s sovereignty, and must be countered regardless of the financial losses to both the U.S. and China. For the China Daily, People’s Daily Senior Editor...

Does it take a collapsed superpower to recognize a declining one? In this analysis of the importance of the United States and the consequences of its diminishing influence, Gazeta columnist Semen Novoprudski examines why Russians have been demonizing America since the fall of the Soviet Union, and what earth’s leading nations must do now that the end of the ‘superpower era’ has arrived. For...

Update: For any of our readers on the East Coast, please feel free to comment and offer us feedback on your experience. ***************************************************************************** Update: CNN interviewed the vice mayor of Mineral who reported that the town hall has considerable damage to the roof (crumbling bricks) and she has felt 5 aftershocks. ************************************************** Update:...

Were the London riots just a hint of what is to come in the United States? Hafez al-Barghouty of the Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah in the Palestinian Territories writes that in the West, democracy is a thin veneer ‘without soul’ that cannot endure in the presence of scarcity, and that as prosperity diminishes, so will a way of life Americans take such pride in. For the Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah, Hafez al-Barghouty...

As a major holder of U.S. debt, Beijing is frustrated over its lack of leverage over U.S. monetary policy, since as the dollar depreciates, China’s dollar holdings lose value. But according to this editorial from China’s state-controlled Global Times, Beijing still has a card to play. This editorial suggests that unless the U.S. halts arms sales to democratic Taiwan, another issue it considers...

Is it possible that Michele Bachmann could be the next president of the United States? Columnist Levente Sitkei of Hungary’s Magyar Nemzet writes that while it might be said that President Obama – through no fault of his own – was in the wrong place at the wrong time, just the opposite could be true of Bachmann. Hinting at what might happen if the economy worsens and Bachmann wins, Sitkei...

While Germany is regarded as an axis power that has really confronted its behavior and activities during World War II, Japan is not. That is what makes this editorial from Japan’s Asahi Shimbun so eye-opening. According to Asahi, Japan’s failure to acknowledge and alter the organization of Japanese society since its defeat 66 years ago has led not only to economic crisis, but the post-tsunami nuclear...

Is it time for a full-throated reform of our ‘current economic model’? This editorial from Mexico’s La Jornada expresses just as much derision for America’s current economic policies as any Tea Party member – but comes to dramatically different conclusions. The La Jornada editorial says in part: In the best case, warnings by economic specialists about the beginning of a deceleration...

Have the United States and the West hit such a dead end in terms of economic policy that war, as a way of economic recovery, is inevitable? Columnist K. Selim of Algeria’s Le Quotidien d’Oran warns his readers that given the dire economic state of the world and America’s huge military, it is time to prepare for a new world war. For the Le Quotidien d’Oran, K. Selim writes in part: The colossal...

Which is worse: the debt crisis and partisan bickering in the United States, or the debt crisis and dysfunctional confluence of national political systems in Europe? This editorial from Brazil’s O Globo asserts that despite the dark clouds over America, Europe lacks the historic dynamism and resilience repeatedly demonstrated by America. The O Globo editorial says in part: Although the wrestling match...

Anna Hazare, 73, is no ordinary social activist. Hazare has emerged as a sort of national hero battling against the government that has been reeling under mind-boggling corruption scandals. An Indian government attempt to head off a political crisis by arresting him appeared to backfire Tuesday when parliament’s opposition members walked out and demonstrations broke out across the country. See here… (UPDATE:...

When it comes to social media, are officials in the United States once again following a policy of ‘do as we say, not as we do’? La Stampa columnist Juan Carlos De Martin warns U.S. and British officials that shutting down cell phone service and social media to prevent protest is precisely what the Chinas and Irans of the world are hoping for. For Italy’s La Stampa, Juan Carlos De Martin writes...

What will become of Iraq when U.S. forces leave at the end of this year? Is the current Iraqi government capable of dealing with life on its own? And if not, what should Iraqis do about it? Columnist Atheer Al Katib of Iraq’s Kitabat newspaper admonishes his readers to begin a great debate about what kind of government – and what kind of country – they want. For Iraq’s Kitabat, Atheer...

I am sure we’re all enjoying our weekends and there is no reason not to continue to do so. It is worth remembering that 50 years ago today was the start of the Berlin Wall. It is also worth celebrating that the wall no longer exists. I just finished reading an excellent book on the topic and suggest it to anyone interested in the topic. In Berlin 1961 we see how the wall was just one part of a much more...

When I wrote about June’s New Hampshire debate, I wrote that answering the question of what I want in a candidate has two parts: first, the policy part, and second, the competency part. Neither takes precedence over the other in any absolute way, but I defined the competency piece as going “…to overall experience, dedication, integrity, sincerity, thoughtfulness, consistency and respect for...

Here’s a truism that Americans need to better absorb: U.S. policy is global in impact and is the concern of a good portion of the world’s inhabitants. And here’s another truism: a lot of people out there are deeply frustrated because they can’t vote, so they intend to do everything in their power to liberate themselves from U.S. influence. But as this column by Maksim Blant of Russia’s...

The shocking statistics about Black family income released by the Pew Research center have not only caught the attention of Americans. For Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza, columnist Mariusz Zawadzki writes with surprise that all the gains of the civil rights movement seem to have been either lost or diminished in the span of the last few years. For the Gazeta Wyborcza, Mariusz Zawadzki writes in part: Lincoln,...

Did you know that this is actually the third GOP primary debate? Well, if you like following live-blogs while eating popcorn and watching politicians try to win us over, then you will love the action tonight as conservative pundit Emily Zanotti (aka American Princess) and I live-blog tonight’s Republican presidential primary debate. Though the candidates will be in Iowa, we’ll be following and commenting...