November/December 2010

We close out 2010 at World Affairs with an issue rich in observation and insight that offers clarity, caution, and even some cause for optimism in an era that has grown used to peering into the abyss.In the optimism department, New York Times diplomatic correspondent Helene Cooper reports on the remarkable rise and rule of Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who is seeking her second term in office. This take-charge Iron Lady, who ventures where no woman has tread before in patriarchal Africa, has delivered Liberia from the brink of the collapse brought on by her infamous predecessors—the likes of Doe and Taylor—and their infamous episodes of plunder. Let’s hope her employers keep her in office long enough for her to complete her work. ... Read More