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MARCH 2011

Arab League Envoy
Wonders What’s Next
For His Beloved Egypt

By Larry Luxner

Like millions of his fellow Egyptians, Hussein Hassouna, head of the Arab League office in Washington, could hardly contain his joy when the longest-serving dictator in modern Egyptian history was ousted by a popular insurrection that’s redefining the Arab world. Read More

Also See: Egyptian Revolution Resurrects Debate
Over Islam vs. Democracy
Also See: Tunisians: Don’t Forget About Us

Photo of Hussein Hassouna taken at the Washington office of the Arab League by Lawrence Ruggeri.

Politics

Belarus: Back to Square One
With Europe’s Last Dictator

Arab dictatorships are teetering on the brink, but elsewhere, Belarus — Europe’s very own dictatorship — has only slid further into the authoritarian abyss, turning its back on reform and outreach to the West. Read More

Also See: Fighting Lukashenko:One Woman’s Story

International Affairs

From Shoo-in Election to Gay-Bashing, Uganda on the Defensive

Uganda prides itself as a democratic beacon of stability, yet its president has clung to power for 25 years and is accused of using security as a pretext to silence abuses at home. Read More

Medical

Brewing National Emergency:
Drug Shortage Endangers Patients

A national prescription drug shortage is putting many hospitals and pharmacies in a daily state of crisis management, forcing patients to make do with less and hope for the best. Read More

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March 2011 Special Section

• Homeowners’ Hopes Sink With Plunging Values

• Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights Prosper

People of World Influence

Women’s Rights Advocate Hasn’t Shied From Criticizing Islam

By Michael Coleman

In the decade since Somali-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali denounced her Muslim faith and began inflaming the Islamic world with her incendiary public condemnations of the religion, the former Dutch Parliament member’s rhetoric hasn’t cooled. If anything, she’s thrown more verbal fuel on the fire. Read More

Diplomacy

America’s Foreign Affairs Budget
Faces Congressional Chopping Block

by Rachael Bade and Anna Gawel

With Congress pledging to gut billions of dollars in government spending, America’s foreign affairs budget is in serious jeopardy, just as its Foreign Service finally seems to be coming into its own. Read More

Also See: QDDR: Review and Revamp, But Save

Culture Art and Entertainment