THE QUESTION

How would an Obrador victory effect Latin America? And how would the U.S. interact with a populist government running its second largest trade partner and second largest source of crude oil?

Posted by David Ignatius on June 29, 2006 10:00 AM

FROM THE PANEL

Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist. He was born in Jerusalem in 1955. Presently he is a visiting professor at Princeton University in the United States. Mr. Kuttab is the former director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al Quds University in Ramallah, Palestine and the founder of AmmanNet, the Arab world's first internet radio station. His personal web page is www.daoudkuttab.com

Mexico for the Poor or the Rich

The real fight today seems between those who are rich and work for the rich with the hope that by doing that they will also benefit the poor and those who are for the poor (while they themselves might be...

Daoud Kuttab Princeton, NJ | 0 COMMENTS
Jul 2, 2006 at 5:01 AM
Leon Krauze is a Mexican blogger and a founder of letraslibres.com.

Mexico at the Crossroads

Mexico City, Mexico -- July 2 is truly Mexico's appointment with history. Its presidential elections will determine the country's path in the 21st century. The right choice, for those who can appreciate it, is clear. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador represents...

Leon Krauze Mexico | 55 COMMENTS
Jul 1, 2006 at 12:00 PM
Miklós Vámos is a Hungarian novelist, screenwriter and talk show host. He is one of the most read and respected writers in his native Hungary. He has taught at Yale University on a Fulbright fellowship, served as The Nation’s East European correspondent, worked as consultant on the Oscar-winning film Mephisto, and presented Hungary’s most-watched cultural television show. Vámos has received numerous awards for his plays, screenplays, novels and short stories, including the Hungarian Merit Award for lifetime achievement. The Book of Fathers is considered his most accomplished novel and has sold 200,000 copies in Hungary.

Trader, Subsidizer, Revolutionary? Doesn't Matter

Budapest, Hungary -- For the White House, the result of the Mexican election can't be as good as it is hoped or as bad as it is feared. So here's my message to anybody in the U.S. administration who happens...

Miklos Vamos Budapest, Hungary | 16 COMMENTS
Jul 1, 2006 at 11:30 AM
Dr. Ali Ettefagh serves as a director of Highmore Global Corporation, an investment company in emerging markets of Eastern Europe, CIS, and the Middle East. He is the co-author of several books on trade conflict, resolution of international trade disputes, conflicts in letters of credit, trade-related banking transactions, sovereign debt, arbitration and dispute resolutions and publications specific to the oil and gas, communication, aviation and finance sectors. Dr. Ettefagh is a member of the executive committee and the board of directors of The Development Foundation, an advisor to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and an advisor to a number of European companies. Dr. Ettefagh speaks Persian (Farsi), English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Turkish.

Markets Vote Separately

Tehran, Iran -- Election promises in Mexico are a reminder that democratic debate has given way to the marketing of fear. In turn, empty one-liners have replaced doctrines, platforms and serious business plans. However, there is no ideological alternative to...

Ali Ettefagh Tehran, Iran | 2 COMMENTS
Jul 1, 2006 at 11:00 AM
Ibsen Martínez is a Venezuelan playwright and novelist. A former telenovela writer based in Caracas, he is now a freelance writer and regular contributor to a number of newspapers, magazines and websites in both Spanish and English. He writes a weekly column for the Caracas daily "Tal Cual." Spanish language newspapers such as Madrid's "El País" and "ABC" as well as Buenos Aires's "La Nación" run his articles on a regular basis. His essays on literary and political subjects have appeared in prestigious magazines such as "La Nouvelle Revue Françoise", Mexico's " Letras Libres", Washington's "Foreign Policy" and The Washington Post's "Outlook" magazine. He also writes a monthly column on Latin American economic issues for the Liberty Fund's website, "Econlib Library (www.econlib.org).

Lopez Obrador: Mexico's Willie Stark?

Caracas, Venezuela -- Despite his inflamed campaign rhetoric, Lopez Obrador is both a populist and a mainline PRI politician, so don't expect his electoral victory to affect the rest of Latin America in any decisive way....

Ibsen Martinez Venezuela | 10 COMMENTS
Jun 30, 2006 at 10:00 AM
Christine Ockrent is regarded as one of France's most respected broadcasters, the only journalist granted an interview with Saddam Hussein in the middle of the Gulf War. As well as becoming the first woman to anchor and edit the prime time news, Christine has also edited the current affairs journal L'Express, worked as the deputy director-general of France's TF1 channel and presented the country's flagship magazine and program on French and European politics, France-Europe Express. She also anchors a monthly program on international affairs on TV5Monde.

The Right Mix for Mexico

Paris, France -- If every election in countries where there is a widening gap between the rich and the poor is labeled as a choice between "populism" and "markets", democracy is bound to fail. Only by promoting policies to improve...

Christine Ockrent Paris, France | 8 COMMENTS
Jun 30, 2006 at 9:45 AM

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