INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS: HIGHLIGHTS AND EXCLUSIVES, MARCH 24, 2008

COVER: Where Is Jose Bove? (Atlantic edition). European Economics Editor Stefan Theil reports that as Europe’s 13 million farmers see rising profits, many of the same agro activists, who once fought globalization and foreign food imports, are singing a very different tune. The German Farmers’ Union, a well-connected lobbying organization whose functionaries long beat the same drum as the French for protection and subsidies, now says its members are eagerly embracing “global market freedom.” Its president, Bavarian pig farmer Gerd Sonnleitner, praises the new era of supply and demand as “a second emancipation of the serfs.” European farmers these days are seeking out new international markets for their products. Thanks to the global surge in the price of food and farm products, plus a series of important reforms to Europe’s 50-year-old subsidy system, market forces that haven’t been felt in ages are stirring in the continent’s fields, barns and meadows.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/123444

COVER: The Petraeus Generation. (Latin America edition). Baghdad Bureau Chief Babak Dehghanpisheh and Editor-At-Large Evan Thomas report on how Gen. David Petraeus has changed the way his officers think and the way the U.S. Army fights. “You can’t kill your way out of an insurgency,” Petraeus told Newsweek, in an interview in his Baghdad headquarters last month. The objective, he repeats over and over, is no longer to take a hill or storm a citadel, but to win over the people. Young officers have learned, often on their own, operating with unprecedented independence, the intricacies of Muslim cultures. Most recently, and hardest of all, they’ve had to reach out and ally themselves with men who have tried and often succeeded in killing their own soldiers. While the skills these American officers have gained are critical in murky conflicts like Iraq, they are not universally valued or trusted within the Pentagon. Petraeus has fought many battles with his bosses—including CENTCOM commander Adm. William Fallon, who resigned last week—over getting the resources needed to make his counterinsurgency strategy work. As his heirs move up the ranks, they will face similar struggles in the future.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/123475

COVER: To Hell and Back. (Pacific edition). Special Correspondent Lorien Holland and Hong Kong Bureau Chief George Wehrfritz report on Anwar Ibrahim’s second chance at leading Malaysia, now that he is a free man. Anwar is formally barred from holding office himself until April 15. Yet clearly, the rising fortunes of his party make him once again a potential prime minister. Thanks to widespread disgust with the lackluster performance of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, the three-party opposition more than quadrupled its presence in Parliament, and it now controls five of Malaysia’s 13 states.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/123451

Why Anger the Dragon? Special Correspondent Jonathan Adams reports that after eight years of corruption scandals, cross-strait tensions and poor economic performance, many Taiwanese feel it’s time for change. Both candidates in the upcoming vote on March 22—Kuomintang’s Ma Ying-jeou and his Democratic Progressive Party challenger, Frank Hsieh—have promised to open Taiwan’s economy to the giant next door and to take a more moderate tone with Beijing. But if the front–runner Ma, who is Hong Kong-born, triumphs over native son Hsieh, the voters’ message will be especially clear. By electing the first mainland-born leader since the end of Taiwan’s authoritarian era 20 years ago, locals will also have stepped away from the identity politics that have long divided this island.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/123442

Winning the Battle of Kosovo. Special Correspondent Michael Freedman reports that although Kosovo declared its independence on Feb 17 and has been recognized by nations such as the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Australia, Serbia is winning over the rest of the world. The vast majority of the United Nations’ 192 members have withheld recognition, either by silence or explicit rejection. Russia has not only rejected Kosovo’s independence, but has become Serbia’s proxy at the U.N. Security Council, vowing to veto any resolutions that would help clarify its status or grant Kosovo a seat at the United Nations itself. Now, in a move that is virtually unprecedented in diplomatic history, Serbia is trying to reverse Kosovo’s declaration of independence.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/123449

A Sharp Departure.  London Reporter William Underhil reports on The European Union’s plan to lure talented foreigners in an attempt to replenish its workforce. Over the last eight years, more than 10 million foreigners have immigrated to the European Union, plugging the gaps at the cheaper end of the labor market that an aging native population can no longer fill. Now, the European Commission wants to create a “blue card,” inspired by the U.S. “green card,” a renewable permit that would allow highly skilled workers and their families to move easily between member states and jobs. In time, cardholders would also qualify for permanent-resident status.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/123443

Not Just Made in China. Special Correspondent Jessica Au reports on the impressive new exhibit at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, “China Design Now,” which stylishly explores China’s rapidly evolving design culture and features the works of more than 100 of the most innovative Chinese designers, including animators and architects.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/123445

Not Just For Tree Huggers. National Correspondent Daniel McGinn reports on the red-hot market for green homes, despite the free fall in housing prices. In a 2007 survey by the National Association of Home Builders, home–buyers said they’d be willing to spend an additional $8,964 on a home if it could cut their utility bills.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/120128

WORLD VIEW: Stuck in the Iraq Loop. Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria writes that making sense of the current paradox in Iraq is critical. We are told that the surge in Iraq has worked brilliantly and violence is way down, yet “the plan to reduce troop levels—which was at the heart of the original surge strategy—must be postponed or all hell will once again break loose,” he writes. “In certain crucial ways things are not improving in Iraq, and unless they start improving soon, the United States faces the awful prospect of an unending peacekeeping operation—with continuing if limited causalities—for years to come.”

http://www.newsweek.com/id/123477

THE LAST WORD: Wangari Maathai. Activist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner speaks with Newsweek about the violence that broke out after Kenya’s December election and what it will take to heal the country. Maathai says that, “one of the longstanding issues in Kenya has been land distribution. Most of the young people who went out to displace their fellow Kenyans believed that this was an opportunity to take over their land,” she says. “We need the politicians to tell their people to stop attacking fellow Kenyans and instead wait for a peaceful resolution of the issues. This we hope will also facilitate the returning of the displaced persons back to their farms. But it will also be necessary for the government to provide security: the message that displaced people should go back to their farms has not yet been fully accepted.”

http://www.newsweek.com/id/123452

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