The week ahead

tauringhuang.

Aug 10th 2008
From Economist.com

In search of a resolution to the war in Georgia, and other news

reuters
• RUSSIA and Georgia have agreed to form humanitarian corridors to arrange for the evacuation of civilians caught up in fighting in South Ossetia. Amid ongoing uncertainty, Georiga now says that it has withdrawn troops from South Ossetia, where they had been battling Russian soldiers. The coming days will see whether the conflict is snuffed out quickly, or whether further escalation is likely.

• PARTIES that make up Pakistan’s ruling coalition are set to launch impeachment proceedings against President Pervez Musharraf when parliament convenes on Monday August 11th. Mr Musharraf, who has presided over an economic meltdown and a growing Taliban insurgency in the north-west of the country, faces a vote of no confidence. The ruling coalition says that Mr Musharraf acted unconstitutionally by declaring a state of emergency last November and dismissing nearly 60 judges. But it is far from clear if his opponents can muster the two-thirds majority in the upper and lower houses needed to remove Mr Musharraf from office.

For background see article

• THE parlous state of Europe's economy will become apparent when GDP figures for the euro area are released on Thursday August 14th. Worsening economic conditions in France, Germany, Spain and Italy are likely to have cuased a contraction in the second quarter of 2008 after steady growth in the previous three months. The impact of the strong euro, the credit crunch, ballooning prices for food and energy and a slowdown in other big economies have all taken their toll.

For background see article

• ANGELA MERKEL, Germany’s chancellor, travels to the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Friday August 15th for a meeting with Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s president, amid uncertainty about the conflict in Georgia. Subjects set for discussion have not been revealed, but the question of NATO membership for Ukraine has strained relations between Russia and countries in western Europe recently. Mr Medvedev is sure to remind the German leader of Europe’s strong dependence on Russian oil and gas.

For background see article

• AS NEGOTIATIONS to resolve the political crisis in Zimbabwe continue, the annual summit of the regional grouping, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), begins in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday August 16th. South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, is leading efforts to mediate some sort of power-sharing agreement between rivals in Zimbabwe. The political upheaval and economic collapse in that country are causing difficulties for the region as a whole, as refugees flock to neighbouring countries and investors and tourists grow worried about stability.

For background see article

To listen to a discussion of the news in the coming week click here