SPECIAL ISSUE | ISSUES 2009
A Guide for the Next American President
Newsweek's 10th year-end Special Edition, produced in cooperation with the World Economic Forum, speaks to this very question: how to fix the world. The upcoming Forum meeting in Davos will have a similar organizing principle. In this issue, as at Davos, we have assembled a collection of top politicians, thinkers, activists and writers from around the globe to help President Obama navigate the tricky waters that lie ahead.
ENERGY
America's overreliance on petroleum is the source of all its energy problems.
THE ECONOMY
More government is the solution, not the problem, and key to solving world poverty.
THE ECONOMY
Economic growth will depend on quirky entrepreneurs, not incumbent corporations.
THE ECONOMY
To ensure global prosperity, President Obama must reignite Americans' belief in free markets.
THE ECONOMY
Politicians should embrace the potential of science to create a new green revolution.
THE ECONOMY
A broader array of nations needs to unite around finance, energy and the environment.
CULTURE
Watching movies may be no substitute for high school. But even bad films have plenty to teach.
GREAT POWERS
China is ready to become a good citizen— but on its own terms.
GREAT POWERS
Russia and the United States must work together in a multipolar world.
GREAT POWERS
Only unified can the West defend itself. But first it must heal the transatlantic rift.
THE MIDDLE EAST
The best way to stabilize Iraq is by helping its economy. And if America doesn't, others will.
THE MIDDLE EAST
Imagine a world where all females, in the East and the West, were treated as equals.
CULTURE
America's boutique architecture firms mix avant-garde designs with local color.
CULTURE
Classical music can't bring about world peace. But it can promote empathy and solidarity.
THE BIG IDEA
Did Bush's own innocence and incompetence drive his missteps? Or was he manipulated into his bad choices?
ENERGY
Natural gas—cheap, clean and readily available—holds the key to lasting change.
ENERGY
The best way to steer growth in the right direction is to put a value on carbon emissions.
ENERGY
The federal government must create financial incentives for electric and plug-in hybrid cars.
ENERGY
A 20 percent improvement in energy efficiency is possible with technology that exists right now.
ENERGY
We need a global technology center to find ways of capturing and burying greenhouse gases.
THE ECONOMY
A 'made in the U.S.A.' financial crisis highlights the need for more global—and more robust—oversight.
GREAT POWERS
The single biggest challenge for the new president will be to get Beijing to play by the rules. Here's how.
AMERICA AND ITS IMAGE
Foreign policy requires adult supervision. That's just what the Obama administration is likely to provide.
GREAT POWERS
India increasingly thinks like a great power. The trick is encouraging it to behave like one.
GREAT POWERS
Fixing relations with Russia will take undoing a dozen years of Western missteps.
THE MIDDLE EAST
The best strategy for a critical region is to withdraw the troops and return to balance-of-power politics.
GREAT POWERS
The U.S.-India pact has been hailed as a triumph. It was just the opposite.
THE MIDDLE EAST
U.S. policy toward Iran has failed —yet it's not too late to block the Persian bomb.
AMERICA AND ITS IMAGE
Both candidates ran against him. But on a few issues they'd do well to follow W.
THE MIDDLE EAST
Victory there won't look like you think. Time to get out and give up on nation building.
THE MIDDLE EAST
The best way to fight radicalism is to empower Muslim women worldwide.
CULTURE
America should aim to export more serious forms of entertainment as well as 'Dark Knight' and 'Baywatch.'
ISSUES 2009
Today's problems ignore national boundaries. The world needs smart management that does the same.
CULTURE
America's true sartorial heritage is simplicity, not sloppiness. It's time to lose the fanny packs.
AMERICA AND ITS IMAGE
Bush gave democracy promotion a bad name. The next administration has to get it right.
Global Tour
How creeping protectionism could undermine recovery plans.
ISSUES 2009
The United States should exploit this resource by making it safe, reliable and transparent.
ISSUES 2009
Developing nations will bear the brunt of global warming. Public-private partnerships can help.
ENERGY
Overshadowed by the economic headlines, serious climate trouble looms ahead.
AMERICA AND ITS IMAGE
Recognizing that America can't go it alone is the best way to boost the country's standing.
GLOBAL AGENDA
Five leading foreign-policy experts offer their recommendations on dealing with some of the world's most difficult and pressing challenges.
- This one is for The Boss Joe Girardi on the Yankees’ 27th World Series titleNYDN
- We want our Taliban brothers and all others to come back and join with us President KarzaiAP
- It’s a detriment to democracy NY GOP official on conservatives rejecting their candidateNYT
- I did it with a lot of pain. Abdullah, on quitting the Afghan runoff NYT
- Somewhere these people have to be hidden out Clinton on Al Qaeda strongholds in PakistanAP