http://www.newsweek.com/id/171248

The Problem Is Politics. Contributor Shekhar Gupta writes that given itshapless response to the deadly attacks in Mumbai, India these days is oftencastigated by critics as a state that has "neither the spine nor the skills tofight threats to its people-or to its very existence." In fact, untilrecently the opposite was true. For decades it used the strongest of methodsto squash internal threats, and terrorists were often met with great resolve,either killed or arrested before they had achieved their objectives. Yet inthe past two years, India has lost more lives to terrorism than any othercountry but Iraq. This is due to the distorted politics of the past decade.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/171320

INTERVIEW: German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Steinmeierdiscusses German troop engagements in Afghanistan, Russia's recent aggressionand the global financial crisis. He says Germany doesn't aspire to play therole of middleman between Russia and the rest of Europe. "Together with ourEuropean partners we showed a strong and outspoken response to Russia's rolein the conflict in Georgia. I think Europe's united voice no doubt contributedto the military conflict ending. Now the stabilization of the region as awhole has to continue, and for genuine stability we need Russian cooperation."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/171309

Adam Smith's Return. European Economics Correspondent Stefan Theil reportsthat after decades of American support for the free movement of goods,services and capital around the world, the tables appear to have turned.Nowhere has public backing for free trade been shrinking as rapidly as in theUnited States. Fears that international trade could be the next casualty ofthe economic crisis have some of America's closest allies seriously worried.Already, canceled orders have sunk shipping rates to 21-year lows. Nowleaders are especially nervous over incoming U.S. President Barack Obama'scampaign suggestions that he would review the North American Free TradeAgreement and put America's other trade deals back on the negotiating table.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/171314

Rule by The Dead. Tokyo Bureau Chief Christian Caryl and SpecialCorrespondent B.J. Lee report that the uncertainty about the health of NorthKorea's Kim Jung Il has experts predicting the regime's collapse, saying theend of the Kim dynasty will bring radical change to North Korea. But it turnsout that few hardened Korea watchers expect the Hermit Kingdom to transformitself soon, even if Kim dies. Moon Jong In, a former adviser to two SouthKorean presidents and a professor at Seoul's Yonsei University, is convincedthat Kim's underlings will keep the place running smoothly if their bossexpires. Moon argues that Kim's confederates are savvy, well informed andentirely capable of adapting.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/171307

Sharks in The Water. Chief Foreign Correspondent Rod Nordland reports thatin the last year, Somalia's pirates have attacked 120 vessels in the Gulf ofAden, choking commerce in a critical shipping lane (the transit route for 20percent of the world's oil), blocking aid supplies and driving up transportcosts. He reports that one way to stop such attacks is to restore the rule oflaw to Somalia, which would be hard to implement. The other is to blockade thecountry. The last few weeks have shown how hard it will be to defeat thepirates on the high seas, which seems like the international community'sapproach. And Somalia's seaborne bandits are making a mockery of all effortsto stop them.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/171315

Wanted: A New Grand Strategy. Fareed Zakaria argues that before lastweek's terror attacks in India, the subject of foreign policy had disappeared,overshadowed by the economic crisis. For foreign policy to receive theappropriate attention, we must hope that President Obama "does more thanselect a good team, delegate well and react intelligently to the problems thathe will confront. He must have his administration build a broader frameworkthrough which to view the world and America's relations with it-a grandstrategy." This is a rare moment in history, when a more responsive Americacould help bring stability, prosperity and dignity to the lives of billions ofpeople.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/171249

Why Barriers Don't Matter. Special Correspondent Barrett Sheridan reportsthat while a clear majority of global leaders, pundits and economists thinkmore free trade is part of the solution to the global crisis, it's not at allclear that a new free-trade pact would make much difference. A growing chorusof economists argues that since trade barriers are already at all-time lows,cutting a few more percentage points from already-low tariff levels won't addmuch to global prosperity. To many, this is a heretical notion, but theminority are winning converts.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/171310

WORLD VIEW: Dehli's Three Fatal Flaws. Sumit Ganguly, the director ofresearch at the Center on American and Global Security at Indiana University,writes that the tragedy in Mumbai may have finally focused world attention onIndia's terror problem, but the crisis is nothing new. India's government hasexpressed sympathy for the victims, but has failed to forge a coherentstrategy. "New Delhi's ineptitude has been evident in three key areas.First, Indian authorities have failed to convince the world that their countryis a major victim of terror-despite statistics showing that it ranks secondonly to Iraq in terms of casualties. Second, they haven't made theinstitutional and organizational changes necessary or expended enoughresources to tackle the problem on a war footing. And finally, India'sgovernment has (at least until recently) remained in denial about the factthat the terror problem has shifted, become at least partially homegrown."http://www.newsweek.com/id/171318

THE LAST WORD: Al Gore, former vice president of the United States. Goretells Fareed Zakaria that whatever assistance the auto industry gets "shouldbe focused on speeding the changes that are absolutely essential to ensurethat our companies are competitive in the global marketplace."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/171252

SOURCE Newsweek