| The source of Jordan’s river of discontent Posted: 11 Jun 2018 12:56 PM PDT ![The source of Jordan's river of discontent]( "The source of Jordan's river of discontent") In an interview last year, King Abdullah of Jordan admitted he can do only so much to end a deep cultural practice known in Arabic as wasta. One in 3 Jordanians, for example, works for the government, plum work often gained through favoritism, such as a tribal connection or even bribery. For nearly a week, tens of thousands of Jordanians took to the streets in protests that, while initially focused on economic issues such as a proposed income tax, ended up venting public frustration with wasta and the lack of a meritocracy in business and government.
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| Why Trump fans largely shrug off president's 'authoritarian' talk Posted: 11 Jun 2018 12:37 PM PDT ![Why Trump fans largely shrug off president's 'authoritarian' talk]( "Why Trump fans largely shrug off president's 'authoritarian' talk") Tending to his garden shop that's brimming with bright marigolds and purple petunias, John Young has some choice words when it comes to President Trump and the ongoing Mueller investigation. "I really believe the Russia thing will end up being nothing," Mrs. Young says firmly. In this picturesque southern New Hampshire town, where 53 percent cast ballots for Trump in 2016, some Republican voters express unease with the president's brash – critics would say authoritarian – rhetoric about the unconstitutionality of the special counsel or his ability to pardon himself.
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| A newly populist Italy tests Europe's bonds Posted: 11 Jun 2018 12:32 PM PDT ![A newly populist Italy tests Europe's bonds]( "A newly populist Italy tests Europe's bonds") The European Union, the alliance of nearly 30 countries stretching across the continent, is facing its most serious political crisis for years. Both issues will surely figure at an EU summit this month hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, not least because the Trump administration followed its broadside on the G7 host nation, Canada, with a further hint at possible new tariffs on Germany's car exporters. Instead, the key danger signal comes from Italy, where a combination of economic stagnation and the influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees in the past few years has led to a new, unabashedly Euroskeptic government.
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| On sidelines of two-man summit, North Korea’s neighbors watch carefully Posted: 11 Jun 2018 10:25 AM PDT ![On sidelines of two-man summit, North Korea's neighbors watch carefully]( "On sidelines of two-man summit, North Korea's neighbors watch carefully") When Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe flew to Washington last week, he delivered an urgent message to President Trump ahead of tomorrow's unprecedented US-North Korea summit: Don't forget about us. For Mr. Abe, the visit was a last-ditch attempt to ensure that any deal Mr. Trump reaches with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un doesn't harm Japan's interests. China, South Korea, and Russia have all tried to influence the strong-headed leaders before they sit down together for the first time.
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