| Venezuela power struggle: a play for time ... and military's support Posted: 29 Jan 2019 01:56 PM PST ![Venezuela power struggle: a play for time ... and military's support]( "Venezuela power struggle: a play for time ... and military's support") Once Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó declared himself the country's legitimate president last week, he set a clock ticking. The longer Venezuela's embattled leftist President Nicolás Maduro is able to defy the clock and retain his office, regional experts say, the better his chances of fending off this latest challenge and clinging to power. Mr. Guaidó, who just a few weeks ago was not widely known even in his own country, knows time is of the essence and is calling for massive national demonstrations Wednesday, and especially Saturday, to keep building public pressure on Mr. Maduro to step down.
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| Rebuilding Syria: Why Arabs and the West are on a collision course Posted: 29 Jan 2019 11:50 AM PST ![Rebuilding Syria: Why Arabs and the West are on a collision course]( "Rebuilding Syria: Why Arabs and the West are on a collision course") The United States and its Arab allies are on a collision course over the reconstruction of Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad, bolstered by Russia and Iran, has emerged the victor in a devastating civil war. With lucrative contracts on the line, Gulf states are lobbying Washington and Brussels to loosen sanctions and not ensnare Arab companies and investors looking to rebuild their neighbor. Arab world moving to bring Damascus back into the fold.
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| When anti-corruption protests succeed Posted: 29 Jan 2019 11:22 AM PST ![When anti-corruption protests succeed]( "When anti-corruption protests succeed") In its latest survey of 180 countries by levels of corruption, Transparency International tried something different. For the first time, the global watchdog group measured links between public-sector corruption and each country's basic freedoms, rule of law, and democracy. In recent weeks, the world has witnessed mass protests in two of the most-corrupt countries, Sudan and Venezuela, which are also among the most nondemocratic.
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