What can we expect on the international front in 2011?
“Politically speaking, not a lot changed and not a lot was solved in 2010. Economic hard times, disappointment with an underachieving Barack Obama, the familiar bloody slog in Afghanistan, lack of progress on climate change, sabre-rattling in east Asia and stalemate in the Middle East made it a year many will be happy to forget. But because so many problems will carry over, 2010 was also a year of living dangerously. It ends with the uncomfortable thought: that was bad, but 2011 could be worse.”
This is the introduction to an article in today’s “Guardian” on what we can expect in 2011. I noted particularly the warning about the Lebanon since, in the Spring, I will be visiting Syria and Lebanon.