The World Next Week: France Votes, Malawi Mourns, and the Chernobyl Anniversary Follow Earth Day
By experts and staff
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By James M. LindsayMary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy
The World Next Week podcast is up. Bob McMahon and I discussed the presidential elections in France; Malawian president Bingu wa Mutharika’s funeral; the twenty-sixth anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster; and Earth Day.
The highlights:
For more on the topics we discussed in the podcast check out:
France’s Presidential Election. The BBC profiles all the candidates. The Economist has a videographic guide to the election. Maïa de la Baume and Steven Erlanger of the New York Times write that “sound and fury from the Left” is one of the election’s biggest stories. Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign was partially funded by Muammar al-Qaddafi. Time has an extensive interview with Francois Hollande. Sarkozy is suffering campaign defections and falling poll numbers. Immigration is the issue that gets Marine Le Pen’s supporters going .
Bingu wa Mutharika’s Funeral. The Guardian has Mutharika’s obituary. Reuters reports that Malawi paid the price for its “Economist in Chief’s” ego. Four heads of state will attend the funeral. Thousands in Zimbabwe mourn Mutharika’s death. AllAfrica.com thinks that Malawi is falling apart “politically and economically,” looks at what Joyce Banda’s succession means for Malawi, and reviews the problems Mutharika left behind. According to the World Bank, GDP per capita rose during Mutharika’s time in office.
The Chernobyl Disaster and Nuclear Power. The United States Regulatory Commission has a backgrounder on Chernobyl and a fact sheet on the risks of nuclear reactors. The Huffington Post has photos of the destruction the disaster caused. The International Atomic Energy Agency has an interactive guide on the incident. The World Health Organization analyzes the health effects of the Chernobyl accident. After the Fukushima disaster, Japan is divided over nuclear power. The Economist asks if nuclear power is the “dream that failed.” An inter-disciplinary faculty group at MIT asks if nuclear power is the future.
Earth Day. The Environmental Protection Agency has an official website for Earth Day. The Earth Day Network has compiled a list of Earth Day events. Robert Nelson thinks that environmentalism has become a new religion. Joel Achenbach argues that we should treat Earth like a spaceship.