One Week Later...

Chavez bristles

In Chavez totters, we wrote that was a real possibility of government defeat in a referendum on a proposed constitutional reform in Venezuela.

• Last Wednesday, Chavez was back on the offensive after initially humbly accepting the Venezuelan opposition's victory.
• Chavez bristled at a local newspaper report saying he had conceded victory in the narrow vote on expanding his powers only after the military pressured him.
• The extent to which the referendum result reflects a rebalancing of political forces in the country is debatable, although Chavez is likely to emerge chastened from this defeat.

Romney declares faith

In Romney's quandary, we wrote that Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney faced a major strategic dilemma in deciding whether to publicly address the issue of his Mormon faith.

• Last week Romney bluntly declared his faith as a Mormon does not define his candidacy and would not control his presidency.
• On the other hand, Romney said he will never act as a spokesman for his faith, nor should he have to.

Castro clings on

In Is Cuba on the brink of change? we wrote that Fidel Castro may not appear on a list of candidates for elections to the country's National Assembly and provincial legislatures.

• But Castro was nominated as a candidate, signalling that the ailing leader is not yet ready to give up politics.
• While this gives him the option of returning to power, he is likely to continue to exert his influence behind the scenes.

Bosnia averts crisis

In Bother in Bosnia, we wrote a political crisis between divided communities may spiral out of control.

• But the country's Serb, Muslim and Croat leaders have agreed to internationally-backed parliamentary reforms, narrowly averting a political crisis.
• Bosnia has a history of reaching last-minute deals to keep political processes on track, which have a habit of unravelling over details later.

Political Masterstroke

The World Next WeekPolitical Masterstroke award goes to Mitt Romney. In recent weeks the Mormon issue had emerged as something of a liability to Romney's campaign -- especially in Iowa, the first state on the primary calendar. By calling for a greater role for religion in public life, Romney has dispensed with an unpleasant piece of business, and his promise of a greater role in public life for God was a full-on appeal to evangelical Christians who have balked at supporting him. 

Analytica™

Worthy of note, and news to us.

Bush writes to Kim

US President George Bush sends a letter to North Korea leader Kim Jong-il urging him to give details of the country's nuclear programme.

Paris bomb

A parcel bomb blast has killed one person and injured several others at law offices in Paris.

And finally…

South Africa sees a marked decrease in violent crime – but robberies are still on the rise.