Sonia, electable?

This week the American media converged on 8216;8216;electability8217;8217; as the defining idea in the presidential race. And the ECONOM...

This week the American media converged on 8216;8216;electability8217;8217; as the defining idea in the presidential race. And the ECONOMIST explained why the whole world must applaud American Democrats for coming 8216;8216;to their senses8217;8217;.

Both TIME and NEWSWEEK identified electability as the consideration uppermost in the mind of the primary voters. This was the week when John Kerry raced ahead of his rival for the Democratic nomination. Howard Dean has not minced his opposition to Bush8217;s war in Iraq and takes angry stands on issues; Kerry has an aloof image and supported the 2002 resolution authorising war in Iraq. Once again, said TIME, the voters had flirted with the insurgent and snuggled up to the safe, steady guy.

In Britain, the ECONOMIST suggested that not just America, but the whole world would gain from this new turn. Because Bush had also made mistakes which affect people well beyond America8217;s borders. And because it would be a keener contest now that Democrats have shifted from loathing Bush to 8216;8216;appraising realistic alternatives to him8217;8217;.

The magazine took time out to wonder about the electability of Sonia Gandhi. It8217;s all a question of branding, according to the ECONOMIST. It identified the problems with Brand Sonia: She has failed to look like an effective leader. Remains shielded from public exposure. The Family may have lost its resonance with a new generation of middle-class voters. And though she is doing new things now, 8216;8216;time is short for image-transformation 8212; especially when the marketability of the basic brand is in doubt8217;8217;.

Musharraf8217;s choice

PERVEZ MUSHARRAF told NEWSWEEK8217;s Lally Weymouth that 8216;8216;we have been playing this blame game in the past, but let8217;s leave it to the past8217;8217;. She was grilling him on the 8216;8216;freedom struggle8217;8217; in Kashmir at Davos and the generally verbose Musharraf was refusing to be drawn.

But Pakistan8217;s General remains pinned in the international gaze. The NEW YORK TIMES and the WASHINGTON POST are monitoring the investigations into the sale of the nation8217;s nuclear technology to Iran. Last week Musharraf said 8216;8216;some individuals8217;8217; may have done it. This week, the NYT reported from Islamabad that investigations now focus on the Father of Pakistan8217;s Bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan. The American media is framing pointed questions: Does the Pakistani government have the will to bring charges against its national hero? Could any scientist have removed hardware behind the back of the government and the army?

The Bush administration is engaged in a 8216;8216;delicate series of exchanges with Pakistan8217;8217;, said the NYT. And Musharraf may be confronting one of the 8216;8216;most treacherous tasks8217;8217; since reversing Pakistan8217;s support to the Taliban: The situation highlights the 8216;8216;central split8217;8217; in Pakistan since the country8217;s birth 8212; civilians versus soldiers.

Movies of us

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AND from Ramallah, news of the first-ever Ramallah International Film Festival, to be held this April. The Palestinian and Italian organisers are grappling with the logistical challenges of bringing a large festival into the heart of Palestinian territories. Then, there8217;s the matter of 8216;8216;social responsibility8217;8217;.

The festival won8217;t stop at showing films, they told Egypt8217;s AL AHRAM WEEKLY. It will also hold a national screenplay competition. Every candidate is required to write a story, which, if selected, could be developed into a script. The theme: the moment I grew up. The contest has already involved about 40,000 young people, aged 16-18, from 800 schools in the 17 Palestinian districts.

Will the fest double up as a peace platform? Organisers told the WEEKLY the films will be from Europe and Arab countries only, the Israelis aren8217;t invited. Because 8216;8216;there8217;s nothing easier than bringing an Israeli and a Palestinian boy together to shake hands and smile at each other8217;8217;. Because 8216;8216;this relationship doesn8217;t exist, normally8217;8217;.

As the organisers negotiate the questions and the closures, the festival has already let loose a powerful opening image: of 40,000 Palestinian school children, putting finishing touches to their own stories.