From the drabness of a socialist command economy, Poland has burst into a sophisticated consumer culture in less than a decade.
Economy
The Middle Class Malaise
The closest I came to becoming a socialist was when I was a teenager growing up in the U.S. Midwest in the 1980s. I first had to move to Russia to grasp the folly of socialism and reclaim my middle-class roots.
Beetlemania Comes Home
“The Beetle has as many shortcomings as a dog has fleas,” Volkswagen executive Carl Nordhoff once joked. “But who would think of getting rid of his dog because of that?”
Afghanistan’s Emerald Heights
Fifteen years ago, the blasts in this Afghan valley could have come from Soviet jets targeting mujahideen hideouts. Today the quarry is emeralds.
Afghans Flooded with Confusing Currency
Abdul Qadir waits for business in his spartan subterranean office. Anywhere else, Qadir would work behind a computer in an anonymous cubicle. But here, Qadir buys and sells his dollars with a handshake and a smile.
Putin vs. Putin
Vladimir Putin is campaigning in a large part against himself – with all the contradictions and pitfalls that entails.
