When Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim took office, even his own supporters doubted that he could tackle much-needed reforms. But they expected to see at least some of the changes he had promised during his years in opposition. Slightly more than a year into Anwar’s term, however, he has scant progress to show on any front.
A Hong Kong court ruled last week that the largest indebted property developer in the world, Evergrande, would be liquidated. The ruling opened up a slew of larger questions about the future of the Chinese economy, especially the relationships between the central government, local governments, the private sector and households.
Last week’s defeat of a controversial amnesty measure underscores the difficulties facing Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Having deftly engineered an improbable return to office after last year’s elections, Sanchez now finds himself at the head of a coalition even more unruly than his previous complex, multiparty alliance.
