The CEO's new office
The mayor of New York City? A businessman. The governor of California? A showbusinessman. The prime minister of Italy? A media tycoon.
Anamoly or trend?
An article in Tuesday's New York Times about the effect of big business on Russia's upcoming parliamentary elections says business executives could win more than 20 percent of Parliament's 450 seats. Another 40 percent could end up in the hands of what are called 'hidden lobbyists,' candidates supported by businesses to protect the interests of specific industries.
An article in today's Times reports that three Rwandan news media executives were convicted of genocide for inciting a killing spree by machete-wielding gangs who slaughtered about 800,000 Tutsis in neighboring Rwanda in early 1994.
The backroom power of business in politics is well-known. But have businessmen taken the next logical step, swapping the corner office for political office? When media executives are being convicted of genocide, it gives one, as they say, pause.