Steve Chapman on the Depressing State of Global Affairs

Meteorologists know seasons are predictable. In the weather world, spring is always followed by summer. But as Steve Chapman observes, the political world is different. Spring can proceed to summer, or it can lead to a sudden onset of winter. That was the case this year in places ranging from Egypt to Syria to Russia, where reactionary forces returned or remained in power and the promise of a democratic spring was thwarted.