For decades France ignored its presidents’ private lives, but the ascension of Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni, has turned that tradition on its head. Will rumors of infidelity, secret marriage contracts, and illegal wiretaps derail Sarkozy’s presidency? And is any of it true?
Read more
President Barack Obama, his family, and his team of experts bring a welcome dose of fresh vitality to the White House. As the hard work begins, Maureen Orth assesses a moment and a movement.
Read more
Just months after his May 2007 election, French president Nicolas Sarkozy faced growing criticism over his stalled reforms, flashy style, and stormy divorce. The last straw should have been his whirlwind remarriage, to an Italian heiress, ex-model, and singer who had past liaisons with Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton, among others, and nude photos all over the Internet. But the lady in question, Carla Bruni, is proving an unexpected asset. At the Élysée Palace, Maureen Orth encounters a pair of romantic predators who appear to have met their matches.
Read more
Vladimir Putin, Russia’s new president, won the admiration of his people for his iron grasp on power. Then came the Kursk submarine crisis. Will the Kremlin’s mystery man be able to rein in a massively corrupt oligarchy, or will he wake the ghost of Stalin?
Read more
Argentineans have always had a fatal weakness for charisma. And in their president from 1989 to 1999, they had the glitziest crowd pleaser since Evita. Maureen Orth reports for Vanity Fair from Buenos Aires about the Arab leader of a Catholic country, and his double political tango with the rich elite and the descamisados.
Read more