That may prevent the world economy from falling into recession.

As a result, the slide was halted, and the rebound was faster than forecasters expected.

But even this is almost surely better than a depression.

Skates now cut into the ice instead of gliding on top of it.

Is the world economy on the brink of recession?

Many Africans will fall back into desperate poverty.

The question is how to keep surveillance off the slippery slope to unaccountable snooping.

The bubble has now burst, and these economies are heading into a steep recession.

And Japan is already slipping back into recession because of the earthquake.

Circuit breakers are in place nowadays to prevent a 1929 style slide into disaster.

With American influence at low ebb, the world is in danger of sliding into a vicious cycle of escalating violence.

Assistance in economic, humanitarian or other fields may be provided at the request of a country to avoid slipping towards conflict.

The word lava comes from Italian, and is probably derived from the Latin word labes which means a fall or slide.

For, although the surge was important, two other factors played a critical role in bringing Iraq back from the brink.

On the verge of civil war, Iraq just announced a restructuring of its foreign debt.

Moreover, if peace prevents a slide into war, Hezbollah has another problem.

In my statement to the Council on the November report, I spoke about the risk of sliding back into lawlessness and anarchy.

But, above all, he has tried hard to secure Republican support for his efforts to prevent the economy from disappearing into a deep recessionary hole.

It is certainly in Russia s national interest to prevent chaos in the country s big next door neighbor.

The aid that Ethiopia receives from its friends may be a small price to pay to keep Africa s second largest country from descending into chaos.

But this is the most painful way out, and it generates intense social and political instability.

As early as October 2008, when the crisis first hit, China s government adopted a comprehensive policy package designed to prevent the economy from sliding further.

But many developing countries have just emerged from being overburdened with debt they do not want to go through that again.

If an imposed solution fails, the entire region will begin to slip into a dangerous confrontation during the first years of Barack Obama s presidency.

PARIS With the deepening of the economic crisis and the prospect of another recession looming large on the horizon, growing social inequality has become an increasingly urgent issue.

Indeed, it should be considered an indispensable strategic partner for those in the international community who want to prevent the entirety of East Africa from slipping into chaos.

A military elite favors step by step reform, but wants to protect its position and is determined to avoid a descent into chaos.

Abdullah, perhaps earlier than most others, understood that some code of restraint was needed if the entire region was not to descend into a war of all against all.

All of Asia s powers, including China and Japan, will have to play a part in stopping Bangladesh s drift into fanaticism and chaos.

It can choose to lead the Middle East into vibrant multi sectarian democracy or slump back into corrupt local politics under foreign tutelage.

Thoughtful theologians can distinguish among psycho sexual issues in practice, however, fear of a slippery slope to calamity prevails.

So, what can be done to minimize the fallout of another economic contraction and prevent a deeper depression and financial meltdown?

Whether Iraq achieves stability or is once again ripped apart by sectarian violence now depends, as it always has, on the new political elites.

This could lead to a fiscal catastrophe for the government at the very moment when the country is attempting a complicated political transition.

If that happens, the risk of stall speed or an outright double dip recession would rise sharply in many advanced economies.

With much noise and commotion, the European Union has sidestepped catastrophe but only just. It was damned close.

To be sure, Bush s new strategy is highly unlikely to help Iraqis avert a slide into sectarian civil war. A temporary 16 boost in troops simply is not enough to get that job done.

Moreover, US schools, particularly at the primary and secondary levels, continue to slip down the global scale, constraining Americans ability to benefit from globalization.

The package may or may not prevent Spain and Portugal from becoming undone in a similar fashion, or indeed even head off an eventual Greek default.

Even with their liquidity injections, the fallout from the financial crisis has eliminated the risk of a wage price spiral that might otherwise have arisen.

The price of Nigerian crude is rising, a sure sign that the world sees instability ahead.

Second, US military strikes on Syria have the potential to engulf the entire region and perhaps the US in a broader war.

Firstly, they must control their military commanders and reverse the slide into predatory warlordism and criminal behaviour.

Moreover, by implementing the Kyoto Protocol at a cost of 180 billion annually would keep two million people from going hungry only by the end of the century.

And of course, we must also pay more attention to prevention so that societies can address their tensions and problems in ways that will avoid the descent into armed conflict in the first place.