In a pinch, when your options are slim…

The New York Times was headed for trouble the moment the Sulzberger clan (which owns the paper), determined that the heir to publisher Arthur "Punch" Sulzberger, his son Arthur, should be nicknamed "Pinch." There are studies that show that names determine our destiny to a surprising extent. Men named Lawrence have a slightly greater chance ...

The New York Times was headed for trouble the moment the Sulzberger clan (which owns the paper), determined that the heir to publisher Arthur "Punch" Sulzberger, his son Arthur, should be nicknamed "Pinch."

The New York Times was headed for trouble the moment the Sulzberger clan (which owns the paper), determined that the heir to publisher Arthur "Punch" Sulzberger, his son Arthur, should be nicknamed "Pinch."

There are studies that show that names determine our destiny to a surprising extent. Men named Lawrence have a slightly greater chance of become lawyers and guys named Pinch are almost certainly not going to be seen as being as forceful as their dads who were named Punch. Of course, it doesn’t help when you inherit a buggy-whip company at the dawn of the automobile age and the Times, like most newspapers, has certainly struggled to find a new business model suited to the realities of the modern media environment. Nonetheless, the paper still has a unique role in American life, some of which is due to a cachet that has been earned for it by its rich journalistic history. This has played to its advantage this week as, on the verge of financial disaster, the Times turned to Mexican telecom billionaire Carlos Slim to throw it a $250 million line of credit. Slim gets a high interest rate and has the ability to convert the loan into a 20 percent share in the company. What is remarkable about this is that there is been less outcry about Slim’s role. Carlos Slim is very, very rich…for a while last year he held the title of richest man in the world…but he has not taken the most savory path to wealth, winning his telecom franchise under what were alleged to be dubious circumstances and subsequently growing his business to dominate Mexican telephony that would only have earned the envy of John D. Rockefeller. There was great concern in the press when Rupert Murdoch took over the Wall Street Journal…although he is a master media executive who has since only improved and enlivened the Journal.

Now, I know Slim has non-voting shares, but when you might own 20 percent of a paper and have become its banker of last resort, that’s considerable influence in the hands of a guy who bears close watching re: his intentions.

David Rothkopf is visiting professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His latest book is The Great Questions of Tomorrow. He has been a longtime contributor to Foreign Policy and was CEO and editor of the FP Group from 2012 to May 2017. Twitter: @djrothkopf

More from Foreign Policy

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.

Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?

The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.

Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.
Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.

Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World

It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

It’s a New Great Game. Again.

Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.

Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.
Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing

The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.