Communist Laos awaits new leaders, but same approach likely

Laos will unveil a new Communist Party lineup this week at a congress expected to usher in some leadership changes, but no shift in the authoritarian status quo in a country that has become one of Asia's quiet economic success stories. The Lao People's Revolutionary Party has ruled for four decades and will choose a party chief, politburo and central committee and approve economic targets for the landlocked Southeast Asian nation for the next five years. From a low base, Laos has enjoyed one of