In The News

Wave of Ignorance

Robin Harger January 7, 2005
As relief efforts begin and tsunami-ravaged areas embark on the long road to rebuilding, the international finger-pointing has already begun. Contrary to popular belief, UN official Robin Harger writes, a large number of casualties could have been avoided. According to Harger, the absence of technological infrastructures for early warning stems from a number of factors, particularly the manner...

An Imperial Denial

Deepak Lal January 6, 2005
Despite prevalent public discourse, "empire" is not a four-letter word - and it is time for the United States to begin to walk the imperial walk, writes Deepak Lal. In fact, suggests Lal, throughout history, the world has been most stable under the control of empires. The United States, like empires of yore, demonstrates its dominance through unparalleled military and economic...

A Global Age Catastrophe

W. Scott Thompson January 6, 2005
The South Asian tsunami has captivated headlines and hearts around the world. Is the fascination with this recent catastrophe due to more than the staggering size of the death toll? Perhaps, suggests this Los Angeles Times commentary. The large number of tourists in affected areas magnified the international scope of the disaster. Further, as global news giants rushed correspondents to the...

Why the UN Needs International Rescue

David Aaronovitch January 4, 2005
The magnitude and scope of the recent Indian Ocean catastrophe - and likewise, the subsequent relief efforts - are unmatched in world history. And according to The Guardian's David Aaronovitch, the coordination of international aid efforts will be a true test for the United Nations. In the past year, the organization has suffered accusations of irrelevance and corruption, but the aftermath...

China's African Safari

Paul Mooney January 3, 2005
Since the 1960s, China has been rather consistent in offering assistance to African countries in agriculture, heavy industries, and infrastructure development. In recent years, Sino-African trade has enjoyed particularly rapid growth. As Paul Mooney reports, many African leaders, regarding China as a reliable friend who has suffered the similar imperialist aggression by Western powers, welcome...

A Thaw in South Asia? – Part II

Huma Fakhar December 27, 2004
Improved relations between South Asia's two most prominent states, India and Pakistan, are crucial to the region's ascending global profile, write Huma Fakhar and Jean-Pierre Lehmann. Encouraging diplomatic developments have diluted some of the hostile sentiments of shared by the two countries, which were once on a path to nuclear war. If intra-regional trade would heat up, as well,...

A Thaw in South Asia? – Part I

Michael Krepon December 23, 2004
India and Pakistan's feud over the disputed region of Kashmir may at last be subsiding, says nuclear proliferation expert Michael Krepon. The issue has long been a dangerous sticking point between the two nuclear powers. Yet after a year-long cease fire along the Line of Control, both Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf seem willing to compromise on...