In The News

You Are Judged by the Company You Keep

Ralph A. Cossa September 6, 2005
Chinese officials perceived the postponement of President Hu Jintao's planned US visit as a diplomatic snub on the part of the Bush administration. According to Ralph A. Cossa, however, the fundamental issue may be China's relations with other countries. Hosting leaders including Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe, Beijing has publicly supported many of the world's oppressive...

Democracy in Burma: Does Anybody Really Care?

Amitav Acharya September 1, 2005
Upon its 1967 founding, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stated its collective goals, wherein members, "through joint efforts and sacrifices, secure for their peoples and for posterity the blessings of peace, freedom, and prosperity." Unfortunately, in Burma – one of the 10 member states – the ruling junta has provided none of the aforementioned "blessings"...

Schooled For a House of Islam

Noor Huda Ismail August 25, 2005
In analyzing the motives of terrorists who act in the name of global jihad, it is important to understand why many Muslims choose to lead partially secular lives – while others with the same education and background embrace extremism and violence. Educated in one of Indonesia's many Islamic schools, Noor Huda Ismail describes how many of his classmates opted to join a radical movement, Darul...

FBI Sees Big Threat from Chinese Spies; Businesses Wonder

Jay Solomon August 12, 2005
David Szady, assistant director of the FBI's counterintelligence division claims, "China is the biggest (espionage) threat to the US today." Yet, the bureau's recent campaigns to combat Chinese corporate espionage are receiving mixed reactions, at best. The prosecution of several accused workers has led to anger within the Chinese and Chinese-American communities, as well...

Searching For Justice

Khaled Fahmy July 29, 2005
The American-led war in Iraq has led to the trial of Saddam Hussein, currently under way. But many academics who see the war in Iraq as an egregious violation of international law have convened a tribunal of their own – the World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI) – which just held its final session in Istanbul. While critics believe that the WTI is merely an opportunity for anti-Americans to vent their...

Iraq: This Is Now an Unwinnable Conflict

Patrick Cockburn July 25, 2005
The Iraq war, predicted to be an easy victory, has instead become further confirmation of the Duke of Wellington’s sage warning nearly two centuries ago against getting involved in guerilla war, “Great nations do not have small wars.” As the fighting drags on with no end in sight, reporter Patrick Cockburn argues that it has become a “demonstration of weakness” and stoked the flames of terrorism...

Why Do They Hate Us? Not Because of Iraq

Olivier Roy July 22, 2005
In response to the recent bombings in London and Madrid, many have speculated that Al-Qaida is punishing the supporters of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. This theory seems reasonable, based on the assumption that the roots of Islamic terrorism lie in Middle Eastern conflicts. Scholar Olivier Roy, however, argues that Al-Qaida's references to Iraq are merely a bid for legitimacy among...