In The News

Internet Fans Flames of Chinese Nationalism

Paul Mooney April 4, 2005
An online petition protesting Japan's bid for a permanent UN Security Council seat has reportedly garnered over 22 million Chinese signatories. And as anti-Japanese discourse grows ever-more incendiary in cyberspace, the Chinese government may wonder how far "power to the people" should go. Journalist Paul Mooney writes that Beijing truly finds itself in a bind: While condoning...

Friendship Across Continents

Ibrahim Nafie April 1, 2005
The term "transatlantic relations" usually refers to Europe and the United States. But if current Latin American initiatives succeed, "transatlantic relations" may soon describe the growing ties between Latin America and the Middle East. Brazil will host the first ever summit of South American and Arab countries this May. Not only will the conference highlight the two regions...

Curry in Hot Garlic Sauce

Simon Long March 31, 2005
China, the world's most populous country, looks set to become one of the 21st century's main movers and shakers. Analysts speak in less glowing terms about China's neighbor and budding rival, India. The subcontinental giant has years of catch-up to play to match China's startlingly rapid rise. Yet Simon Long argues that despite its delayed entrance into the free-market game,...

Are They Winning?

March 30, 2005
France's claim to be one of the principal architects of the European Union (EU) may falter if, as recent poll numbers suggest, its citizens reject the EU constitution in a May 29th referendum. Though the recent decline in support for the draft constitution may be a statistical aberration, opposition to two proposed policies demonstrates French displeasure with the EU's current direction...

Prisoner's Release Does Not Herald a Xinjiang Spring

Dru C. Gladney March 30, 2005
The recent release of a Uyghur businesswoman from a Chinese prison may have appeased the visiting US Secretary of State, but the gesture also underscored the continual frictions between China and its Uyghur ethnic minority. Beijing's official stance is that Muslim Uyghurs separatists pose a terrorist threat, but as Dru C. Gladney suggests, this may actually be a case of so-called "...

La liberation d’un prisonnier ne prefigure pas un repit au Xinjiang

Dru C. Gladney March 30, 2005

Where Faith Is a Healer

Madeleine Bunting March 28, 2005
While secularism has taken hold in Europe, the story in the rest of the world has been quite different. Seemingly different regions, such as the Americas and the Middle East, have experienced substantial increases in religiosity. Africa is no exception: Christianity and Islam are expanding dramatically, and traditional African religions are experiencing a renaissance. A forthcoming BBC report...