In The News

Why is Zimbabwe Overlooked By SA's Sunshine Advocates?

Goko September 26, 2003
With an Islamic appeals court's acquittal of Amina Lawal, the Nigerian woman who was sentenced to death for having sex out of wedlock, feminist activists from around the world are celebrating a victory against conservative Shari 'a law. However, as the editorial in this Johannesburg daily points out , violations of women's rights are common in many parts of Africa – Muslim,...

Social Capital Key to Globalization

Leonard Wang September 24, 2003
The standoff at the most recent WTO meeting in Cancún has illuminated the plight of small farmers in developing countries, who struggle to compete with subsidized farmers in the US and Europe. Leonard Wang argues that the economic hardships these farmers face are only the beginning of a larger problem. When the world's economic powers transform developing countries, communities based on...

Whatever Will Be Will Be Free on Internet

Steve Lohr September 20, 2003
After Napster, the first Internet music sharing network, was closed down by the recording industry three years ago, people in the industry were expecting some peace, but they were wrong – new software such as KaZaA and Morpheus, even better designed, emerged and were soon on computers across the globe. Now the recording industry has decided to make individual file sharers its targets. This has...

The War on Terror is Not a Clash of Cultures

Alexander Downer September 15, 2003
Following the violence of September 11th and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it has become common to hear that Samuel Huntington's "The Clash of Civilizations" thesis (presented over a decade ago in a Foreign Affairs article) has come to pass. Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer is not so quick to agree. Rather than see the war on terror as a vindication of...

Why America Still Can't Find Osama bin Laden

David Rohde September 14, 2003
Osama bin Laden, thought to be still alive and well, remains a dark spot on America's 'fight against terrorism' record. Officials from Pakistan and the United States seem certain that bin Laden has found strong support in areas of Northwestern Pakistan, a region that shares tribal associations with Afghanistan and where no Pakistani army had ever gone before December 2001. With a...

Hong Kong Entrepreneurial Spirit Shines On

Pana Janviroj September 10, 2003
Hong Kong's economy is not simply recovering in the wake of Sars, but remains vibrant and growing. By withdrawing the anti-subversion bill that motivated massive protests earlier this summer, the government seems to be prioritizing the revitalization of Hong Kong's economy. Many countries in Asia had closely watched the anti-subversion bill, because its handling had the potential to...

Al-Azhar on Air

Rania Khallaf September 8, 2003
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the US, Washington invested money and resources in trying to improve the image of the US in the Middle East. Now, it seems, the Middle East may be ready to launch its own media offensive. Egypt's venerable Al-Azhar University is considering launching its own satellite channel "to refute people's misconceptions about Islam and confront the...