In The News

Mideast Money Pinch

Yasmine El-Rashidi May 5, 2006
Middle East investors and shoppers are bypassing travel, education or health care in the US for friendlier opportunities in Asia and Europe. In March, the US rejected acquisition of operations for six US ports based on security concerns, but even before that, Saudi tourism to the US was down 75 percent in 2004 from 1999. Obtaining US visas has become more complicated for Arabs since 9/11, with...

The Pope Considers a Life-Saving New Policy

May 2, 2006
For more than 25 years, AIDS has killed millions around the globe. The leading cause for AIDS transmission is unprotected sex, but the influential Catholic Church has refused to allow condoms under any circumstances, including preventing the spread of disease. In response to the AIDS crisis, the Catholic Church could edge toward a somewhat more lenient stance on condom use. Despite church...

Daring to Use the Silver Screen to Reflect Saudi Society

Hassan M. Fattah May 2, 2006
Saudi Arabia has no legal movie theaters, but its filmmakers have a big budget and huge ambitions. The first Saudi Arabian feature film, funded by a Saudi prince and featuring a Saudi actress, portrays a family caught in a struggle between modernity and tradition. The film’s timing could be right, with Saudi women taking more public roles, pursuing education and opening companies without the...

American Indie Filmmakers: Thinking Globally and Acting Globally, Too

Dennis Lim May 1, 2006
National cinema has expanded into international cinema, with directors of all nationalities chafing at audience expectations for a certain style or theme. Directors who are first- or second-generation immigrants in the US push film boundaries to explore new settings and characters, often beyond their own ethnicity. Author Dennis Lim suggests that the directors “go beyond dutiful multiculturalism...

When It Comes to Political Islam, Moscow Seems Confused

Konstantin Eggart May 1, 2006
Moscow has a contradictory relationship with radical Islam. On one hand, Russia embraces Islam as part of its general, sometimes subtle, oppositional stance towards the West. After inviting a Hamas delegation to Moscow, Russia deflected accusations from Israel and the US – suggesting that the group had not conducted terrorist acts on Russian soil – eager to prove it does not tow the US, EU or...

Moment of Truth

Robert Scheer May 1, 2006
US polls cite illegal immigration a major concern, and politicians are divided over solutions. Yet the personal economic decisions by most US citizens tend to show more concern about low prices than protecting jobs or wages on the whole. Author Robert Scheer labels the so-called immigration “crisis” as fiction. Throughout history, whenever perceptions emerge about national security threats, low...

Worries about the WSF

Saleem H. Ali April 28, 2006
The World Social Forum (WSF), intended to promote a “democratic debate of ideas,” emerged as an alternative to the more exclusive World Economic Forum, and in March Karachi hosted 30,000 lively WSF delegates. The young activists from around the world who attend WSF expect that global leaders will resist relying on short-term economic parameters alone in making decisions that can have consequences...