In The News

Defiant Turkish Writer Says "Genocide" Taboo an Obstacle to EU Entry

Ramsay Short October 19, 2005
In a development that recalls the Iranian theocracy's 1989 fatwa forcing author Salman Rushdie into exile, Turkish officials have criminally charged novelist Orhan Pamuk for his comments condemning the country's slaughter of Armenian residents at the beginning of the 20th century. Pamuk, a native Turk whose work has received numerous accolades, has made no bones about his stance on the...

China Builds Its Dreams, and Some Fear a Bubble

David Barboza October 18, 2005
China is experiencing a building boom, the scope of which means that cities like Shanghai now dwarf New York in terms of skyscrapers and vast networks of upscale apartment complexes. As a result of its unprecedented construction sector growth, China is scouring the world for energy and natural resources so that its cities, 170 of which have more than 1 million people, can meet and surpass Western...

Seeking Effective Ways to Talk to the World

Daoud Kuttab October 17, 2005
In the wake of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, Palestinians have to rebuild more than their country's physical infrastructure. The top brass of Palestinian public and private sectors gathered recently to discuss how to mold a more effective image of Palestine. Speakers agreed that while international public opinion bills the Palestinian cause as one of "the world's most just...

U.S. faces challenges on three fronts

Kwon Ji-young October 14, 2005
In a speech at the World Knowledge forum in Seoul, Korea, renowned historian Paul Kennedy warned that America's status as an unchallenged global hegemon may be on the decline. The US faces three challenges that are currently threatening its sole-superpower status: terrorism, economic rivalries and a diminishing cultural reputation. At their current rates of growth, the economies of China...

Cracks in the Social Net

Alexander Osang October 13, 2005
“We left that city like the colonial powers left Africa,” lamented the ex-head of personnel at what was one of the largest textile mills in North Carolina. In 2003, the Pillowtex plant, based in the city of Kannapolis, closed and laid off its five thousand workers overnight. In a region where unionization was militantly discouraged, the mill provided an entire framework of life for the community...

Opportunity in Tragedy?

October 10, 2005
Following Saturday's devastating earthquake, Pakistan appealed to the international community for emergency supplies and money. But because of the long-standing dispute over the Kashmir region, Pakistani officials have been reluctant to accept help from India. In order to save lives in Kashmir and elsewhere, the two nuclear powers must set aside their political disputes and focus on joint...

Aboriginal Remains Will Be Returned

James Button October 6, 2005
Five years ago, world media focused its attention on Gaborone, Botswana, to watch the repatriation of a corpse. The stuffed body of a 19th century African, who had been on display for over a century in European museums, was returned to his native soil. Indigenous populations outside of Europe, from the "Hottentots" of southern Africa to the Maori of New Zealand, were long the subjects...