In The News

Sensible Ideas on Why to Engage Tehran

Rami G. Khouri October 17, 2006
Since the end of the Cold War, the US has led the international effort to encourage global security and nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. The US unabashedly has used regime change and an array of diplomacy to promote arms control and democracy. But the tools have failed when it comes to Iran and North Korea and their nuclear programs. Even the most hawkish voter in Texas understands the US...

Made in China: Wal-Mart Unions

Anita Chan October 12, 2006
Global labor leaders had long considered China’s unions as an arm of the government and not worthy of much respect. But that was before All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) took on Wal-Mart managers in China and quickly set up union branches at more than 20 stores. The move – requiring grassroots organization that’s not been seen in China for more than 50 years – could signal more...

China's Iron Grip

Fred Hiatt October 10, 2006
The experience of Rebiya Kadeer, a 60-year old Chinese woman, Nobel Peace Prize nominee and critic of the regime in China, demonstrates the growing brazenness of that government in its retaliation against dissent. Released after six years in prison, Kadeer was exiled to the United States, only to find herself under surveillance by Chinese agents after she became involved with pro-democracy...

Tools of Engagement

R. S. Zaharna October 4, 2006
A report from the US Government Accountability Office admits that the US confronts significant anti-American sentiment in the Islamic world. However, the report’s recommendation that the US must combine public relations and diplomacy “ignores the decline in US credibility,” argues R.S. Zaharna, communications professor, in “Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The US report urges repeating...

How to Buy Image

Ayman El-Amir October 2, 2006
Some Muslim leaders ponder the value of investing in Western media corporations to encourage greater appreciation of Islamic culture and ideas globally. But buying a new image is not so easy, and propaganda makes no profits, warns journalist Ayman El-Amir. “A successful media venture has to be an integral part of the socio-economic and political fabric of the nation,” he writes. Value systems...

The Never-Ending Myanmar Nightmare

Daniel Pepper September 30, 2006
The ruling military junta in Burma does not care what the world thinks about its rule. Though the junta pays no heed to outside pressure, some neighbors are intent on fostering relations or at least paying the government for permission to tap into its rich natural gas resources. While the Western countries largely shun the military regime, China and India stand ready to pay up to $17 billion...

Sobering Conclusions on Why Jihad Has Spread

Karen DeYoung September 27, 2006
Statisticians caution that correlations don’t necessarily prove cause and effect. After the leak of a US intelligence document that bleakly points out the war in Iraq has rallied extremists globally, the US president did not argue with the consensus document from 16 intelligence agencies. Instead, he quickly declassified a few sections and insisted that the findings demonstrate US progress in...