In The News

Kofi Annan Presents Comprehensive Agenda for Reforming the UN

Kofi Annan March 21, 2005
Following the huge row over the Iraq war and the embarrassing oil-for-food scandal, critics and supporters of the United Nations agree that the body is in dire need of reform. Without reform, both sides fear, the UN risks sliding into irrelevance. UN secretary-general Kofi Annan addressed those concerns today, introducing plans for the most sweeping reforms of the UN since its founding in 1945....

Street Protests by Poor Push Bolivia to the Brink

Jo Tuckman March 15, 2005
Bolivia's already faltering economy stands on the cusp of a potentially crippling nation-wide strike. Organizing against economic exploitation at the hands of a minority elite of European descent, ethnically indigenous organizers have already blocked important highways for weeks, disrupting trade in some regions. Leaders of the movement claim that those in power have indiscriminately signed...

Two Fed Officials Offer Different but Upbeat Views on Debt

Edmund L. Andrews March 11, 2005
The soaring US deficit, estimated at over US$600 billion last year, has been a source of debate among economic analysts. According to The New York Times, the nation's total foreign debt equals more than one-fifth of the total economy. And while many observers fear the increasing indebtedness could eventually lead to global economic disaster, two senior officials at the US Federal Reserve...

A Less Super Superpower

Jonathan Schell March 9, 2005
To some, the United States is history's only all-encompassing empire – from military to economics to culture – but according to philosopher Thomas Hobbes, power is only a "present means to obtain some future apparent good." In this sense, writes Jonathan Schell, distinguished fellow at the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, America's superpower status seems less...

Abbas: Time to Walk the Walk

Barry Rubin March 4, 2005
The recent death of Yasser Arafat provided a hopeful opening in the search for Mideast peace. Newly-elected Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas quickly instituted internal reforms and pledged his support for a ceasefire. On the Israeli side, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agreed to withdraw some settlers and release Palestinian prisoners. Regional neighbors have taken an interest in the peace process,...

Free at Last Through an Arab-Western Joint Venture

Rami G. Khouri March 2, 2005
Across the Middle East, signs of democracy are emerging. In Lebanon, peaceful protests toppled the Syrian-backed government. Palestinians successfully pressured their leader to fill his cabinet with qualified, fresh faces. And the Egyptian president announced support for a law permitting open elections. Many attribute this burst of democratic spirit to the US invasion of Iraq. While Daily...

The Problem Is the Extended Presidency

Chibli Mallat March 2, 2005
The Lebanese people launched a democratic revolution this week, as the sheer weight of street protests brought about the resignation of Prime Minister Omar Karami – thus toppling the Syrian-backed government. Protesters are now calling for a complete withdrawal of Syrian occupying forces and democratic parliamentary elections. However, according to this Daily Star commentary, these changes must...