In The News

Growing Anti-US Sentiments Roil Alliance With South Korea

Sook-Jong Lee June 8, 2004
Although South Korea’s legislature just approved the deployment of 3000 troops to Iraq, South Koreans’ anger about US military actions has reached a boiling point, argues Sook-Jong Lee, a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution. South Koreans have become increasingly critical of the US since the 1980s, with the presence of US forces in South Korea serving as a daily reminder of the country’s...

The Case for Hypocrisy

Niall Ferguson June 7, 2004
Niall Ferguson, author of "Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire", makes his case against the much-demanded quick American exit from Iraq and transfer of full sovereignty to an Iraqi government. First of all, he says, the references to ‘full sovereignty’ made by US President George Bush and many others is unrealistic, because the US army will continue to have a strong...

June to November

Khaled Dawoud June 4, 2004
As the June 30 deadline for transfer of sovereignty approaches, it is increasingly clear that the triangular relationship between the US White House, the Iraqi Governing Council, and the United Nations is a bit lopsided. The UN envoy to Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi, was supposed to be in charge of selecting Iraqis to fill key posts in a new interim government. But right up until the announcement of...

Beijing's Social Contract is Starting to Fray

Minxin Pei June 3, 2004
Marking the anniversary of Beijing's crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protest movement 15 years ago, China scholar Minxin Pei writes that the Chinese Communist Party's hold on power is not sustainable. The regime has been fortunate, he says, to have achieved such unprecedented economic growth and prosperity since 1989. But the party's 'neo-authoritarian' development...

Islam and West: Time for Enlightened Moderation

Pervez Musharraf June 2, 2004
The events of the recent past have brought the Muslim world to a state of emergency, writes Pervez Musharraf, president of Pakistan. The world perception of Muslims as violent extremists has placed the moderate and peaceful faithful – the “innocent multitudes” – at odds with the world. The proliferation of suicide bombers and the events of 9/11 have bred a deep fear in the West of Islam and its...

An Empire of Denial

George Monbiot June 1, 2004
The American 'empire' may be in denial, but it certainly doesn't need to become more assertive, says author George Monbiot. In this article in the UK's Guardian, Monbiot takes on historian Niall Ferguson to argue why American imperialism is not a good thing. When Ferguson praises the achievements of the British empire and urges the US to follow in its footsteps, Monbiot says...

US Nation-Building Abroad – Part III

Ahmed Rashid June 1, 2004
After over 30 months of active engagement in Afghanistan, the US military is still not able to guarantee peace and security within the country's borders. Osama bin Laden, whose presence in Afghanistan occasioned the US intervention in the first place, still remains elusive. In the final installment of a multi-author series on America's nation-building efforts, journalist and author...