In The News

Free Press Essential for Hong Kong's Success

Zhiwu Chen July 2, 2003
In the largest demonstration since Hong Kong passed over to Chinese control in 1997, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the street on July 1. While the protesters are against a planned anti-subversion law, the issue at stake is more than simply free speech - it is also about the continued economic prosperity of Hong Kong. Over the last few decades, Hong Kong has transformed itself into...

Problems, Problems

June 30, 2003
Breakdown of law and order, guerilla efforts, smashed infrastructure, multiple currencies, and deep factionalism are just a few of the problems currently plaguing the American-led coalition in Iraq. Many parts of the country, including Baghdad, are still anarchic, says this article from The Economist. The coalition was taken aback by the speed with which Iraqi forces melted away, and was thus...

At the Crossroads of History

Kofi Annan June 30, 2003
In a speech delivered at the World Economic Forum meeting in Jordan, Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, spoke of the follies of the past to present his vision for the future. The first half of the 20th century, marked by two world wars, totalitarianism, holocaust and Hiroshima should not be emulated in this new century. Rather, humanity should "build on the achievements of...

America Goes Backward

Stanley Hoffman June 27, 2003
After the war in Iraq, the US Bush administration is once again criticized by many. In this feature article in the New York Review of Books, Harvard scholar Stanley Hoffmann argues that not only has the administration's unilateralism resulted in anti-Americanism overseas, but also domestic concerns of justice issues, among others. Furthermore, seeing itself as the world's peacekeeper,...

Asia Throws a New Challenge to Washington

Michael Richardson June 25, 2003
Burma's repression of democracy advocates like Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has won the country infamy in the international human rights community. Even after allowing a free election a decade ago, the military junta that runs Burma ignored the results and refused to give up power. Another brutal crackdown on opposition just weeks ago has brought the country back into the international...

The Selling of the Iraq War

John B Judis June 25, 2003
The first casualty of the Iraq War was intelligence agencies, particularly the CIA, says this article in the New Republic. Another casualty, albeit facing a slower death, may prove to be America’s trust in the decisions of their leaders. According to this article, the Bush Administration misrepresented information about weapons programs, fabricated terrorist links, and suppressed internal...

Mistakes Aplenty Over Gas Pipeline

June 24, 2003
The construction of a Thai-Malaysian gas pipeline has caused numerous clashes between Thai police and protestors. The protestors, many from Muslim villages affected by the construction, claim that the pipeline is unnecessary because demand for natural gas will not be high enough unless new heavy industries are developed in the region. But any such development, they say, would place a heavy burden...