In The News

President Bush's Visit to Africa Isn't All about Oil

Peter Fabricius June 30, 2003
US interests in Africa go well beyond oil, says this editorial in South Africa's Cape Times. Though oil is likely a factor prompting US President Bush’s upcoming trip to the continent, American national security interests are the definitive motivation for the visit – and for expanded US interest in general. Since September 11, the United States has been forced to realize the immense impact...

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...

Hundreds Rally in Aceh Gasfield to Demand Extension of Contracts

June 25, 2003
Residents of Indonesia's Aceh province now fear unemployment in the midst of war and military rule. Oil giant ExxonMobil, which employs about 3000 people in the rebel province, announced that it will not be renewing contracts with up to 1200 workers "due to declining gas production and substantially reduced activities." Amidst the instability of military activity and martial law...

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...

2 Nuclear Weapons Challenges, 2 Different Strategies

David E. Sanger June 21, 2003
The U.S. has warned both Iran and North Korea that nuclear weapons programs will “not be tolerated”. But Washington is pursuing differing strategies with each country. With North Korea, which admits it already has weapons and is developing more, the Bush Administration is attempting to cut off development by slowing imports and exports. With Iran, which maintains that its program is peaceful and...

Report by the E.P.A. Leaves Out Data on Climate Change

Andrew C. Revkin June 19, 2003
Global warming has long been a hot political topic. In the US, the interests of environmentalists and big industry converge around this nexus, pitting the two against each other for political support and public attention – or the lack thereof. In the final draft of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s report on the state of the environment, the section on global warming has been...

US May Put Naval Blockade on North Korea

Andrew Ward June 9, 2003
US undersecretary of state for arms control, John Bolton, told the media last week that the Bush administration was discussing with its allies a possible naval blockade on North Korea, mainly in order to cut off its weapon exports. It is very possible that this measure, if adopted, will also halt the export of other illegal products such as drugs. Since weapons technology and illegal exports have...