In The News

Iran the Great Unifier? The Arab World Is Wary

Michael Slackman February 7, 2006
With a confrontational foreign policy, the world’s only Shiite Islamic government is striving to fill a power void in the Middle East resulting from the fall of Arab nationalism and the absence of any dominant nation. Yet other leaders in the region are wary. Drawing popular support for its hardline stance towards the US and Israel, Iran maintains connections to militant groups such as Hezbollah...

Despite TV Appearances, Al Qaeda Is Not Winning the War

Fawaz A. Gerges January 31, 2006
In his latest videotape, Ayman al-Zawahiri, deputy to Osama bin Laden, postures that Al Qaeda is at full force. While many Muslims find Al Qaeda’s grievances against the US foreign policy compelling, few endorse terrorism or line up for martyrdom. Instead, Osama bin Laden’s warriors are increasingly at odds with the “Umma,” or the international Muslim community they seek to represent, as well as...

Rock of Agents

Nick Paton Walsh January 30, 2006
The recent spying spat between the UK and Russia has injured more than British pride. Russian officials allege that an NGO-liaison at the UK’s embassy in Moscow maintained links with the British intelligence agency MI6, conducting espionage. The timing is troubling: The revelation not only adds substance to ongoing Russian accusations of Western spying involved in NGO activities, but offers...

Stopping the Iranian Bomb – Part II

George Perkovich January 26, 2006
Iran’s revived uranium enrichment program is a cause for general concern and not only because it could lead to the nuclear arming of Iran. Attempts to halt the Iranian program by imposing sanctions could also send oil prices skyrocketing. In the final part of this series on what to do with the Iranian challenge, non-proliferation specialist George Perkovich contends that sanctions and military...

A Firebrand in a House of Cards

Dariush Zahedi January 19, 2006
While under the crosshairs of international scrutiny, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad boldly moved to break the seals of his nation’s nuclear facilities, raising the ire of governments from Moscow to Washington and increasing the possibility of large-scale UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic. But an op-ed in the New York Times insists that, despite the longstanding tensions and enmity between Iran...

Why the US Malaise Over China?

Kenneth Lieberthal January 19, 2006
US-China relations have become wide-ranging, complex, and mature, and Beijing is touting its commitment to peaceful development. Nevertheless, there is pervasive unease in America about China's impact on American vital interests. China scholar and former National Security Council official Kenneth Lieberthal explains five fundamental issues that exacerbate America's sense of malaise...

The Power of Oil

Dilip Hiro January 10, 2006
As demand for oil increases, the dependent countries hesitate to antagonize those with ample supply. As a result, developing nations that are oil-rich have discovered newfound power, with oil politics often taking priority over democracy or human rights. For example, Chinese energy interests protect the Sudan from US anger over the massacre in Darfur. Likewise, some Western capitals are reluctant...