In The News

Erasing the Image of the Ugly American

William J. Holstein October 25, 2005
WalMart and McDonald's business may be booming around the planet – but their prevalence doesn't necessarily make them welcome guests. In an interview published in the New York Times, Keith Reinhard, president of Business for Diplomatic Action, warns of the United States' waning popularity amongst the international community. Recent polls reveal that a significant portion of the...

Wolfowitz Calls for End to Farm Subsidies

Mark Tran October 24, 2005
Developed and developing nations must reduce their agricultural subsidies if the World Trade Organization’s current round of trade talks is to succeed, World Bank head Paul Wolfowitz said today. The EU and US must cut subsidies and guarantee market access to developing countries, he said, or “the people who will suffer the most are the world's poor." Yet Mr. Wolfowitz also called on...

Iraq: Life After the Constitution

Dilip Hiro October 20, 2005
The White House certainly chalked up a few political points following Iraq's constitutional referendum last week. But whether it will spark a wildfire of democratic activity throughout the Middle East – a tenet of President Bush's Iraq strategy – remains doubtful, writes author Dilip Hiro. The constitutional future of Iraq itself is questionable. While Sunni Arabs turned out in...

China's Color-Coded Crackdown

Yongding October 18, 2005
In response to the recent democratic "color" revolutions in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan, the Chinese government is taking action to prevent similar uprisings in its own country. Under new "counterrevolution" measures approved by President Hu Jintao, censorship of web sites, books, and blogs has increased. But non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have borne the brunt of...

Seeking Effective Ways to Talk to the World

Daoud Kuttab October 17, 2005
In the wake of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, Palestinians have to rebuild more than their country's physical infrastructure. The top brass of Palestinian public and private sectors gathered recently to discuss how to mold a more effective image of Palestine. Speakers agreed that while international public opinion bills the Palestinian cause as one of "the world's most just...

George W. Bush’s Suicidal Statecraft

Zbigniew Brzezinski October 14, 2005
Zibigniew Brzezinski, former national security adviser of President Jimmy Carter, is sounding an alarm at the danger that the current US policy has created for the country. In a sweeping criticism, he says that the invasion of Iraq has had a disastrous effect worldwide. “An intense political hatred for America, Britain and Israel,” he writes, “is drawing recruits for terrorism, not only from the...

Turkey and the European Tent – Part II

Mohammed Ayoob October 13, 2005
In the second installment of a two-part series on the ramifications of the Turkey-EU negotiations, Mohammed Ayoob wonders if in the end Turkey will be ever be inside the European tent. Turkey became an associate member of the European community in 1963, but has waited more than 40 years for membership talks to begin. In spite of loyal membership in NATO, Turkish citizens are well aware that...