In The News

Europe's Second Thoughts on China Embargo

François Godement March 25, 2005
In a bold statement of its foreign policy independence, the European Union recently announced plans to lift the arms embargo on China. Now, leaks from Britain suggest the EU is having second thoughts. Although the European backtracking is seen as the result of US pressure, writes policy analyst François Godement, Europeans have their own reasons to reassess their decision. Any EU decision must...

Japan-South Korea Ties Take Turn for Worse

Kakumi Kobayashi March 23, 2005
Two recent diplomatic snafus by Japan have resulted in a flaring up of tensions with South Korea. The first is a prefectural government proclamation of a Japanese commemorative day on Takeshima, an uninhabited island in the Sea of Japan that both countries claim. The other is the proposed publication of a Japanese history book which paints Japan’s period of colonial rule over South Korea in...

Old Threats, New Opportunities in Tsunami's Wake

Christopher Jasparro March 23, 2005
The Aceh region of Indonesia, among the hardest hit in last year's tsunami disaster, could be a strategic center in Indonesia's battle with terror – and in the larger struggle for security in Southeast Asia, writes Christopher Jasparro. Several groups with differing political aims – Islamic militants, Acehnese separatists, the Indonesian army, and international relief groups – find...

Off to Algeria

Dina Ezzat March 22, 2005
The Arab League will convene in Algeria this week to mark its sixtieth anniversary and develop a common stance on the Syria-Lebanon conflict and other regional problems. Or so the organizers hope. In fact, representatives from the 22 member states disagree on a number of key issues, making consensus unlikely. Although Arab nations are united in supporting Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, each has...

For Tehran, Nuclear Program Is a Matter of National Pride

George Perkovich March 21, 2005
The development of nuclear technologies has become a matter of nationalistic pride for Iranians from all walks of life. The government of Iran has had a hand in cultivating this trend, but the mobilization of public sentiment is mostly due to the popular perception of the United States as an antagonist, writes George Perkovich. By calling Iran dangerous and casting it in the role of an aggressor...

Al Qaeda and its Affiliates

David Ronfeldt March 21, 2005
Al Qaeda and its affiliates are operating much like a global tribe waging segmental warfare, writes David F. Ronfeldt, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, in this independently published paper. Ronfeldt describes the dynamics of classic tribes – what drives them, how they organize, how they fight – and argues that Al Qaeda fits this tribal paradigm. The war they are waging...

Bush's Conversion on the Road to Tehran

Philip H. Gordon March 18, 2005
These days, the competition for the title of "World's Most Pressing Nuclear Threat" seems tight. Weeks ago, North Korea stole the show with its admission of nuclear weapons possession; but in the battle for headline primacy, at least, the Iran issue has emerged as this week's winner. The most recent development involves the United States: On March 11, the Bush...