In The News

Australia's Howard Wants to Have the Cake and Eat It Too

Ross Peake November 29, 2004
Fresh off a convincing victory in recent elections, conservative Australian Prime Minister John Howard has stuck to an uncompromising approach to regional security issues. As the first Australian leader to attend a meeting of the Association of South East Nations (ASEAN), Howard managed to upset neighboring countries by refusing to sign a non-aggression treaty. This leaves Australia politically...

A New Battlefield in Thailand

Bertil Lintner November 24, 2004
The beheading of a Buddhist village leader in Thailand's Muslim-dominated south has provoked worry across Southeast Asia. The murder committed by the Islamic separatists was believed to be in response to the deaths of 84 Muslims at the hands of Thai authorities. Although the level of violence is new, the conflict has a long history. In 1832, Thailand annexed the independent Muslim...

Brazil Gives China Early X-Mas Present...

John Fitzpatrick November 23, 2004
Chinese president Hu Jintao’s visit to Brazil in this past week was highly successful: Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva formally recognized China as a “market economy,” foregoing the power to block “dumped” Chinese imports. The Chinese government is notorious for subsidizing national industries and “dumping” the products into foreign markets. Thanks to the subsidies, these exports...

Walking on Eggshells in Tehran

George Perkovich November 22, 2004
Iran's nuclear ambitions have once again returned to the headlines. Just days after the Mideast nation entered an agreement with the European trio – France, Germany, and the UK – US officials made allegations about Iran's continued weapons development. As those accusations remain unsubstantiated, writes nonproliferation expert George Perkovich, the focus of international attention...

UN Remains Critical In Post-War Iraq

Shashi Tharoor November 19, 2004
The United Nations is seen by many as having suffered collateral damage from the Iraq War. Opinion polls have shown the extent of the loss of faith in the UN, both from countries that supported and opposed the war in Iraq. But as UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications, Shashi Tharoor states, the talk about the irrelevance of the UN is dead wrong. Indeed, from the beginning, Tharoor...

Bridging the Mediterranean

Ayman El-Amir November 15, 2004
The Euro-Mediterranean region has historically been a culturally diverse area with European, African, and Middle Eastern influences. The Byzantine, Roman, and Prussian empires have all taken foot-hold in this region, creating a cycle of "conquest, counter-conquest, competition, and colonialism," according to the Al-Ahram Weekly. When the Arabs extended their regional influence, they...

UK Allies Among Worst Abusers of Human Rights

Richard Norton-Taylor November 11, 2004
A UK government report issues a sharp reprimand to current foreign policy makers within the country. Many of Britain's allies and weapons trade partners are guilty of violating human rights. These criticisms were corroborated by human rights organizations: The thinktank Saferworld stated that the British government fails to uphold its own professed human rights criteria when licensing arms...