In The News

Nuke Quarantine

Amir Mir February 26, 2004
The United States government is placing pressure on Pakistan to allow an inspection of its nuclear arsenal, and to put into place, a joint Pakistan-US monitoring mechanism. The American pressure follows the recent disclosure of a Pakistan based global network that supplied nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea. Pakistan, a vital ally in the US led war against global terrorism, needs...

The Knowledge Economy

Mustafa Kamel El-Sayed February 25, 2004
How do poor countries advance social scientific research agendas to better their societies? Are their agendas set by their own self-determined needs or by the interests of outsiders? Since the end of the Cold War, says political scientist Mustafa Kamel El-Sayed El-Sayed, researchers dependent on foreign aid have less and less control over how the funds are used. In Egypt, funding from foreign...

If We Go, Let's Stay Until Job Is Done

Joseph L. Galloway February 25, 2004
With US nation-building efforts underway in Afghanistan and Iraq, can Washington afford to sink money, time, and human resources into yet another foreign country? For the sake of over 7 million Haitians, says this Miami Herald commentary, once the political will is mustered, the answer should be 'Yes'. Despite having attempted three times in the 20th century to build a stable Haiti,...

A Fair Globalization: Creating Opportunities for All

February 24, 2004
A new report issued by the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization acknowledges that globalization's "potential for good is immense," but points to record unemployment levels as a sign that globalization has not met the majority of men and women's "simple and legitimate aspirations for decent jobs and a better future for their children." The...

The Fallout of Pakistani Revelations on North Korea

Phillip C. Saunders February 23, 2004
North Korean nuclear programs have long been a puzzle for the international intelligence community to solve. No one is quite sure when they started, how they started, or how far along towards producing weapons-grade uranium and plutonium they are. The recent revelation by Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan that he sold technology to the North Koreans could begin to unravel the mystery. Talks this...

Countering Suspicions

Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger February 20, 2004
When Tony Blair, Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schröder met in Berlin on Wednesday to discuss the future of the European Union (EU), there was a suspicion that these three countries were trying to create a future EU directorate. Other EU countries, including future member states, fear being dominated by a Franco-German power alliance. However, in this article in the F.A.Z Weekly, the author argues...

Little Headway Seen in 6-Party Talks

Seo Hyun-jin February 18, 2004
Prospects for the upcoming talks between the two Koreas, the US, China, Japan, and Russia already look bleak. Although officials of the participating countries – particularly South Korea – are trying to stay optimistic and are suggesting measures to regularize the multilateral talks, many feel that there is little hope for a successful outcome, unless the deadlock between Washington and Pyongyang...