In The News

Pressuring Tehran

Mustafa El-Labbad September 19, 2003
Iran has come under increasing pressure since Washington officially ended its war in Iraq and turned its eye on other countries in the region. Now, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear monitoring body, has passed a resolution giving Iran until October to declare the extent of its nuclear program and sign the Additional Protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation...

Our War With France

Thomas L. Friedman September 18, 2003
"France is not just our annoying ally," asserts Thomas Friedman in this opinion piece for The New York Times. "France is becoming our enemy." By advocating a hasty transfer of power to a symbolic Iraqi sovereignty, France seems bent on US failure in Iraq. If the French government truly wished to see the US succeed in Iraq, Friedman argues, it would use its influence in the...

Rich-Poor Rift Triggers Collapse of Trade Talks

Kevin Sullivan September 15, 2003
Representatives from developing countries walked out of WTO trade talks this weekend in Cancun, claiming that the United States and European Union (EU) countries were unwilling to negotiate the reduction of agricultural subsidies. Many states from Latin America and Africa consider the $3 billion of subsidies provided by wealthier countries to their farmers to be a de facto "dumping"...

Iran, Sept. 11 and the Repercussions of ‘Regime Change'

Abumohammad Asgarkhani September 15, 2003
Iran stands increasingly big potential new target for America's fight against terrorism. As the US's new foreign policy—outlined after September 11th by the Bush administration—continues to take shape, Iran finds itself under (verbal) attack from the US and UK as a nation with a radical government, nuclear dreams, and a strong regional presence. Whether or not fears of Iranian power...

Lonely at the Top

Clyde Prestowitz September 13, 2003
Although the US experienced an outpouring of sympathy from much of the world after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, over the past two years it has encountered much resistance to its leadership on issues from Iraq to free trade. The US has lost any goodwill it received after the attacks, says former Reagan administration official and author Clyde Prestowitz, because Washington has pursued a...

China Space Program Makes US Anxious

Joshua Eisenman September 12, 2003
China plans to launch a man into space and eventually land on the moon. While such pursuits aim at heightening national pride and legitimizing the communist party's rule, they also spread fears over China's underlying intentions. Putting a man in space would confirm not only China's technological advance, but also its military capabilities, missile technology in particular. While...

Taliban Officials Tell of Plans to Grind Down the Americans

David Rohde September 12, 2003
Taliban fighters still alive in Afghanistan plan to wage a grinding guerilla war against US troops, similar to the strategy waged against the Soviets during their occupation in the 1980s. Such fighters claim that Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar still resides in Afghanistan, hidden and directing operations. Fighters also foresee growing support for their cause as a result of the lack of...