In The News

North Korea Says it Plans to Test Nukes

Yuri Kageyama August 28, 2003
Tensions may be higher now than at the start of the six-way meeting on North Korea's nuclear program. North Korean foreign minister Kim Yong-Il accused Japanese and Russian delegates of lying at the instruction of the United States when they tried to point out positive aspects of the American presentation. He then said that North Korea intends to formally declare that it has nuclear...

To Tackle Global Terrorism, Target the Local Roots

Janadas Deyan August 27, 2003
Bombs are going off around the world – in Mumbai, Jakarta, Jerusalem, and Baghdad – yet the stock markets are rising and the US has declared that it is winning the war on terrorism. According to this commentary in The Straits Times, the reason for this paradox is that none of these attacks compare with September 11. Washington, the author notes, is primarily interested in preventing a...

Iran Admits Foreign Help on Nuclear Facility

Joby Warrick August 27, 2003
The UN nuclear watchdog agency – the IAEA – noted many improvements in the quality of information and cooperation Iran gave them during inspections last month. However, environmental samples taken from nuclear facilities outside Tehran tested positive for enriched uranium, a key ingredient in the manufacture of nuclear weapons. In an effort to explain the test results, Iran deviated greatly...

US, North Korea Far Apart as Negotiators Meet in Beijing

Reuters August 27, 2003
As six-way talks begin in Beijing on August 27, all participants – excepting North Korea – agree on one thing: the Korean peninsula must remain nuclear free. Aside from this fundamental point, however, all participants remain divided about the appropriate course of action. North Korea continues to demand security guarantees before dismantling its program and the United States refuses to make...

Looking for Legitimacy in All the Wrong Places

Robert Kagan August 26, 2003
America's unparalleled - if benevolent - power makes even its closest allies nervous. As a result, many have begun to question the legitimacy of the superpower's actions, particularly after it went into Iraq without UN approval. Foreign policy expert Robert Kagan says, "A perceived pattern of illegitimate behavior can limit the cooperation other countries are willing to offer and...

Protests greet North Korean ferry in Nigata

David Pilling August 25, 2003
A North Korean ferry sailed into a Japanese port on August 24 morning to loud and angry protests. The ferry is the only direct link between Japan and North Korea, but has not been in service since January. Accusations abound that the boat was used to smuggle drugs, counterfeit money, and parts for missiles. However, Japanese protesters are seething primarily because of North Korea's...

Sharon is Now a Danger to US Troops and Hopes in Iraq

Martin Woollacott August 22, 2003
Complicated and tenuous as America's hold on Iraq is, the more urgent crisis is in Israel and Palestine, this opinion piece in The Guardian contends. The cease-fire America has worked so hard to produce and which had created a period of tentative peace between Palestinian factions and the Israeli government, is now in danger of collapse. And, although a settlement in the Holy Land will not...