In The News

Tough New US Rules a Challenge

August 22, 2003
Seaports have traditionally been very vulnerable entry points to the United States. And, as focus on homeland security has increased since September 11, American officials have sought to impose new security measures to better monitor the goods that are constantly entering US ports. To ensure that biological, chemical, or other weapons are not concealed in incoming cargo, US officials initiated...

International Public Concern about North Korea

August 22, 2003
The six-party talks on North Korea that will start on August 27 in Beijing is taking place against the backdrop of growing divergence over North Korea. A recent public opinion poll taken by Pew Global Attitudes Project shows that the country closest to North Korea - its southern counterpart is one of the least concerned about North Korean threat that the US and other powers are trying to...

Ending the Middle East's Cycle of Terror Requires Some Serious Soul-Searching

August 21, 2003
The international community vocally condemned the bombing of the UN headquarters in Iraq and reaffirmed its commitment to the pursuit of peace. However, though this reaction was thoroughly appropriate, it was also insufficient, the editorial in a Lebanese daily maintains. "The imperative before us all today is not only to reaffirm our iron-clad abhorrence of terror and our principled...

Japan Vows to Proceed with Oil Deal in Iran

David Pilling August 19, 2003
Japan may seek an oil deal with Iran, despite US objections. Earlier this year, many speculated that Tokyo had abandoned a lucrative deal to develop Iran's Azadegan oilfield because of US opposition and accusations that Tehran was seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Several months later, however, Japanese companies have revived the temporarily stalled deal. Analysts maintain that Japan is...

Russia to Hold Large-Scale Naval Exercises

Vasily Bubnov August 18, 2003
The Russian Pacific Navy began large scale military exercises on August 18 y in its Far Eastern waters. Invitations to participate were sent to several of Russia's neighbors as well as to Canada and the United States. South Korea and Japan dispatched ships to join the exercise, but China, North Korea, and the US declined. The official aim of the navy maneuvers is to hone skills for...

Picking up the Pieces

Nyier Abdou August 15, 2003
The man who killed 202 people in Bali last year and the man who blew up the Jakarta Marriot last week were both suicide bombers. Both men are also believed to be members of the Southeast Asian Islamic group Jemaah Islamiah, which is increasingly linked in ideology and tactics to Al-Qaeda. And, though experts maintain that JI is "home-grown and local," they also caution that it is...

Farm Deal Puts WTO Talks at Risk

Charlotte Denny August 14, 2003
The US and the EU spoke optimistically about their new agreement on farm subsidies last night, but many developing countries doubt whether tangible change will result. Agricultural reform has been an extremely contentious issue in the WTO, often dividing the developed and the developing worlds. Europe, the United States, and Japan spend billions of dollars a year on agricultural subsidies, a...