In The News

US Rebuffs Iran Offer of Nuclear Talks

Guy Dinmore July 14, 2003
Although Iran has indicated its willingness to open direct talks with the US regarding its nuclear program, the Bush administration has not shown any interest. The Administration seems content to work with Europe and Japan to keep economic pressure on Iran. This latest offer of talk is seen as an invitation by the Iranian government to open the door to a wide discussion of contentious issues...

Why is Russia Dragging its Feet on Kyoto?

Michael Grubb July 14, 2003
Russia is yet to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty designed to reduce the threat of climate change through reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The Kyoto Protocol, ratified by 110 countries, also includes provisions for market-oriented mechanisms for “trading emission allowances and emission credits granted for clean energy investment.” Michael Grubb and Yuri Safonov, scholars of climate...

Bush Tour: PR Exercise or Boon to Africa?

July 14, 2003
Was US President George W. Bush's trip to Africa primarily self-serving or truly centered on the continent's welfare? Throughout the five-day visit, critics asserted that the only interests the US President holds in Africa are American. Some observers believe that after finding itself short on friends in the UN Security Council prior to the Iraq War, the US is attempting to amass a...

When Frontier Justice Becomes Foreign Policy

Thomas Powers July 13, 2003
America has always been ambivalent about assassinations, says intelligence expert Thomas Powers. Though several leaders were targeted during the Cold War, such attempts were generally shrouded in secrecy and vehemently denied by government officials. The one endeavor that was publicized – against Fidel Castro – caused such public outcry that Presidents Ford and Reagan imposed executive orders...

Australia Steps Towards Stopping North Korean Ships

Tom Allard July 11, 2003
An international military force will soon begin intercepting ships transporting North Korean nuclear materials and missiles to other countries. Following the Proliferation Security Initiative's Brisbane meeting this week, Australia, the United States, and nine other nations announced that they will begin military exercises as early as September. The plan serves as the most aggressive joint...

Your Farm Subsidies Are Strangling Us

Amadou Toumani Toure July 11, 2003
African cotton is the best and cheapest in the world, maintain Presidents Amadou Toumani Toure of Mali and Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso. Yet cotton farmers in their countries remain impoverished. In a jointly written opinion article for The New York Times, the Presidents of these two African nations solicit Western nations to cut the cotton farm subsidies that lead to overproduction, distort...

Talk of a Washington Split Over North Korea Is Overblown

Victor D. Cha July 11, 2003
Compared with the Bush administration's speedy handling of the Iraq challenge, its response to North Korean provocation has been surprisingly slow. The reason is widely believed to be a split between hawks and doves in the administration. But Korea expert Victor Cha says the division is not as wide as press reports suggest. Everyone in Washington agrees: North Korea must disarm. And,...