In The News

EU Immigration Plans Arouse Debate in Germany

Carola Schlagheck June 20, 2003
Immigration policy is dividing Germany and temporarily stalling the ratification of the European Union’s constitution. Though German Chancellor Schröder supports the draft, his government is deeply divided over two immigration-related proposals – the Greek plan to harmonize immigration and asylum within the EU and the transition to majority voting on certain issues. Opponents of the plan like...

Rumblings in Iran

William Safire June 19, 2003
In recent weeks, Iran has seen a wave of student-led protests against the country’s theocratic leadership. The uprising has similarities to protests of several decades ago that led to the fall of Iran’s Shah, and it is this historical precedent, argues New York Times columnist William Safire, that should lead the rest of the world to take today’s demonstrations seriously. For the US to engage or...

Without Firm Action, There's No Birthday Joy for Suu Kyi

Jody Williams June 19, 2003
As Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi draws more attention, the international community has begun responding. The Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN), breaking with its policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states, pressed the Myanmar government to release Suu Kyi. Welcoming this positive step, writer and Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams cautions that...

China Remains Wary of the US-Led World Order

Robert Sutter June 18, 2003
As it rises in economic strength, China is currently cooperating with the US-dominated global power structure. But this cooperation may not last, argues China scholar Robert Sutter. US attempts to contain China through international organizations and a regional military presence have frustrated China's leaders, who dream of a grander Chinese presence in Asia and the world. Beijing has also...

Demos, GOP Joust to Frame a New Policy on Immigration

Gary Martin June 17, 2003
In 2001, illegal immigration came to national attention in the US as the Bush administration began reviewing a proposal for immigration reform that would have permitted illegal workers to remain employed in the US. After Sept. 11, however, Washington's attention turned to security issues, and the proposal was dropped. Now, with the promise of a significant Hispanic electorate in the 2004 US...

How May We Put it Down?

M. J. Akbar June 16, 2003
As the US garners global support for its post-war influence in Iraq, is India willing to lend a fighting hand? As India contemplates sending its soldiers to fight alongside American and British troops, M.J. Akbar, editor of The Asian Age, strongly discourages such a commitment. In order to understand the nature of the US-led war in Iraq, Akbar thinks it necessary to look back at nineteenth- and...

Cracking Down on the Terror-Arms Trade

David E. Sanger June 15, 2003
As part of the war on terrorism, the US is watching closely international shipments of weapons. Although just a few months ago Washington permitted a missile shipment from North Korea to proceed to its Yemeni destination, the US is now adapting a strategy of "pre-emptive pre-emption." America is asking its allies to help stop shipments of weapons, drugs, and hard currency connected to...