In The News

Just Say No to Progressive Values

Ian Williams June 1, 2005
For reasons that many observers feel are inscrutable, France voted "no" this weekend to the new EU constitution. The constitution, which guarantees health care, social services, and workers' rights to European citizens found united opposition from both France's ultra-conservative element and, more surprisingly, its left. At a glance, it seems that workers in France voted...

Mood of Mistrust Shocks French Ruling Class

Jon Henley May 31, 2005
In the wake of France's rejection of the proposed EU constitution, President Jacques Chirac is expected to select a replacement for Jean Pierre Raffarin, "the most unpopular prime minister in the history of the Fifth Republic," according to The Guardian. But this turnover is just one of the political implications of the referendum, which this commentary characterizes as disastrous...

A Retreat from Great Europe? – Part I

Shada Islam May 31, 2005
The highly anticipated French referendum on the EU constitution arrived this weekend: The vote was a resounding "Non." Voters signaled their distaste for the proposed constitution, as well as their opposition to the economic consequences of integrating new members. And as the Netherlands prepares for a similar vote, observers, both European and worldwide, now wonder what lies ahead...

"In Larger Freedom": Decision Time at the UN

Kofi Annan May 31, 2005
The wide range of threats afflicting different regions today complicates international collaboration. In an interconnected world, however, these threats are often more closely related than we realize. Extreme poverty and civil conflict in one country, for example, encourage terrorist groups to strike in another; the outbreak of disease in a region with poor health care may spread to wealthier...

A Dangerous Mix of Politics and Trade

Philip Bowring May 23, 2005
China's surging textile exports have recently been subject to international scrutiny, with the United States re-imposing quotas. On Friday, Beijing voluntarily raised its textile export tariffs, a largely symbolic gesture designed to calm nerves overseas while asserting its own sovereignty. These examples of world trade tit-for-tat are not only short-sighted, writes commentator Philip...

Exchange of Empires

Timothy Garton Ash May 20, 2005
Recognized internationally as a part of Moldova, the para-state of Transnistria highlights a unique dilemma for the European Union. A microcosm of the former Soviet Union at first glance, this narrow region on the east bank of the Dniestr River is a fusion of communist and Western cultures, a symbolic representation of the decline of the Russian empire. Since 1992, Transnistria has won de facto...

Arab Satellite Television and Democracy in the Arab World

S. Abdallah Schleifer May 13, 2005
The history of televised news in the Middle East is a checkered yet fascinating one, writes S. Abdallah Schleifer of the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Early news broadcasts relied upon a simple regurgitation of state activity – presidents giving prepared speeches, inaugurating some new public work, or returning from a trip abroad – providing little analysis or variety. Stock footage paired...