In The News

Militia Rebuked by Some Arab Countries

Hassan M. Fattah July 17, 2006
Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan publicly denounced Hezbollah’s escalating violence against Israel, despite the popular anti-Israeli sentiment in their respective countries. While many countries from the Group of 8 Conference, or G-8, in St. Petersburg urge Israel to exercise restraint in carrying out surmounting air strikes on Lebanon and Gaza, Prince Saud al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia calls...

Russia’s Signal to Stations Is Clear: Cut US Radio

Peter Finn July 14, 2006
The Russian government has asked more than 60 of its radio stations to stop broadcasting news reports sponsored by the US, claiming a violatoin of licensing laws. Russian Culture Ministry officials deny any prejudice toward the popular “Radio Liberty” and “Voice of America” programs. The programs are funded by the US, but produce independent reports. Since Vladimir Putin became president in 2000...

How Much Will India Endure?

Xenia Dormandy July 13, 2006
The rush-hour train bombing in Mumbai creates yet another impediment to peace between India and Pakistan. Political analyst Xenia Dormandy cites the dire need for Indian and Pakistani leadership to seek a peaceful resolution and to resist impulsive reactions when rogue groups cause havoc in one country or the other. While the “composite dialogues” launched between the countries three years ago...

Stop Hyperventilating, Start Talking

Peter Hayes July 11, 2006
North Korea’s missile test “was a strategic non-issue,” according to Peter Hayes, executive director of the Nautilus Institute. No major international constraints prevent the nation from testing missiles, with the North Koreans assuming that the Bush administration will never negotiate with them in good faith. Therefore, the decision to test the missile was a result of domestic factors inside the...

Putin’s Anti-Globalization Strategy

George Schöpflin July 11, 2006
Russia is active in the global market, but President Vladimir Putin’s governance does not embrace all aspects of globalization. While not resurrecting the Sovietisms of yesterday’s Kremlin, Putin places no faith in the western political mandates of globalization that advocate for the power of the individual consumer over the control of the state. Putin endorses a strong central state, control...

The Rush for Legal Status in France

Katrin Bennhold July 7, 2006
Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, reacting to protests against the deportation of families with school-aged children, instructed police chiefs to grant residency papers to families who fulfill certain requirements. That move toward leniency blurs his stance on immigration, especially after the French Parliament passed a tough new law proposed by Sarkozy that makes citizenship more challenging...

Sudan Rejects UN Peacekeepers for Darfur

Xan Rice July 6, 2006
The African Union (AU), sent to Darfur after the government launched attacks against civilians, is under-funded and struggling. Many agree that a more powerful force is the only way to end fighting and enforce a fragile peace deal. Sudan’s president, Omar el-Bashir, rejected the UN offer of peacekeepers on the grounds that it would represent western occupation of Sudan and draw Islamic militants...