In The News

India and Pakistan Get Ready for Cricket

M.J.Akbar March 8, 2004
As Indian and Pakistani cricket teams face off this week, the matches may arouse more emotions than the two countries' recent diplomatic relations. The resumption of play on the sub-continent is a remarkable turn in a relationship that has been marked by bloody conflict over the disputed Kashmir region, argues M.J. Akbar, editor of The Asian Age. Now, political pragmatism may outweigh...

Moments Before the Union, "Old" Europe Gets Cold Feet

Shada Islam March 3, 2004
As Europe's leaders prepare for their expansion party, they fear immigrant gate-crashers. Shada Islam notes that widespread fears of immigrants flooding Western Europe in search of employment, welfare, and health benefits has forced many governments to enact restrictions to stem this supposed flood. But the facts prove that these fears are unfounded. Past history shows immigration slows once...

Illusions of Empire: Defining the New American Order

G. John Ikenberry March 2, 2004
From an unprecedented era of global power to a soon-to-be realized decline, five new books on American empire run the gamut of explaining and forecasting the long-term possibilities of American power. In this review for Foreign Affairs, G. John Ikenberry notes where each author gets his analysis correct, but he also suggests what they fail to see. All describe America as an empire, but that...

Making Profits Cannot Be an End in Itself

Lim Boon Heng February 27, 2004
In this Straits Times article, Singapore's union chief Lim Boon Heng reflects on the current crisis in the global corporate sector, and ponders about an alternative to the prevalent model of cut-throat capitalism. Instead of attacking the basic tenet of capitalism - profit making - he acknowledges that profit is important to society because “Without businesses, there will be no commerce,...

We Need a Common Strategy

Romano Prodi February 18, 2004
In recent years, the European Union has grappled with waves of violent anti-Semitic attacks. This, combined with the anger some Europeans feel over Israel's policies, has turned relations with Jewish citizens into a tense conflict. In this Financial Times editorial, Romano Prodi – president of the European Commission – calls for concrete action against intolerance. This week leading public...

President Bush's New Plan to Stop Proliferation

Joseph Cirincione February 13, 2004
Under US President George W. Bush's newly proposed plan, only a handful of countries would be allowed to develop nuclear fuel. These countries could, in turn, sell fuel only to states that renounce enrichment and reprocessing. Joseph Cirincione, Director of the Non-Proliferation Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, believes that although the proposal does represent an...

How Dangerous is the Bird Flu?

Laurie Garrett February 6, 2004
In recent weeks the avian flu has emerged as a matter of urgent concern for poultry farmers, health officials, and government leaders in Asian countries. Cases of infected poultry have been reported in China, Vietnam, Thailand, and seven other countries, with widespread culling and bans on chicken exports in many of these. But with fewer than twenty human deaths reported thus far, is this...