In The News

Is Iraq Becoming a New Vietnam? - Part One

Orville Schell July 14, 2003
Is the American occupation of Iraq turning into a Vietnam-style quagmire? With American casualties mounting almost daily and the Bush Administration hinting at increasing troop levels, it is a question that will be asked. Historical comparisons are often misleading, because the actors and the context tend to be different. Yet, such comparisons with the past provide a valuable analytical framework...

The Sweetest Revenge

Stefan Theil July 14, 2003
The 2,000 year old Jewish community in Uzbekistan in Central Asia is all but a relic of the past. Due to the economic crisis in Uzbekistan, the majority of its Jewish population is choosing to immigrate to Germany, more even than to Israel. As a result, only 60 years after the Holocaust decimated Germany's Jewish population, the influx of Central Asian Jews is revitalizing the Jewish-...

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...

Bush, in Africa, Promises Aid but Offers No Troops for Liberia

Richard W. Stevenson July 9, 2003
As his first trip to Africa commences, US President Bush is promising to promote democracy, fight AIDS, and increase trade with the continent, but he is offering no immediate assistance in the current bloodbath in Liberia. This reluctance to commit troops to the war torn country belies the emphasis Bush will be placing on the problems plaguing failing states like Liberia over the course of his...

Non-Globalized States Pose a Threat

Banning N. Garrett July 7, 2003
Liberia's raging civil war is bringing the issue of failing states in Africa dramatically to the fore as US President Bush begins his first ever trip to the continent. Amidst domestic bloodbath, the threat posed to the interconnected world by failing states like Liberia or other rogue or weak states may not be immediately apparent. However, as this article points out, the weakness of such...

Pentagon Seeking New Access Pacts for Africa Bases

Eric Schmitt July 5, 2003
The United States influence and presence in Africa is set to increase with the signing of a series of bilateral agreements between the United States and several African countries. The US is already planning to provide troops to join an international peacekeeping force in Liberia. The US is also seeking to establish Army bases in Mali and Algeria, and sign aircraft refueling agreements with...

Bush May Send Peace-Keeping Force to Liberia If Taylor Quits

Rupert Cornwell July 4, 2003
In a twist of international affairs, the United States is being pressured to send troops to a foreign nation. This time, however, the regime in need of change is in Africa. After several years of strife, Liberia's president, Charles Taylor, has been charged with war crimes and supporting rebel insurgencies in neighboring Sierra Leone. In the capital, Monrovia, local people are reported to...