In The News

Saudi Women Get the Vote

Brian Whitaker March 10, 2004
For the first time, municipal elections are set to take place in Saudi Arabia. The elections alone stand as an important sign of Saudi Arabia's increasing democratization, but even more surprisingly, women will be able vote in these elections. Women's activities are highly restricted in the Saudi kingdom, but in recent years many have managed to gain a foothold in business affairs –...

Bush Administration Should Stop Turning Refugees Away

Cheryl Little March 9, 2004
With Haiti's political system in turmoil after President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's departure, the US is experiencing a rise in Haitian refugees attempting to leave their home. Despite the legitimate fears of violence many of these people face, say two immigrant advocates, the US has turned a cold shoulder – and turned Haitians back from US shores. For over two years now, the Bush...

American Troops Are Killing and Abusing Afghans, Rights Body Says

Brian Whitaker March 8, 2004
After routing out the oppressive Taliban regime from Afghanistan in 2001, America took on the burden of enforcing security within the war-torn country. Now, according to a report released today by Human Rights Watch (HRW), the US is failing to live up to its own standards of democracy and respect for human rights. The use of excessive force and paramilitary tactics for policing procedures are...

Chinatown Is a Hard Sell in Italy

Daniel Williams March 2, 2004
Rome recently laid down the law on would-be founders of a Chinatown in the city's downtown area. The city wants to avoid the creation of an ethnic ghetto “in the historic center of Rome.” The Italians’ strongest complaint is the isolationist nature of the Chinese neighborhood, which operates almost entirely apart from the rest of the city. Many of the Chinese immigrants do not speak...

A New Consensus on Free Trade

Gene Sperling March 1, 2004
During the Clinton presidency, “globalization with a human face” was the motto that underlined US trade policy. Today, under pressure from the outsourcing debate, both the Bush administration and the Democratic candidates are pushing to close the doors on open markets. Gene Sperling, director of economic programs at the Center for American Progress and national economic adviser during the Clinton...

China Clamps Down on Web News Discussion

Mark Magnier February 26, 2004
China has cracked down on the internet once again. This time, the government has targeted news discussion groups, which often feature independent reporting not approved by the government. While it is common for Beijing to quiet dissenting voices before an upcoming National People's Congress (one is scheduled for next week), some see this latest crackdown as particularly heavy-handed. In one...

Women's Work: Globalization's Mixed Blessings

Erika Kinetz February 21, 2004
Women are generally preferred over men as workers in garment factories, presumably because of their "nimble fingers" and their perceived docility. In Cambodia and Bangladesh, an overwhelming majority of workers in garment factories are women. However, a study conducted by Oxfam International, a global relief agency, found that with multinational companies increasingly cutting down wages...