In The News

China's Brutal Crackdown on Dissidents

Andreas Lorenz July 5, 2006
In the name of economic development, many Chinese citizens find themselves forced from their land and homes for construction of dams, roads or other projects. Added to the displacement are paltry offers of compensation and corruption, funneling the gains of China’s “economic miracle” away from its poorest people. The conflicts invite protest, but, as many of the country’s “difficult citizens”...

Democracy in the Arab World: Not Yet, Thanks

July 4, 2006
When internal and external forces both pressured for political liberalization in the Middle East, many of the region’s autocratic rulers at least paid lip service to democracy. Recently, though, the trend has reversed as more citizens expect their governments to strive for stability and preserve the status quo. With soaring oil prices, entrenched leaders have plenty of cash to eliminate dissent...

Dealing With Terrorists: Sometimes Talking Is the Lesser Evil

Martin Griffiths July 3, 2006
Using dialogue to find political solutions to conflicts involving “terrorist groups” has largely been discounted in the arena of international diplomacy, writes the director of the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue. Reasons for discarding this approach are threefold: By resorting to violence, terrorist groups forfeit their right to dialogue; engagement could legitimize the terrorists’ tactics; and...

Supreme Court Blocks Trials at Guantánamo

John O’Neil June 30, 2006
Protesters throughout the world have vehemently opposed the US indefinitely holding suspected terrorists in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba – and the US Supreme Court has lent some support to that argument. The court ruled against the US use of military tribunals to try detainees held in the Guantánamo prison, and in so doing, finally delivered the Bush administration from a legal limbo. In a 5-3 ruling,...

As China Ages, a Shortage of Cheap Labor Looms

Howard W. French June 30, 2006
The world’s most populous nation may soon face a labor shortage. Chinese traditionally retire at age 60. But expansion of nursing homes and home care provide evidence of a demographic shift and aging population, which could pressure China’s already stretched pension program. Analysts debate the wisdom of relaxing laws such as the one-child policy and restrictions on internal migration to ease...

For Dr. Sengupta, Long-Term Visa Is a Long Way Off

June Kronholz June 30, 2006
Highly successful immigrant researchers, doctors and engineers often wait years for citizenship in the US. The US Labor Department has a backlog of 235,000 skilled-immigrant permanent-residency applications, and the Citizenship and Immigration Service has another backlog of 180,000 cases. About half of the Ph.D. engineers and scientists in the US are foreign born, according to the National...

The Law of the Spirits

Andrew Morgan June 30, 2006
Good cooks like to experiment. But vodka producers in the Nordic, Polish and Baltic markets want to restrict ingredients for vodka production to two raw products: cereals or potatoes. Such are the issues that have posed obstacles for negotiators throughout the Doha round of trade talks. The regulation would prevent other producers whose alcohol comes from fruit or molasses from marketing their...