In The News

Humanitarian Stain

Justin McCurry January 26, 2005
Strict immigration policies in Japan have changed the lives of one Kurdish family - and may have a lasting effect on Japan's relations with the international humanitarian and diplomatic communities. For a decade, the family of seven has been subject to countless obstacles from the Japanese government. After separation, multiple refusals, and deportations, their story became a rallying point...

Turkey's Muslim Identity Did Not Prevent Turkey's Intense Relations with Europe

Abdullah Gil December 16, 2004
The debate surrounding Turkey's inclusion as a member of the European Union has prompted a process of political and economic reform that has been remarkably successful and has received widespread popular support. Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul writes that his country has demonstrated a commitment to internal restructuring merits recognition by the European and global community....

What the Bush Victory Means for East Asia

Lee Kuan Yew December 15, 2004
As US President George W. Bush eases into his second term of office, governments in East Asia and around the world are reevaluating their place within an American foreign policy. The upcoming elections in Iraq, recently endorsed at a summit attended by the EU, the Arab League, China, and other nations, may prove a test of international dedication to security and democracy in the Middle East. Bush...

US Visa Rules Deter Chinese researchers

Catherine Brahic December 14, 2004
Heightened security measures surrounding US visa applicants have weakened the collaborative relationship between American and Chinese scientists, as a recent opinion poll of graduate students in China showed. Stricter rules regarding research in the United States have produced a climate in which foreign admissions to graduate schools have decreased greatly, with the largest drop among Chinese...

The Patent Controversy

Rajeev Dhavan December 10, 2004
As India's Parliament rushes through the Third Patents Amendment, the important social justice and equity issues are being ignored, says the author in India’s newspaper, The Hindu. The pressure to pass this law before January 1, 2005 came from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the US, which hold the implicit threat of retaliation and non-compliance under WTO provisions. However, argues...

The NU Convention and Nonconventional Islam

Rizqon Khamami November 24, 2004
Throughout Indonesian history, Islam emerged with a unique eclecticism differing from that of Arab lands. In recent years, however, political Islam has been on the march, with violent consequences for the world's most populous Muslim country. Indonesia's largest Islamic organization, Nehdlatul Ulama (NU), now prepares for a crucial meeting regarding the interpretation of shariah,...

UN Remains Critical In Post-War Iraq

Shashi Tharoor November 19, 2004
The United Nations is seen by many as having suffered collateral damage from the Iraq War. Opinion polls have shown the extent of the loss of faith in the UN, both from countries that supported and opposed the war in Iraq. But as UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications, Shashi Tharoor states, the talk about the irrelevance of the UN is dead wrong. Indeed, from the beginning, Tharoor...