In The News

Time for Reality Check in Iran

Dilip Hiro November 19, 2007
With Iran continually expanding its uranium enrichment program despite warnings from the UN Security Council, there has been growing talk of strict sanctions against the country, even murmurs of military action. The idea of military action floated by American neo-conservatives is strongly opposed by many in the US administration. A UN sanction against Iran also appears to be problematic. A...

India Holds Its Tongue on Pakistan

Amelia Gentleman November 9, 2007
India and Pakistan have engaged in three wars and ample animosity since 1947, when the two nations achieved independence from Great Britain. But the relationship between the two nuclear powers improved since 2004, with the start of peace talks, and so India’s response to recent turmoil in Pakistan has been cautious. Constitutional crisis has erupted in Pakistan as General Pervez Musharraf...

The United States Risks Walking Into a Trap in Iran

David Ignatius October 29, 2007
The West, including Russia, is serious about keeping nuclear weapons out of the Middle East. The 2003 invasion of Iraq removed a dictator – but cost billions, ruined the nation’s economy and displaced millions of refugees, even though no weapons of mass destruction were found. Other countries in the region now worry that the US plans an attack on Iran for refusing to stop a nuclear program that...

Iran Condemns “Doomed” Sanctions

Ewen MacAskill October 27, 2007
The US has imposed strict sanctions on Iran, suggesting that segments of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard contribute to destabilizing neighboring Iraq, increasing availability of weapons of mass destruction, and supporting Islamic fundamentalist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas. “Any business continuing to trade with Iran risks US reprisals,” report Ewen MacAskill and Fred Attewil for the...

US-India Nuclear Pact Runs Into (Surprise!) Politics

Somini Sengupta October 19, 2007
Leaders in the US and India agree about a deal that would allow India to buy nuclear fuel and technology from the world market for its civilian energy program. But opposition parties in India question any strategic relationship with the US. Withdrawal of four small communist parties from the coalition with the ruling Congress Party in parliament would trigger a call for elections. Another...

The New AIPAC?

Mira Kamdar October 3, 2007
Inspired by the success of AIPAC and other lobbying organizations in forging a pro-Israeli American foreign policy, Indian-American groups are beginning to hit their stride. The biggest success for what World Policy Institute fellow Mira Kamdar calls the "India lobby" has been the overwhelming passage through the US Congress of a nuclear-cooperation deal that would legitimize India...

The US and India: Nuclear Bonding

Nayan Chanda August 2, 2007
The leaders of India and the US reached an agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation, marking a major strategic shift in US policy. The deal still requires approval from the US Congress, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the international Nuclear Suppliers Group. The Bush administration has often resisted constraints of international agreements, and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of...