In The News

North Korea Says It Is Using Plutonium to Make A-Bombs

James Brooke October 2, 2003
While claiming to be producing plutonium for nuclear weapons, Pyongyang's vice foreign minister also emphasized that "We have no intention of transferring any means of that nuclear deterrence to other countries." Apparently, the communist regime wants to avoid pushing Washington so far that the Bush administration would declare the need for a pre-emptive strike. But analysts...

Diplomatic Fantasyland: The Illusion of a Negotiated Solution to the North Korean Nuclear Crisis

Nicholas Eberstadt September 23, 2003
The world has been confronted with three alternative outcomes with concern to North Korea: They become a nuclear power; they dismantle their program through diplomatic negotiation; or they are forcibly disarmed. Unfortunately, the government in Pyongyang has repeatedly proved that it's not going budge easily. A nuclear weapons program in North Korea would be a disaster for both its...

Pressuring Tehran

Mustafa El-Labbad September 19, 2003
Iran has come under increasing pressure since Washington officially ended its war in Iraq and turned its eye on other countries in the region. Now, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear monitoring body, has passed a resolution giving Iran until October to declare the extent of its nuclear program and sign the Additional Protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation...

Iran, Sept. 11 and the Repercussions of ‘Regime Change'

Abumohammad Asgarkhani September 15, 2003
Iran stands increasingly big potential new target for America's fight against terrorism. As the US's new foreign policy—outlined after September 11th by the Bush administration—continues to take shape, Iran finds itself under (verbal) attack from the US and UK as a nation with a radical government, nuclear dreams, and a strong regional presence. Whether or not fears of Iranian power...

Two Years Later, a Thousand Years Ago

Robert Wright September 11, 2003
Until September 11, some viewed the globalization of American values in terms of a manifest destiny. However, on 9/11 nineteen hijackers "turned the tools of globalization against the system" and blew that view to pieces. Two years later, skepticism about globalization's benefits still persists. For evidence, one need only notice that anti-American terror networks still abound,...

US Said to Shift Approach in Talks With North Korea

David E. Sanger September 5, 2003
In nuclear disarmament talks last week with North Korea, the US negotiators appeared to adopt a more moderate incentive-based approach advocated by the US Department of State. While any major benefits to North Korea would come only after it fully and verifiably disarms, the mention of reducing sanctions, increasing aid, and even a peace treaty has provided a clearer vision of where talks could...

India and Israel Ready to Consummate Secret Affair

Edward Luce September 4, 2003
At first glance, India and Israel seem like improbable allies. India has long championed Palestinian rights, and the country’s large Muslim population makes cooperation with Israel politically dangerous. But 11 years after New Delhi established full relations with Tel Aviv, the two countries share increasingly strong ties based on a common desire to defeat violence rooted in Islamic...