In The News

South Asia Arms Race – Is It Paranoia?

Shahzeb Jillani August 1, 2006
A report released by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) claims that Pakistan is developing a reactor capable of producing enough plutonium to make up to 50 nuclear weapons per year. With its release timed perhaps to derail the deal for the US to sell civilian nuclear technology to India, the report has not swayed US support for the deal. The Bush administration remains...

The Next Steps With Iran

Henry A. Kissinger August 1, 2006
The US, the UK, France, Germany, Russia and China, also known as the Six, still await an answer from Iran on a proposed package that would curb nuclear development. Iran poses “twin challenges” that the Six can no longer avoid: Iran’s desire for nuclear weapons symbolizes its reach for modernity, while fostering a religious extremism that resists modernization. So far, the Six have not issued a...

How to Deal With NGOs – Part I, China

Paul Mooney August 1, 2006
Both China and Russia sat up and took notice of the role played by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the political unrest and subsequent color revolutions in Georgia, the Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. This two-part series examines the two governments’ responses to NGO activity within their borders. China dispatched intelligence officers to research the NGO role in Central Asia and also conduct...

A New Middle East, or Rice’s Fantasy Ride?

Rami G. Khouri July 31, 2006
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described the escalating violence between Lebanon and Israel as “birth pangs of a new Middle East.” The US has vested interests in its support of Israel, and its alliances with Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, as well as the eventual eradication of Islamic Jihadist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. However, columnist Rami G. Khouri for...

Nationalization Without Expropriation?

Raquel Gutierrez July 29, 2006
Bolivia is nationalizing its energy resources by negotiating with government, corporate and individual interests – providing a test case for some of President Evo Morales’ loftiest campaign promises. The process is really a re-nationalization process, according to analysts Raquel Gutierrez and Dunia Mokrani, based on redrafting past agreements between the government and oil companies that unduly...

The Call That Tells You: Run, You're About to Lose Your Home and Possessions

Conal Urquhart July 28, 2006
With a relentless bombing campaign on two fronts, in Gaza and Lebanon, Israel tries a new tactic. Israeli intelligence officers make telephone calls across enemy lines to warn targets that their homes are about to be bombed. Sometimes attacks follow the calls and sometimes not. The Israeli telephone warnings are brief but friendly, with one officer urging her Palestinian target to “Be safe.”...

US Shares Blame for Trade Talk Collapse

Lael Brainard July 28, 2006
An unsatisfactory end to the Doha Round of trade talks also signals the end of a US policy of “competitive liberalization,” writes economist Lael Brainard. Until now, this policy included pursuing bilateral and regional trade agreements with the hope of unlocking worldwide multilateral negotiations. The failure of Doha, with midterm elections approaching in the US, makes it unlikely that...