In The News

Europe Turning Cold on Turkey

Yigal Schleifer June 20, 2005
The fallout of the referendum fiasco on the European Union’s expansion plan is coming to light . A report in the Christian Science Monitor says that all references to Turkey joining the EU have been removed from an upcoming European Union summit declaration. There is now a general consensus that opposition to Turkey’s EU membership was a factor in the French and Dutch rejection of the proposed...

In the Gulf, Women Are Not Women’s Best Friends

N. Janardhan June 20, 2005
Following in the steps of Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar, Kuwait recently granted women the right to vote and hold public office. The country, however, still faces important challenges in achieving the full and equal integration of women into society. Although women in the Gulf are becoming increasingly visible in businesses, their political rights continue to be restrained by a combination of...

Arabs in Foreign Lands

Moisés Naím June 20, 2005
"Cultural determinists may want to revise their theories of Arab backwardness," states Foreign Policy Editor-in-Chief Moisés Naím. The average Arab American has a higher income and is more likely to own a home than the average US citizen. The relative success of Arab immigrants in the US raises questions regarding the notion that cultural factors are at the root of the poverty and...

Change in Syria?

Mohamed Sid-Ahmed June 17, 2005
At a long-awaited regional congress this week, Syria's Baath Party met to consider political and economic reforms. The Syrian leadership has faced much criticism for many aspects of its regime. Human rights abuses, assassinations and continued intelligence operations in Lebanon, and a shutdown of participatory government are some of the charges that the international community is laying at...

Fallout from the War on Terror – Part II

J Alexander Thier June 16, 2005
The complex effects of the US war on terror extend far beyond security – and the unintended results are not all positive. In this two-part series, YaleGlobal explores how US anti-terrorism policy is changing America's position in the world. In part two, J Alexander Thier , a former legal adviser in Afghanistan, considers the effects of human rights violations on the US standing in the Muslim...

The Insidious Wiles of Foreign Influence

June 16, 2005
Since the end of the Cold War, and now with George W. Bush in office, the US has grown notably resistant to foreign legal influence, writes The Economist. According to this commentary, Washington exhibits a striking ambivalence with regard to international law: While the Bush administration advocates global rules on trade, finance, and international investment, it also opts out of other...

Peace the Only Option for Aceh

Aguswandi June 16, 2005
The prospect of achieving sustainable peace in the tumultuous Indonesian region of Aceh is being undermined by comments from politicians denouncing the ongoing peace negotiations in Helsinki. While the majority of Acehnese support the talks as a step towards ending violence, these voices of dissent ignore the positive results and denounce foreign assistance for fear that Aceh will become the...