In The News

A World Without the UN?

Ernesto Zedillo March 14, 2005
Critics of the United Nations point to its failure to intervene in humanitarian crises and to maintain global peace and security. Some claim that the organization has reached its expiration date, that the world no longer needs such an impotent governing body. Yet despite the significant changes in world politics in the last 60 years, collective action among nations is still necessary to assure...

Indian Diplomacy Energized by Search for Oil

Pramit Mitra March 14, 2005
China and India have faced parallel challenges attendant to their booming economies; the most recent is energy security. As Pramit Mitra writes, India will emerge as the fourth-largest energy consumer by 2010. And like China, in its quest to secure adequate resources, India has forged strategic alliances, several of which may render the United States none-too-pleased. On the plus side, India...

Oil Fuels Beijing's New Power Game

Ziad Haider March 11, 2005
As China's industry continues to grow apace, so does its energy needs. In the next quarter-century, China is expected to account for more than one-fifth of growth in world energy demand. As Ziad Haider writes, Beijing's pursuit of fuel resources and safe supply routes may have implications for regional and global geopolitics. Considering competing Western energy demand – and, crucially...

Two Fed Officials Offer Different but Upbeat Views on Debt

Edmund L. Andrews March 11, 2005
The soaring US deficit, estimated at over US$600 billion last year, has been a source of debate among economic analysts. According to The New York Times, the nation's total foreign debt equals more than one-fifth of the total economy. And while many observers fear the increasing indebtedness could eventually lead to global economic disaster, two senior officials at the US Federal Reserve...

China's Latin Influence Is Growing, General Says

Pablo Bachelet March 10, 2005
Recent US sanctions against several Latin American and Caribbean countries may come back to haunt it. US Army General Bantz Craddock testified before a Congressional panel that cuts in military aid may have alienated several countries – and that China has stepped in to fill the void. The Asian giant aggressively pursued economic ties with several Latin American countries, in order to support...

US Says It Has Withdrawn from World Judicial Body

Adam Liptak March 10, 2005
The US administration has angered many countries in its lack of deference to international institutions, particularly the United Nations. Most recently, a US State Department announcement essentially revoked International Court of Justice jurisdiction to review disputes within US courts. Washington's withdrawal from this optional protocol, part of the Vienna Convention on Consular...

North Ugandan Conflict, Forgotten But Still Deadly

Katherine Southwick March 9, 2005
From Sudan to Congo to Côte d'Ivoire to Rwanda, the African continent seems plagued with humanitarian crises. Some of these situations have received international attention – though often times, too late. Others have been virtually ignored. Such is the case with Northern Uganda, home to one of Africa's longest and most brutal civil wars. As Katherine Southwick reports, the anti-...