In The News

Rumsfeld Approved Methods for Guantanamo Interrogations

Jess Bravin June 10, 2004
According to a memo reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, US Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld agreed in December 2002 to allow for a variety of harsh interrogation methods at Guantanamo Bay. "Mild non-injurious physical contact," "stress positions", and forced nudity were among the techniques approved for interrogating prisoners held at the US military installation, this...

The End of Textile Quotas Will Redistribute Pain and Gain

Edward Gresser June 10, 2004
The abolition of textile quotas by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in January 2005 does not bode well for all developing countries, says Edward Gresser, Director of the PPI Project on Trade and Global Markets. Although the lifting of textile quotas will be a much-awaited victory for developing countries against rich economies like the US and Europe, its benefits will be highly uneven. Come...

Nations Vow Corruption Fight

Nancy San Martin June 9, 2004
At the recent annual general assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) held in Quito, Ecuador, member nations agreed to improve the situation of democracy, human rights, and corruption in the Americas. In order to combat corruption, they pledged to deny refuge to corrupt officials from other countries and agreed to cooperate in the recovery of stolen funds. Further, the OAS'...

Asia ‘Needs Own Energy Resources’

Pennapa Hongthong June 9, 2004
A lack of domestic energy security has prompted discussion amongst Asian nations about a regional strategy on energy resources. At the Asia Development Research Forum, which concluded yesterday, researchers encouraged the region’s policy makers to develop domestic energy sources. Rather than depend on foreign imports, the focus should be on developing new and renewable energy resources. China’s...

Growing Anti-US Sentiments Roil Alliance With South Korea

Sook-Jong Lee June 8, 2004
Although South Korea’s legislature just approved the deployment of 3000 troops to Iraq, South Koreans’ anger about US military actions has reached a boiling point, argues Sook-Jong Lee, a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution. South Koreans have become increasingly critical of the US since the 1980s, with the presence of US forces in South Korea serving as a daily reminder of the country’s...

The Case for Hypocrisy

Niall Ferguson June 7, 2004
Niall Ferguson, author of "Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire", makes his case against the much-demanded quick American exit from Iraq and transfer of full sovereignty to an Iraqi government. First of all, he says, the references to ‘full sovereignty’ made by US President George Bush and many others is unrealistic, because the US army will continue to have a strong...

New Violence, Old Problem

Neil MacFarquhar June 6, 2004
The last two terrorist attacks on Saudi Arabian soil left over two dozen people dead, including 25 foreigners. In both attacks, the corpse of a Westerner was dragged behind a car in apparent celebration. As gruesome as this sounds, writes Neil MacFarquhar, it is only a symptom of the times in Saudi Arabia. The ruling House of Saud, he says, officially maintains that the terrorists responsible...