In The News

Germans Agree to Admit Skilled Immigrants

May 27, 2004
German politicians have finally agreed on a progressive new immigration policy that will allow skilled non-European workers to enter and reside in the country. had spent three years working on the legislation. After much consultation and political wrangling, said German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder, a balance was struck between Greens who wanted a more liberal policy and groups who feared that...

Waking Up to the Terror Threat in Southern Thailand

John R. Bradley May 27, 2004
An insurgent movement within the Thai Muslim community has led to over 200 deaths in southern Thailand this year. The presence of the expensive, brand-new Yala Islamic College, primarily funded by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, is not unrelated to this violence, says this article in Singapore’s Straits Times. The 1,500-some students there dress in traditional Arab garb and are taught a strict...

Still Plotting, Still Recruiting

May 26, 2004
As America and the world enters the “danger season” for terrorist attack, the British International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) think tank asserts that the American pursuit of regime change in Iraq has strengthened the terrorist network Al-Qaeda, now even more resolute on the destruction of the United States and other western powers. Fury directed at the American-led occupation has...

US Nation-Building Abroad – Part I

Dilip Hiro May 26, 2004
In hindsight, it is now clear that Washington's declaration of an end to the Iraq war last year was premature, at best. Although Saddam Hussein was driven from power, Iraqis have yet to experience the democracy, freedom, and economic improvements promised by US President George W. Bush. In the first installment of a multi-authored, three-part series on US nation-building efforts in Iraq...

Human Rights Climate 'Worst in 50 Years'

Simon Jeffery May 26, 2004
Amnesty International has pronounced 2003 as the worst year for humanitarian law and human rights in 50 years. AI noted that the war in Iraq and actions across the globe stemming from the American anti-terror policy have led to unrest worldwide, especially in the Middle East. Long-standing international conflicts, as in Chechnya, Northern Ireland, or the Sudan, figured into the picture, but the...

Arab Presence at G-8 Summit

Mohammed A. R. Galadari May 25, 2004
This year’s G8 summit, held in The United States, may be punctuated, for the first time, by the conspicuous presence of leaders of Arab states. This is a departure from the last meeting of world powers, held in France in 2003, which featured discussions that did not directly involve the Middle East and included little input from the Arab community – only Egyptian and Saudi Arabian delegations...

The $40-a-Barrel Mistake

Edward L. Morse May 25, 2004
The ever-swelling prices for crude oil worldwide have many consumers and governments concerned. The authors of this article – a former US energy official and an oil adviser to Saudi Arabia – attribute the problems to ineffective policies pursued by the United States and Saudi Arabia over the past year. According to them, the initial catalyst for these policy decisions was the 2003-2003 Venezuelan...