In The News

Modern Mercenaries on the Iraqi Frontier

James Glanz April 4, 2004
In what appears to be a modern manifestation of old mercenary platoons, 'risk management' firms are filling the security gap in a tense Iraq. Former military men from around the world are earning large salaries to protect the development agencies and businesses that have recently entered the post-Saddam state. Though one would think that 'risk management' forces would...

China's Net watchdogs: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Liyuan Lu April 3, 2004
Political dissidence in China has long searched for an appropriate outlet. With the advent of the internet, anger at politicians, foreigners, upper classes, and others has moved online. Sometimes, internet news forums have served as forces for progressive change – political prisoners have been released after online petitions and editorials became widespread. But at other times, the internet has...

Free But Not Unfettered

Niveen Wahish April 2, 2004
Inexpensive textiles from Southeast Asia and around the world will soon freely enter the Egyptian market. Though Egypt theoretically lifted its 30-year ban on textile imports when it joined the WTO in 2002, since then protectionist tariffs have effectively kept foreign textiles off the market – with mixed consequences for Egypt's domestic industry. As one expert notes, "Although we...

No More Rwandas

Michael E. O'Hanlon April 2, 2004
Ten years after the genocide in Rwanda began, is the international community better positioned to prevent another such horror from occurring elsewhere? The deaths of 800,000 Rwandans should have taught the world much, say Michael O'Hanlon and Susan Rice, senior fellows at the Washington-based Brookings Institution. In 1994 the US, France, and the UK failed to muster the political will to...

Arab World Risks Missing its Development Goals

Majdoline Hatoum April 2, 2004
Illiteracy, gender inequality, and unemployment plague Arab countries, despite the region's concentration of oil wealth. Arab leaders addressed these issues at a recent development conference. They proposed various plans and strategies to help Arab countries meet the Millennium Development Goal, which was signed by 189 countries in 2000 as part of the UN's Millennium Declaration. The...

India Seethes as US Warms to Pakistan

Edward Luce April 1, 2004
The United States recently removed all remaining sanctions placed on Pakistan when that country’s current leader, General Pervez Musharraf, was installed in a 1999 military coup. After September 11th, Musharraf lost his pariah status and emerged as a key US ally in the anti-terror fight. The partnership was cemented this week, as Musharraf deployed troops to hunt Al-Qaeda along the Afghan border...

Australia's Greedy Oil Deals in East Timor

April 1, 2004
Ownership and control of the rich gas fields in the East Timor Sea – the subject of recent bilateral discussions between Australia and East Timor – provides a "harsh" but valuable lesson in international relations, says this editorial in Thailand's The Nation. Australia played a critical role in ending violence in East Timor and in ensuring the country's independence from...