In The News

Tightening the U.S. Borders Takes a Toll on Foreign Students

Robert L. Steinback March 31, 2004
The tightening of US visa policies and practices since the 9/11 terrorist attacks has substantial costs for the United States that might not be apparent at first glance. According to a feature story in The Miami Herald, the now frequent "derailment" of graduate study for thousands of international students is only one of the many adverse consequences of severely tightened US visa...

Bombings and Shootings Rock Uzbekistan

Esmer Islamov March 30, 2004
Bombs have ripped through Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capitol. While no group has claimed responsibility, officials have suggested foreign terrorists and Muslim radicals as the possible cause. But many Uzbeki's are more likely to blame the widespread discontent with President Islam Karimov's government: the result of the deepening sense of loss of liberty and democracy, and the...

A Normal Country

Andrei Shleifer March 30, 2004
In this Foreign Affairs’ essay, Andrei Shleifer and Daniel Treisman argue that the popular image in the west of Russia as a “disastrous failure” needs to be rethought. General belief holds that Russia has failed to leave its communist past behind, and as a result, has transformed itself into “a collapsed state inhabited by criminals threatening other countries with multiple contagions.” Contrary...

OPEC Heayweights Back Production Cut

Carola Hoyos March 30, 2004
Saudi Arabia, the leading oil-producing nation, wants the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut oil production by 1 million barrels per day in April. Fears of an oversupplied market, seasonal drop in demand, and US stock-building have motivated Saudi Arabia's position. Venezuela, Algeria, Libya and other members of OPEC also support the production cut. Kuwait, however, wants...

Arabs Disunited

John R. Bradley March 30, 2004
For the first time since 1983, the Arab League cancelled its summit, citing "difference of views" as the reason. While Egypt wished to discuss US proposals for reform in the region, Syria wanted to focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Arab despots have often used the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to deflect attention from their own draconian rule, some have noted. The summit was...

Letting Foreign Workers Past the Gate

March 29, 2004
If Japan is to play a leading role in the economic development of Asia – one of the world’s fastest growing regions – it must embrace globalization, which includes opening its borders to foreign labor. As this editorial in The Japan Times points out, foreigners are becoming increasingly vital to the Japanese labor force. Immigrants work in factories, hospitals, fish ports, and farms. Yet as...

Foreign Ministers Meet on North Korea Nukes

Choi Soung-ah March 29, 2004
The third round of the six-party negotiations on the North Korean nuclear “standoff” is scheduled for June 2004 in Beijing. In preparation for the negotiations, South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-moon paid an official visit to Beijing to meet with his Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing. With Ban addressing the issue of North Korean defectors detained in China and Li relaying the outcome of his...