In The News

Pyongyang Derides US Treaty Offer

October 22, 2003
The North Korean government is calling a US pledge not to invade North Korea a 'laughing matter'. US President George W. Bush had earlier offered the isolated communist country a written guarantee that the US and four other countries would not attack North Korea if Pyongyang agreed to give up its nuclear weapons development program. "We have demanded that the United States drop...

Iran to Suspend Uranium Enrichment Programme

Mohsen Asgari October 21, 2003
Bowing to pressure from the US and other nations, Iran has announced that it will suspend nuclear enrichment for "an interim period" to help "create a new atmosphere of trust and confidence between Iran and the international community". Meeting with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and the UK, a top Iranian official also said that Iran would sign an additional...

Sizzling Economy Revitalizes India

Amy Waldman October 20, 2003
For young urban Indians, there seems to be no better way to celebrate Gandhi's birthday than going to the mall. The Indian middle class is spending money like never before – and now they have a lot more to spend. This year's visible economic confidence is partly a result of the political decision in the early 1990s to open up the Indian economy to increased foreign trade and...

Once Again Divided

Mohamed Darwish October 20, 2003
It's not only the western media's portrayal of the Iraqi war that has Arab journalists up in arms – some are not so happy at the perceived inaccuracies in other Arab sources. At the Third Arab Media Forum last week in Dubai, discussions disintegrated into shouting matches as journalists struggled to make sense out the role the media should play in wartime. Some journalists accused...

Courageous Arab Thinkers

Thomas L. Friedman October 19, 2003
Can the Arab countries – long dependent on their abundant oil resources for their incomes – be convinced that development and growth is actually dependent on democracy and open societies? A group of Arab scholars are aiming to do just that by publishing their second "Arab Development Report", which analyzes the economic stagnation of the Middle East in light of the UN's "...

We Have to Make Globalization Work for All

Joseph Stiglitz October 17, 2003
Why has globalization gained such a bad reputation? It was once the phenomenon supposed to 'save' the world system and provide a framework for global equality and integration. So is the concept inherently flawed, or does the fault lie with the implementation of policies? Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz asks these questions and reflects on what went wrong with globalization during the...

Asia Applauds Newest Space Club Member's Achievement

October 16, 2003
Upon the completion of China's successful launch and return of a manned space vessel, congratulatory wishes were sent to Beijing from across the Asia-Pacific region. From the Philippines to India, Malaysia to Japan, national leaders and space technology officials had only praise for China's technological feat. The only other two countries to achieve manned space flight also graciously...