In The News

Half in Germany, Half in Poland

Frank Pergande April 25, 2003
Poland’s pending membership in the European Union should, in theory, offer great benefits to towns on the border between Germany and Poland. The divisions created in 1945 had severe economic consequences for some small border towns. EU membership for Poland and cross-border trade between these poor German and Polish towns could make a difference. Studies caution, however, that most economic...

We're All Americans

Alfons Kaiser April 25, 2003
Anti-Americanism in Germany is widespread in the wake of the war on Iraq, and a major political rift between the US and Germany has formed. American culture has had a major impact on everyday life in Germany, however, and the Germans that condemn American politics cannot escape American music, clothing, and food. In that sense, Alfons Kaiser suggests, Germans are Americans, too. In fact,...

N. Korea Says It Has Nuclear Arms

Glenn Kessler April 25, 2003
Talks opened on Wednesday between North Korea, China, and the United States to discuss solutions to a burgeoning nuclear crisis in the Korean peninsula. Instead of a resolution, the talks brought out the news that the Korean nuclear program may be further along than they had originally admitted. Korean officials claim to have built a nuclear weapon and almost finished the reprocessing of 8,000...

Fight Against SARS: Government to Seek Exit Checks

April 24, 2003
The Public Health Ministers of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are scheduled to meet in Malaysia to discuss specific proposals for regional cooperation to combat further spread of SARS. Thailand’s proposals include the screening of all departing passengers, the establishment of a regional website to share SARS related information, and the exchange of medical professionals...

Ya Hussein

Omayma Abdel-Latif April 24, 2003
While the US envisions a secular government for reconstructed Iraq, Iraq’s two Islamic sects – Shi’a and Sunni – have called for an 'Islamic state'. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of Shi’a Muslims assembled in Karbala recently to demonstrate their faith and condemn the American presence in Iraq. Tension between the Iraqi religious establishment and the occupation forces is high; Sunni...

U.S. Officials Consider Ways to Punish France

Brian Knowlton April 23, 2003
The French reacted “brusquely” to recent discussions of consequences for its behavior throughout the Iraq crisis. Countering US Secretary of Defense Colin Powell’s remarks that France would suffer consequences for its opposition in the UN Security Council, French officials stated that they will continue in their commitment to defend international law. Despite this apparent rift, US President...

France Urging U.N. to Suspend Iraq Penalties

Felicity Barringer April 23, 2003
The French ambassador to the UN called for the suspension of non-military trade with Iraq today, offering what some see as an olive branch to the US. Since taking control of Iraq, Washington has sought the complete lifting of sanctions on the country. France's latest move may be a way to ensure it isn't completely frozen out of a role in Iraq's post-war reconstruction, but the...