In The News

Betrayal on All Sides

John R. Bradley April 9, 2003
The US has proved what many already knew: few armies, let alone any in the Middle East, can withstand its power. But before the ticker tape parades and triumphal marches, the costs of US victory in terms of Arab self-esteem need to be weighed. Such a sound defeat of Arab soldiers could spell years of disenchantment for the Arab psyche. Furthermore, as the writer suggests, the ‘roadmap for peace’...

US Honeymoon may be Brief

April 9, 2003
Many Iraqis may express joy at being free from the terror of Saddam Hussein, but it would be wrong to confuse this joy with support for a US occupation of Iraq. In the coming weeks, the US has hard choices to make and should take care not to allow history to repeat itself. In this editorial, the lead up to the Iraqi invasion is compared to Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, with surprising...

Moscow Seeks to Take Advantage of Iraq Conflict to Reassert its Leadership in CIS

Igor Torbakov April 9, 2003
Some political analysts believe that the war in Iraq presents Russia with a "golden opportunity" to integrate the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Virus sows seeds of regional mistrust- Thai Prime Minister

April 9, 2003
According to Thailand’s Prime Minister, the spread of SARS is undermining regional cooperation in South East Asia due to the mistrust between different nations in the region. SARS has adversely affected the tourism industry in Thailand. Taiwan has protested its inclusion, by Japan, Thailand and China, as a SARS affected State. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has criticized China for...

Corporations as Good Global Citizens

Susan Ariel Aaronson April 8, 2003
Global corporate social responsibility (CSR) is often agreed about in theory, and has informed the policy of some governments. However, its implementation is still far from ideal. While some countries make no effort to promote CSR, even the ones that do have left the terms of compliance uncertain. CSR principles are often mandated, but corporations are rarely monitored. A number of European...

Agency Wages Media Battle

Bob Kemper April 7, 2003
If you think the Bush administration's spokespeople sound just like the US military officials speaking about the war on Iraq, there's a reason. When the Pentagon tried to launch an Office of Strategic Influence last year, the idea was shot down after cries of media manipulation from a broad spectrum of the US public. But since January, the White House has been running a similar...

North Korea Says Its Arms Will Deter U.S. Attack

Howard W. French April 7, 2003
After having been virtually silent since the US-led invasion of Iraq began, North Korea's government is once again proclaiming the right to protect itself against any US aggression. "The Iraqi war shows that to allow disarming through inspection does not help avert a war but rather sparks it," say the latest statement from Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry. "This suggests...