In The News

Offense and Defense

Seymour M. Hersh March 31, 2003
Veteran investigative reporter Seymour M. Hersh writes that US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has dominated logistical planning of the US military operation in Iraq. Taking control of day-to-day logistical planning to an unprecedented extent, Rumsfeld has angered several senior war planners in the Pentagon. Hersh says "On at least six occasions, the planner told me, when Rumsfeld and...

The Arabs Are Watching a Different War on TV

Mamoun Fandy March 31, 2003
Arab television coverage of the war on Iraq is not unlike many US stations: talk shows, press briefings, and video footage. The messages differ, however. On Arab TV, Americans are portrayed as aggressive and barbaric, while Arabs are heroic. Networks like Al-Jazeera and Abu Dhabi TV did not exist at the time of the 1991 Gulf War, whose coverage was dominated by the likes of CNN and the BBC....

Malaysia Headed for US Deep Freezer?

Eddie Toh March 31, 2003
Despite a period of cooperation immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks on the US, in recent weeks Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir has been one of US Pres. George Bush's harshest critics over the war on Iraq. But official criticism should not deter American investors from Malaysia, says this article in Singapore's Business Times. Rather, says author Eddie Toh, Washington and...

N Korea Could Scrap Nuclear Plan for Pipeline

Andrew Ward March 30, 2003
Both South Korean and American officials have claimed that a resolution to the North Korean nuclear weapons crisis should be achieved using different methods than in Iraq. The latest suggestion by the South Korean government is to route a Russian gas pipeline to its northern neighbor, in exchange for Pyongyang's renunciation of all nuclear programs. If the needs of North Korea’s struggling...

Using Tariffs to Discourage Movie Production Outside US

Bernard Simon March 29, 2003
Following the lead of American manufacturers, American moviemakers are moving their operations abroad in search of cheaper labor. Canada, especially, has become a hotspot for filming, offering attractive tax incentives and a cheap dollar. United States film crews – and the governor of California – are increasingly alarmed at the growing trend, however. Fed up, members of the American film...

Iraq, Testing Ground for US Hi-tech Weapons

March 29, 2003
Some analysts believe that the United States is using Iraq to test newly developed hi-tech weapons – some of which have never been tested in a real battle in the country.

French's Unmentioned British Flavor

Floyd Norris March 28, 2003
American resentment over political issues has begun to take its toll on goods and services imported from countries such as France and Germany. French’s Mustard's ‘All-American’ publicity campaign aimed to distance its company (British-owned, in fact] from any connection to France – except the name. On French’s website, however, there were no American flags waving in the background, so as to...