In The News

The Godfather’s War

Amira Howeidy February 17, 2003
Former Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, who shot to international fame during the oil embargo of 1973, says that a US-led war on Iraq would be about everything but weapons control. US president George Bush’s true motivations, Yamani said, are controlling world oil supplies, ensuring Israel's survival and political gain, and winning a second term in the Oval Office....

WTO ministers still worlds apart

JUN SAITO February 17, 2003
The prospect of freeing up world trade darkened at the first meeting devoted to agricultural liberalization held in Tokyo. A draft proposal submitted by Stuart Harbinson, the chair of WTO's agricultural negotiations, calling for deeper cuts in tariffs and subsidies on farming products was opposed by a large number of countries. The US and the 17-member Cairns Group of agricultural...

Negotiation Offers Hope in Nuclear Containment

Daniel Sneider February 16, 2003
As the global frenzy over Iraq reaches its boiling point, the Bush administration has downplayed the threat of nuclear weapons in North Korea. Capitalizing on US distraction, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is apparently building up a nuclear stockpile, perhaps to later sell to improve a weak North Korean economy. Daniel Sneider argues that in minimizing the North Korean problem, the US has...

From New York to Melbourne, Protest Against War on Iraq

Robert D. McFadden February 16, 2003
In what may be the largest, most diverse worldwide peace protest since the Vietnam War, millions of people protested against a war on Iraq. The demonstrations were largely peaceful worldwide, with very few problems reported. Under the umbrella organization United for Peace and Justice, protests were coordinated worldwide in many major cities, showing the extent to which the world has become...

From New York to Melbourne, Protest Against War on Iraq

Robert D. McFadden February 16, 2003
In what may be the largest, most diverse worldwide peace protest since the Vietnam War, millions of people protested against a war on Iraq. Under the umbrella organization United for Peace and Justice, protests were coordinated worldwide in many major cities, including one which saw thousands turn out in below freezing temperatures in New York. – YaleGlobal

Franco-German Shot at US Punctures Dream of European Power

Shada Islam February 14, 2003
The status of the US as 'the leader of the free world' has come under threat again this week, but the US may not be the only one to get hurt. In an unprecedented challenge to American leadership in NATO, France, Germany, and Belgium vetoed a US proposal to create contingency plans for Turkey. To do so, they claim, would be tantamount to conceding to Washington's desire to wage...

By Invitation Only: Cozy Free Trade Deals Subvert Global Integration

Bernard K. Gordon February 13, 2003
Against most predictions, the Bush administration successfully wooed both Singapore and Chile into free trade agreements, with huge perceived benefits for US investors. Paradoxically, this move away from multilateralism and global trade institutions is not in the interest of the US, the world's largest trader. Professor Bernard K. Gordon examines the paradox, and offers some general...