In The News

Keeping North Korea from the Brink – Part I

Peter Beck February 14, 2006
Countries throughout the north Pacific recognize the grave danger of the North Korean nuclear program, but lack a coherent strategy for restraining it. This two-part series examines the specific concerns for US and China in containing the program – as well as proposals for a long-term resolution. Peter Beck, an analyst with the International Crisis Group in Seoul, notes that US economic...

Let's admit to a growing Islamist problem

Michael Young February 13, 2006
Governments often blame riots and violence – such as those that erupted throughout the Middle East after a Danish newspaper published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed – on a few infiltrators from outside the country. Expressing helplessness, authorities suggest that small radical groups can quickly disrupt diverse communities who would otherwise live together in relative stability. In Lebanon,...

Saudi Prince Slams Iran’s Nuclear Program

February 10, 2006
The Saudi Arabian ambassador to the US, Prince Turki Faisal, denounced Iran’s nuclear program, but also criticized US policies on nuclear weaponry as inconsistent. Although he agreed that Iran’s uranium enrichment program is heightening tension throughout the Middle East, he noted that Iranian citizens support their government’s efforts in part because the US operates from a double standard...

NAFTA and Nativism

Harold Meyerson February 10, 2006
Shortly before the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into effect in 1994, then US President Bill Clinton optimistically predicted, as more Mexicans gained the ability to support themselves at home, a gradual decline in illegal immigration. Contrary to Clinton’s promise, however, the US has seen a four-fold increase in undocumented Mexican workers in the last decade. Putting...

At Mecca Meeting, Cartoon Outrage Crystallized

Hassan M. Fattah February 9, 2006
Recent violence in response to the infamous cartoon depictions of the Prophet Mohammed may have not been as spontaneous as initially thought. At a December meeting in Mecca of Muslim leaders, Saudi, Iranian, Syrian and Lebanese officials thumbed through a dossier of the Danish cartoons. Ahmed Akkari, a Danish immigrant leader, brought the folder to the Middle East after appeals for redress to the...

SHIN Deal: Is National Security Compromised?

February 9, 2006
In a move that reportedly skirts laws concerning foreign ownership of assets designated strategic or sensitive, Singapore’s state investment arm has acquired a near-majority stake in a Thai telecommunications conglomerate. The deal between Temasek and Shin Corp. has raised alarm in Thailand over privacy and security, especially since Temasek’s investment gives it indirect control over a...

The Opportunity of the Cartoon Crisis

Kishore Mahbubani February 9, 2006
In keeping with the Chinese definition of “crisis,” the uproar over recent Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed offers opportunities that both Europeans and Muslims would do well to recognize. European and Muslim worlds have become inextricably linked, and Europeans should understand Muslim anger over the cartoons. The author argues that the outrage has come against the backdrop of a growing...