In The News

Ramallah’s Virtual Reality

Henryk M. Broder January 27, 2006
If the Palestinians truly want to destroy Israel, they are probably alone in the Arab world. With Israel committed to the unilateral resolution of conflict with Palestine, the cries for justice from Palestinians inspire less desire to wipe Israel off the map. Still, the Palestinians have embraced a “virtual” reality – a version of their own condition that is primal and reductive, with a focus on...

Stopping the Iranian Bomb – Part II

George Perkovich January 26, 2006
Iran’s revived uranium enrichment program is a cause for general concern and not only because it could lead to the nuclear arming of Iran. Attempts to halt the Iranian program by imposing sanctions could also send oil prices skyrocketing. In the final part of this series on what to do with the Iranian challenge, non-proliferation specialist George Perkovich contends that sanctions and military...

A New Wrinkle for Globalization

Katrin Bennhold January 26, 2006
For its proponents and opponents alike, economic globalization’s greatest force is its disregard for the sanctity of national borders. Some analysts have forecasted that growing cross-border transaction will weaken the nation-state as we know it. Yet recent events suggest otherwise. While some nations empowered by natural resources like oil and gas have been flexing their muscles against...

How Does al Qaeda Send Terror Tapes Without Getting Caught?

Alexis Debat January 25, 2006
After al Jazeera broadcasts a terror tape, questions arise: How did the tape wind up at the Qatari news channel? Is there a way to follow the trail back to bin Laden? US intelligence has asked these questions repeatedly. Last May the arrest in Pakistan of Abu Faraj al Libbi, one of al Qaeda’s operational commanders, shed light on the courier system used to transport messages from terrorist...

Internet Privacy in China and the US

John Shinal January 24, 2006
Citizens in China and the US can no longer depend on their Internet searches remaining private. Last week the US Justice requested information from four major US search engines on users’ search results. The request, ostensibly to assess the frequency of searches for child pornography and to prevent children from viewing harmful material, raises questions about personal freedom and the right to...

Stopping the Iranian Bomb – Part I

Gary Samore January 24, 2006
In early January, Iran resumed its uranium enrichment program, claiming civilian purposes. Iran’s long record of clandestine activity in this regard, however, leaves only one conclusion – it is the first step toward weapons capability. The challenge that the world now faces is how to stop an oil-rich Iran from exploiting the current nervousness about oil price rise from going ahead. In a series...

A Firebrand in a House of Cards

Dariush Zahedi January 19, 2006
While under the crosshairs of international scrutiny, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad boldly moved to break the seals of his nation’s nuclear facilities, raising the ire of governments from Moscow to Washington and increasing the possibility of large-scale UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic. But an op-ed in the New York Times insists that, despite the longstanding tensions and enmity between Iran...