In The News

Terrorists and Their Tools - Part I

Riaz Hassan April 23, 2004
The weapon of mass destruction that seems to be favored most by terrorists is their own lives. But, though most suicide bombers are Islamic youths, sociologist Riaz Hassan argues that there is no direct link between suicide attacks and Islamic fanaticism. Suicide attacks, Hassan says, are motivated more by politics than religion. Many terrorist groups, such as the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka,...

North Korean Ends 'Candid' China Visit

Edward Cody April 22, 2004
Unexpected private talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and leaders in Beijing resulted in what is being called a "broad common understanding." During the talks, Beijing reiterated its desire for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula while also addressing North Korea's 'rational concerns,' a hint at North Korea's desire for security guarantees from the US. For his...

Hit by Spanish Withdrawal Syndrome

Shada Islam April 21, 2004
After winning March elections that attracted tremendous international attention, newly-elected Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero forewarned a significant shift in Spanish foreign policy. He declared his disapproval of the previous Popular Party's government active support of the American invasion of Iraq, which many Spaniards felt provoked March's deadly terrorist...

Transatlantic Thaw Can Help Taiwan

David Huang April 21, 2004
Leading up to Taiwan's presidential election last month, China was hoping to make the most of out the apparent rift between the US and Europe. According to David Huang, a researcher at Taiwan's most influential think tank, China had attempted to exploit the transatlantic disagreement over war in Iraq in order to bolster its designs on Taiwan. Engaging in a joint naval exercise with...

US Attempt at Domination Hobbled by Contradiction

Michael Kraig April 19, 2004
Critics point to the war in Iraq and President Bush's subsequent denial of reconstruction contracts to dissenting nations as proof of Washington's hegemonic tendencies. However, argues security expert Michael Kraig, the Iraq War is just the latest manifestation of a US foreign policy that has been deeply contradictory since the fall of the Berlin Wall. During the Cold War, a...

Democracy Gains in Southeast Asia's Islamic Nations

Goenawan Mohamad April 16, 2004
The rise of Al Qaeda has led many in the West to conflate Islam with anti-democratic political views. This is a mistake, argues Jakarta-based writer Goenawan Mohamad, given that the world's two largest Muslim countries - Indonesia and Malaysia - are solidly democratic. In Malaysia, the March elections yielded victory for pluralist parties and defeat for those advocating state adoption of...

Al-Qaeda Tries to Split West Over Iraq

Mark Huband April 16, 2004
Yesterday over Arab television, Osama bin Laden, leader of Al-Qaeda, offered European countries a three month respite from terrorist attacks in exchange for withdrawing their forces from Iraq. Mark Huband, security correspondent for the Financial Times, says that this move hints at Al-Qaeda's long term strategic goals: to expel non-Muslims from the Islamic world, undermine incumbent Islamic...