In The News

'The World Stood by for Too Long'

April 8, 2004
Around the world, commemoration of the ten year anniversary of the Rwandan genocide has taken a variety of turns. Some, particularly within the US and Europe, have used the opportunity to recognize that the failure to intervene was a profound failure of foreign policy. To some, however, "Never again" rings empty after 800,000 people were killed in 100 days. Others, in Africa...

Muslim Rivals Unite In Baghdad Uprising

Karl Vick April 7, 2004
When the US led occupation forces entered Iraq almost a year ago, they had hoped to turn the deep rooted and bitter rivalries between Sunni and Shiite Muslims to their advantage. According to several accounts, the Shiite Muslims suffered tremendous state-sanctioned atrocities during Saddam Hussein's regime. The US led occupation forces sought pro-American supporters in the Shiite...

Malaysia Harbouring Militants?

Reme Ahmad April 7, 2004
Bilateral relations between Thailand and Malaysia have been unfailingly polite, states this news report in Singapore's Straits Times. The "diplomatic niceties" appear to have been put aside now, however, as Thailand and Malaysia discuss the contentious issue of terrorist bombings in Thailand. Thailand has accused Malaysia of harboring Muslim separatist terrorists believed to be...

Wait for US Residency Soars Over 18 Month Span

Nina Bernstein April 6, 2004
The time to approve green cards and formal travel documents has quadrupled in the US as a result of September 11. The main reason: thousands of personnel who formerly processed applications are now being used for security checks. As a result, a document that once took two months to process now takes seven. While the Bush administration has promised to cut down the wait time, results have been few...

Uncle Sam's Sly Sally

V. Sudarshan April 5, 2004
After effusively proclaiming US-Indian relations to be best they have been in years, US Secretary of State Colin Powell offered Pakistan membership in the exclusive club of Major Non-Nato Allies (MNNA). Though Powell had met with India’s foreign minister mere days earlier, the Indian government learned about the agreement from the media. Washington claims that it had not wanted to announce its...

An Explosive Relationship

April 5, 2004
The devastating bombings of March 11th left Spain – and Europe as a whole – feeling newly vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Now, in an effort to crack down on what is seen as a widespread threat, governments across the continent are seeking increased police power to stop another attack. The suicides of suspected organizers of the Madrid bombings on April 3rd were the dramatic consequences of...

Uzbekistan: A Third Front in the War on Terrorism?

Charles William Maynes April 5, 2004
The US-led war on global terror may face a new challenge in Uzbekistan, a Central Asian country infrequently featured in news headlines outside the region. Charles William Maynes, President of the Eurasia Foundation, argues that US policy toward Uzbekistan is failing to curb the rise of radical Islam. Recent suicide bombing attacks in the cities of Tashkent and Bukhara are symptoms of the...