In The News

After the Train Bombs, a Political Bombshell

March 15, 2004
The ruling People's Party in Spain lost yesterday's election to the opposition Socialists – a result that would have been unthinkable just a week ago. Last Thursday's train bombings, which killed 200 people and wounded almost 1500 more, disrupted all political predictions. As evidence emerged that the bombings may have been planned by al-Qaeda-related operatives and not Basque...

Taiwan's Challenge to China and the World - Part I

Jean-Pierre Cabestan March 12, 2004
With Taiwan's approaching referendum and presidential election set for March 20, the world is watching to see what Taiwanese voters will do and how China will react. The incumbent, President Chen Shui-bian, originally planned to ask Taiwanese voters whether they disapproved of Chinese missile deployment, but after intense US and EU pressure, he watered down the referendum's wording....

From Bali to Madrid, Attackers Seek to Inflict Ever-Greater Casualties

Ewen MacAskill March 12, 2004
In a worrisome development, Spain's tragic bombing yesterday may mark a shift in strategies for small, politically-directed terrorist groups. If ETA, the Basque separatist group, was behind the train bombing that killed almost 200 people, then their methods have changed and their aim has become bloodier. Al-Qaida's attack on 9/11 may have provided an unfortunate lesson – terrorist...

Voting with Confidence in the Future

March 11, 2004
In an editorial, the Taipei Times has come out strongly in favor of President Chen Shui-bian's re-election on March 20. A vote of confidence for the president, argues the paper, would be a boost to all struggling democracies world-wide. It would prove that other nations cannot influence domestic political elections while guaranteeing the validity of the democratic process. Taiwan should...

Alarm Raised Over Quality of Uranium Found in Iran

Craig S. Smith March 11, 2004
Iran is back in the spotlight for its alleged nuclear weapons program, and this time the international pressure to dismantle will be strong. United Nations nuclear inspectors have found traces of extremely highly enriched uranium in Iran, of a purity reserved for use in a nuclear bomb. Iran claims that its military had indeed enriched uranium but only to create unsophisticated models for use by...

American Troops Are Killing and Abusing Afghans, Rights Body Says

Brian Whitaker March 8, 2004
After routing out the oppressive Taliban regime from Afghanistan in 2001, America took on the burden of enforcing security within the war-torn country. Now, according to a report released today by Human Rights Watch (HRW), the US is failing to live up to its own standards of democracy and respect for human rights. The use of excessive force and paramilitary tactics for policing procedures are...

India and Pakistan Get Ready for Cricket

M.J.Akbar March 8, 2004
As Indian and Pakistani cricket teams face off this week, the matches may arouse more emotions than the two countries' recent diplomatic relations. The resumption of play on the sub-continent is a remarkable turn in a relationship that has been marked by bloody conflict over the disputed Kashmir region, argues M.J. Akbar, editor of The Asian Age. Now, political pragmatism may outweigh...