In The News

Follow the Leader on Iraqi Debt

Timothy W. Guinnane January 15, 2004
In trying to rebuild a shattered Iraq, Washington is asking other governments to reduce or restructure debts owed them by the war-torn country. With over $120 billion at stake, this is not a small request. Still, debt reduction is an important goal, says Yale economic historian Timothy W. Guinnane. As in post-WWII Germany, he writes, debt reduction could facilitate Iraq's economic rebirth...

Asia's Security Depends on Opportunities for All

Surin Pitsuwan January 15, 2004
Since 1997's economic crisis in East Asia, many countries in the region have struggled to cope not only with economic problems but also pressing security issues. Surin Pitsuwan, former foreign minister of Thailand, writes here that Asia's security problems are deeply intertwined with its economic and political woes. Education, nutrition, healthcare, and basic social services are all...

Why Globalisation Can't Work Globally

Leon Hadar January 14, 2004
Globalization has taken some hard blows recently, says this column in the Business Times. The rapid spread of SARS, the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US, and rising protectionism stand as sharp counterpoints to the "Globalisation-is-the-Messiah" outlook of some observers in the 1990s. But to backtrack on economic globalization would risk throwing the baby out with the...

Chinese Chess in Space

Joan Johnson-Freese January 13, 2004
As the White House prepares plans for a new US manned space initiative, President Bush might want to invite China to the drawing board. Joan Johnson-Freese, an expert in Chinese space technology at the US Naval War College, believes that China's recent successful manned space flight signifies that Beijing is committed to exploring space. Rather than ignore China's achievements and...

Europe's Lesson, from Brussels to Baghdad

Wolfgang Schauble January 13, 2004
Europe's crisis over the ideal constitution for the EU stems from fundamental differences between contending countries, says Bundestag official Wolfgang Schauble. France and Germany's belief in the right of majority rule is their justification for insisting on having their way on certain key economic and political decisions. With large populations, they expect greater clout. Poland,...

N. Korea Displays 'Nuclear Deterrent'

Glenn Kessler January 11, 2004
A group of American observers visiting North Korean nuclear facilities are expected to report that Pyongyang does indeed have the plutonium it needs to produce nuclear weapons. The group is due to testify to the US Congress next week, but Pyongyang is already saying that it showed the unofficial delegation North Korea's 'nuclear deterrent'. Meanwhile, China is said to be trying...

Stopping Bioterrorism Before It Starts

Lauren T. Hickok January 8, 2004
The anthrax attacks that came on the heels of Sept. 11 frightened many Americans and added further fuel to calls for a global war on terror. Two years on, how secure is the world's supply of biological and chemical agents? Biosecurity experts Lauren T. Hickok and Reynolds M. Salerno write that although Washington has taken steps to mitigate the bioterrorism threat within the US, much work...