In The News

North Korea Pursuing More Practical Line

Seo Hyun-jin October 28, 2003
North Korea's government has become more and more practical in its dealings with the US, says this Korea Herald article. "Pyongyang has become more practical under the Kim Jong-il regime," said one South Korean scholar. "It recognizes the nuclear deadlock would only worsen its economy and work against other pending matters." Earlier this year Pyongyang insisted that it...

The West Will Miss Mahathir – And for Good Reason

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray October 28, 2003
Despite his penchant for remarks that incensed many foreign observers, Malaysia's retiring Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, will be missed by Western governments, says this opinion article in Singapore's Straits Times. Governing for 22 years, Mahathir oversaw the development of Malaysia into one of the world's top 20 trading nations. Appreciating his success and considering...

The Seeds of Iraq's Future Terror

Shirley Williams October 28, 2003
Reacting to the recent attacks on foreign targets in Baghdad, British parliamentarian Baroness Shirley Williams worries that the resistance will continue as long as an un-democratic occupation force remains in control of Iraq. The decision to privatize most of Iraq's economy was made without consultation of the Iraqi people, she notes, but rather initiated by the American head of Iraq's...

Iran's Security Dilemma

George Perkovich October 27, 2003
Thanks to the deal that three EU foreign ministers struck with Iran last week, Iran's nuclear program will be more open to outside observers from the UN's atomic watchdog agency. But, says nonproliferation expert George Perkovich, it isn't clear whether the deal will satisfy Iran's fiercest critic - the US. Rather, he argues, the US and Iran want more than a simple nuclear...

Most Iraqis Unhappy with Coalition Forces

Maureen Fan October 24, 2003
A poll by an independent think tank shows that Iraqis are less and less enamored of their American 'liberators'. Over half the Iraqis surveyed seriously doubted that US-led coalition forces could improve safety conditions and worried about deteriorating security conditions. When asked about their preferred political model for a post-Saddam Iraq, more chose Iran than the US, although...

Apples and Oranges Are Both Fruit, But…

William S. Turley October 24, 2003
Many US analysts have compared the current conflict in Iraq to the Vietnam War, citing similar trends - lack of support from allies, initial domestic support followed by growing doubt, and faulty intelligence. But, says Indochina expert William S. Turley, the two countries and their respective conflicts are strikingly different, making comparisons to Vietnam quite un-useful in analyses of the...

Coming Clean or Playing for Time?

October 23, 2003
Iran will allow a tougher UN nuclear inspection regime to confirm that it is not attempting to build nuclear weapons. Issuing a declaration that Iran says outlines all of its nuclear activities, the country aims to fend off economic sanctions promoted by the United States. Skeptics argue, however, that Iran is only buying time with an extraordinarily vague and voluntary agreement. In fact, says...