In The News

Protests greet North Korean ferry in Nigata

David Pilling August 25, 2003
A North Korean ferry sailed into a Japanese port on August 24 morning to loud and angry protests. The ferry is the only direct link between Japan and North Korea, but has not been in service since January. Accusations abound that the boat was used to smuggle drugs, counterfeit money, and parts for missiles. However, Japanese protesters are seething primarily because of North Korea's...

Sharon is Now a Danger to US Troops and Hopes in Iraq

Martin Woollacott August 22, 2003
Complicated and tenuous as America's hold on Iraq is, the more urgent crisis is in Israel and Palestine, this opinion piece in The Guardian contends. The cease-fire America has worked so hard to produce and which had created a period of tentative peace between Palestinian factions and the Israeli government, is now in danger of collapse. And, although a settlement in the Holy Land will not...

Tough New US Rules a Challenge

August 22, 2003
Seaports have traditionally been very vulnerable entry points to the United States. And, as focus on homeland security has increased since September 11, American officials have sought to impose new security measures to better monitor the goods that are constantly entering US ports. To ensure that biological, chemical, or other weapons are not concealed in incoming cargo, US officials initiated...

Germany Deadlocked Over Immigration Policy

Dominic Sachsenmaier August 22, 2003
Economic integration around the world does not necessarily equate to acceptance of multi-culturalism at home. Though German industry and banks straddle the globe, linking countries and societies economically, many Germans are fiercely fighting the influx of foreign influence - particularly through immigration. These Germans feel passionately about preserving a homogenous society and are...

International Public Concern about North Korea

August 22, 2003
The six-party talks on North Korea that will start on August 27 in Beijing is taking place against the backdrop of growing divergence over North Korea. A recent public opinion poll taken by Pew Global Attitudes Project shows that the country closest to North Korea - its southern counterpart is one of the least concerned about North Korean threat that the US and other powers are trying to...

Ending the Middle East's Cycle of Terror Requires Some Serious Soul-Searching

August 21, 2003
The international community vocally condemned the bombing of the UN headquarters in Iraq and reaffirmed its commitment to the pursuit of peace. However, though this reaction was thoroughly appropriate, it was also insufficient, the editorial in a Lebanese daily maintains. "The imperative before us all today is not only to reaffirm our iron-clad abhorrence of terror and our principled...

Here's All the News on TV that Fits the Muslim Stereotype

Gwynne Dyer August 21, 2003
News channels – even the most reputable ones – are disproportionately covering stories about violent Muslims, London journalist Gwynne Dyer maintains. On any given night, the international news is likely to be dominated by stories about Iraqi guerrillas, Islamic terrorists in Indonesia, rioting between Muslim sects in Pakistan, and Europeans taken hostage by Muslim guerillas in Mali. Covering...