In The News

Mass Protests Held in Hong Kong over Rights

Angela Mackay July 1, 2003
In scorching heat, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong demonstrating against a pending anti-subversion law. The proposed 'Article 23' legislation would give the government the power to ban organizations deemed unfriendly to China or Hong Kong, permit police to search without a court warrant, and give a life sentence to those convicted of treason or...

C.I.A. Said to Find North Korean Nuclear Advances

David E. Sanger July 1, 2003
For months, the US has been trying to convince Asian nations like China and South Korea that the threat from North Korea is urgent and necessitates a unified diplomatic effort. Now, American intelligence officials claim that within a year North Korea will have the ability to attach small nuclear warheads to its extensive missile arsenal. If the allegation is true, it will bolster US claims that...

U.S. May Cut Aid Over Court Immunity

Peter Slevin July 1, 2003
Washington has threatened to cut off military aid, including military equipment and training programs, to countries that refuse to grant US citizens immunity from prosecution in the newly formed International Criminal Court. The Bush administration is demanding a written promise, known as an Article 98 agreement, from countries such as Croatia and Lithuania that "no Americans charged in the...

At the Crossroads of History

Kofi Annan June 30, 2003
In a speech delivered at the World Economic Forum meeting in Jordan, Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, spoke of the follies of the past to present his vision for the future. The first half of the 20th century, marked by two world wars, totalitarianism, holocaust and Hiroshima should not be emulated in this new century. Rather, humanity should "build on the achievements of...

President Bush's Visit to Africa Isn't All about Oil

Peter Fabricius June 30, 2003
US interests in Africa go well beyond oil, says this editorial in South Africa's Cape Times. Though oil is likely a factor prompting US President Bush’s upcoming trip to the continent, American national security interests are the definitive motivation for the visit – and for expanded US interest in general. Since September 11, the United States has been forced to realize the immense impact...

Problems, Problems

June 30, 2003
Breakdown of law and order, guerilla efforts, smashed infrastructure, multiple currencies, and deep factionalism are just a few of the problems currently plaguing the American-led coalition in Iraq. Many parts of the country, including Baghdad, are still anarchic, says this article from The Economist. The coalition was taken aback by the speed with which Iraqi forces melted away, and was thus...

America Goes Backward

Stanley Hoffman June 27, 2003
After the war in Iraq, the US Bush administration is once again criticized by many. In this feature article in the New York Review of Books, Harvard scholar Stanley Hoffmann argues that not only has the administration's unilateralism resulted in anti-Americanism overseas, but also domestic concerns of justice issues, among others. Furthermore, seeing itself as the world's peacekeeper,...