In The News

US May Put Naval Blockade on North Korea

Andrew Ward June 9, 2003
US undersecretary of state for arms control, John Bolton, told the media last week that the Bush administration was discussing with its allies a possible naval blockade on North Korea, mainly in order to cut off its weapon exports. It is very possible that this measure, if adopted, will also halt the export of other illegal products such as drugs. Since weapons technology and illegal exports have...

What's Really Holding Islamic Nations Back

J. Bradford Delong June 9, 2003
Ever since the September 11 attacks, questions about the backwardness of Islamic countries have acquired a new urgency. In this article, economist J. Bradford Delong tries to answer what factors may have contributed to the bad economies of the Islamic world. He first cites the case history of the Industrial Revolution – how the Revolution touched almost all parts of the world but the Islamic...

Pressure Alone Will Not Deter Iran from Its Nuclear Path

George Perkovich June 9, 2003
Iran apparently has been seeking to develop nuclear weapons, but it can still be dissuaded from its dangerous course, writes George Perkovich, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Despite Iran's inclusion in US President Bush's 'Axis of Evil', Perkovich believes that with subtle but substantive diplomacy from the US, Tehran could be...

Thailand Tiptoes in Step With American Antiterror Effort

Raymond Bonner June 8, 2003
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been keeping his assistance to the US anti-terrorist effort private, fearing retaliation from terrorists and the impact of a public avowal on a tourist industry already suffering because of SARS and a bombing in Bali last year. Nevertheless, Thailand has been instrumental to the US anti-terrorism effort, providing interrogation facilities, the use of...

Japan Adopts Laws Strengthening Military Powers

Howard W. French June 7, 2003
As tensions mount in North Korea, the Japanese Parliament has passed a series of war contingency bills that increase the power of the government to use military force in a time of emergency. These bills represent the first major expansion of Japanese military power; the treaty ending WWII had reduced its military to a self-defense force that often facilitates US efforts. The laws have sparked a...

Poor Show at Evian

David Tresilian June 6, 2003
The recent G-8 meeting in Evian, France attracted particular attention because it was the first time leaders of the west met after the U.S. war on Iraq. Also, in an effort to widen the scope of dialogue, for the first time, leaders from some developing countries were invited to attend the summit. Although the original agenda included major global issues such as access to water, the fight against...

Truths and Consequences

Bruce B. Auster June 6, 2003
As the War on Iraq has come to an end and no weapons of mass destruction (WMD) have yet been found, many people are now questioning the accuracy of American intelligence. In the past several months, says this article in the U.S. News and World Report, there have been heated discussions on how credible intelligence information is even within the U.S. government. The Vice-President and the hawks in...