In The News

Summit Challenges

Ibrahim Nafie February 28, 2003
This opinion article in Egypt's Al-Ahram weekly says that the upcoming Arab summit must address two pressing issues: the impending war in Iraq and the plight of the Palestinians. The first issue requires a concerted effort on the part of Arab regimes to convince Saddam Hussein to comply with the weapons inspections to stave a war in the region. Solving the second issue, the plight of the...

Pushing Saddam Against the Wall

Joe Clark February 27, 2003
While there is no clear consensus for invading Iraq, the international community agrees that Iraq must not be given any alternative to eliminating its banned weapons. Joe Clark, Canada’s 16th Prime Minister, and Alton Frye, Presidential Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, argue that although France and the US are currently at odds about an invasion of Iraq, they can still work...

N. Korea Flexes Military Muscle

Seo Hyun-jin February 27, 2003
North Korea's recent missile launch must be interpreted with care. Although Pyongyang gave forewarning of the launch to Japan, and similar missile launches have occurred during winter military drills, analysts believe that North Korea is sending a different message this time. This message has two possible interpretations. One is to notify the US of North Korea's military capabilities....

An Antiwar Demonstration That Does Not Take to the Streets

John Tierney February 26, 2003
On February 15th, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in New York City and around the globe to protest the possible war on Iraq. Eleven days later, hundreds of thousands of Americans again protested the Bush Administration’s Iraq policy, this time by flooding the White House and Senate with phone calls, faxes, and e-mails. Given the daunting logistics involved in planning street...

The Finest Superpower in the World

Gerard Baker February 26, 2003
On the question of Iraq, France and its supporters are vying to fundamentally change the post-Cold War international order, says political commentator Gerard Baker. After examining the recent foreign policy records of those who are challenging American unipolarity – specifically France, Germany, and Russia – we can conclude, he argues, that American action has been more successful than the other...

The Trans-Atlantic Aftershock of 9/11

Immanuel Wallerstein February 26, 2003
It has been long time in the making, but the debate over the wisdom of attacking Iraq has revealed how far apart the alliance forged after World War II has grown. In the past, despite reservations European countries may have had about specific US policies, they have tended to support the US because of shared security concerns. All that has changed with the rise of an economically strong and...

The U.S. and the End of WMD Regimes

Shireen M. Mazari February 26, 2003
Few in the world dispute the call that Iraq cease and destroy its nuclear, biological and chemical warfare programs. Nevertheless, many countries are developing nuclear capabilities while remaining parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), including Iran and Japan. The United States, now the leading advocate of non-proliferation, has adopted inconsistent stances in regard to the nuclear...