In The News

Poll Shows Most Want War Delay

Patrick E. Tyler February 14, 2003
With world powers squabbling over military action in Iraq, a new poll shows that President Bush may still have work to do to convince his own citizens that war is an immediate necessity. While a majority of Americans support military action against Iraq, 59% think that the United Nations should be given more time to carry out weapons inspections. And Americans continue to worry about the threat...

Govt. to send team to evacuate Indonesians in Middle East amid possible war on Iraq

February 12, 2003
With tens of thousands of its citizens working in the Middle East, the Indonesian government is following the example of its Southeast Asian neighbors and preparing for the worst. In the face of a growing threat of war in Iraq, Jakarta is sending a team of government personnel to the region to plan an evacuation of Indonesian nationals. – YaleGlobal

Arab Press Welcomes NATO Split

February 12, 2003
Newspapers around the Arab world are joyful at the split that has occurred between the US and its NATO allies Germany, Belgium, and France. The three countries have stated their opposition to protecting Turkey, a fellow NATO member, arguing that to promise it even defensive support would mean encouraging a US-led war on Iraq. Interpreting the three countries' move as support of Arab...

Don't ignore 'North Korea Effect'

William Pesek Jr. February 11, 2003
In this commentary in Singapore's Straits Times, William Pesek Jr. argues that "The West may be preoccupied with Iraq, but those who ignore risks from North Korea could be hit on the blind side by declining Asian markets." The 'North Korea Effect' he describes anticipates North Korea developing and testing nuclear weapons, setting off an economic chain reaction. A...

China Maneuvers to Bring a Soft-landing to the Korean Crisis

Yu Bin February 11, 2003
China is in no position to tell North Korea what to do regarding the current nuclear crisis. Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, Beijing's relations with Pyongyang have soured. At the same time, China has cultivated political and economic relations with both South Korea and the United States. But, as Yu Bin, the author of a book on China's role in the Korean War, explains, China...

Allies Face a Fresh Crisis

Joseph Fitchett February 10, 2003
The differences over Iraq that emerged between France, Germany and the US in the UN Security Council have now widened and spilled over into NATO. The Bush administration and Congressional leaders were furious at a news report about a secret Franco-German plan to boost the number of arms inspectors in Iraq. That dispute has now spread to NATO as France, along with Germany and Belgium, blocked...

Mixing Free Market, Minority Domination and Democracy Results in World On Fire

Pat Sewell February 10, 2003
In her recent book, World on Fire, Yale University professor Amy Chua argues that it is the resentment of long-standing minority domination that has so much of the world’s citizens ready to take up arms. Pat Sewell examines the author’s contentions and assesses her sweeping proposals for solving the most challenging problem facing global society since the Second World War. – YaleGlobal