In The News

Moscow Hostage Crisis Repercussions Felt Across Caucasus and Central Asia

October 31, 2002
The hostage crisis in Moscow has prompted neighboring countries to individually convene in security councils addressing the same issue of counterterrorism. Domestic decisions will have potential to determine the stability of cross national relations. While Azerbaijan has immediately closed its Chechen cultural center in an attempt to reduce tensions with Russia, for example, Georgia’s reluctance...

One of the Worst Assaults Ever

October 24, 2002
One of the worst attacks on the internet ever recorded shut down seven of the 13 root servers that undergird internet service. The attack lasted for an hour on the servers that control domain names. However, most internet users were unaware of the attack as the slack from the seven effected servers was taken up by the remaining four. Two other servers were impaired. The US Federal Bureau of...

Unmanned U.S. Planes Comb Arabian Desert for Suspects

Neil MacFarquhar October 23, 2002
The war on terror has extended to a new geographic location - the Empty Quarter, or the Rub al-Khali in Arabic, in Yemen. Pilotless American surveillance planes have been flying over the soaring dunes and craggy valleys that extend for some 900 miles from the frontier of Yemen to the foothills of Oman, and 500 miles northward into central Saudi Arabia. The spy planes are scouring the ground for...

China Reshaping Military to Toughen Its Muscle in the Region

Craig S. Smith October 16, 2002
Chinese military and political leaders are intent on modernizing and reorganizing their armed forces to better compete with the United States and assert more influence in Asia. The primary purpose of this reorganization is to attain military superiority over Taiwan so that, through either intimidation or force, Beijing can regain sovereignty over the island. In the long term, China hopes its...

War on Iraq Could Be Disastrous for Philippines

Al Labita October 7, 2002
If conflict breaks out in Iraq, a million Filipino workers living in the Middle East may have problems trying to send money back home. Foreign exchange remittances from overseas workers bring almost US$10 billion into the Philippines each year, and the country's economy might be devastated if that flow is suddenly halted. The Philippine government must also prepare to call in favors from...

Unilateral Action Would Make for a Very Difficult World - Kofi Annan

October 4, 2002
In a wide-sweeping question and answer session following a speech at Yale University, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan emphasized that peace and security in the international order were the responsibility of all nations, not only the US. The UN Security Council was charged with this duty, he said, and any nation that ignored that would undermine stability in the world. - YaleGlobal

Transcript of Q&A with Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General

October 3, 2002
United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, responded to a series of questions posed to him following his speech on globalization at Yale University. Mr. Annan offered his views on the current Iraq-US conflict, the global AIDS pandemic, the Kashmir conflict, the International Criminal Court. He also shared his personal thoughts on the challenges of leading the world's largest...