In The News

In Washington: Gutsy New House Speaker

M.J. Rosenberg April 12, 2007
Floundering with its own Middle East policy, the Bush administration targets criticism on Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives and third highest ranking public official in the US, for her visit to Syria. Critics suggest that she interfered with presidential authority by meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad. In Syria, Pelosi reiterated US support for negotiations with Israel...

The Rise in Extremism – Part II

Baladas Ghoshal April 3, 2007
For centuries, Islam in Southeast Asia was renowned for its adaptability to local practices and tolerance of other religions. Over the past three decades, however, fundamentalists have tried to homogenize Islam, introducing new tensions. The second article of this two-part series explores Arab influence on Islam throughout Malaysia and Indonesia, as fundamentalists reject tolerant and eclectic...

Chinese-Language Classes Full, But Teachers Scarce in US

Ben Arnoldy April 2, 2007
Growing numbers of US students want to learn Mandarin, but a dearth in resources makes this a trying feat. While federal funds pour into guest visa programs for foreign teachers, critics say this is not enough to strengthen disorganized language-education programs throughout the US. Other school districts look to immigrant populations as potential wellsprings of language educators. However, many...

The Rise in Extremism – Part I

Fahad Nazer March 30, 2007
As the US and its coalition partners wage their war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq, extremists emerge elsewhere in the world. This two-part series examines how governments of Muslim nations tangle with religious extremism within their own borders. In the first article, author Fahad Nazer describes Saudi Arabia’s efforts to confront militants fighting in the name of Islam. Walking a tightrope...

Prime Minister Abe’s New Clothes

Alexis Dudden March 28, 2007
If the history of the world is the world’s court of justice, as 18th century historian Friedrich von Schiller suggested, then attempts to bury or deny unpleasant episodes can only fail. Since 1993, Japanese leaders have agreed to the Kono Statement, admitting that its military had forced women to serve as sexual slaves before and during World War II. Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, in his post just...

Does the Prospect of Arranged Marriage and Abuse Warrant Asylum in the US?

Warren Richey March 26, 2007
The world has many policies on marriage: Some nations allow multiple spouses, some permit marriages among teenagers or same-sex partners, and others assign more power to one gender or the other. The Bush administration has asked the US Supreme Court to examine the case of a woman who left China and convinced a federal appeals court that deportation would mean she would face her husband’s wrath....

Global Warming Can't Buy Happiness

Bill McKibben March 23, 2007
In a draft report for the United Nations, the US admits that its carbon emissions will continue to rise over the next decade, not drop. In sum, the US and others find it difficult to sacrifice – and blithely contribute to crisis by expending energy in wasteful ways. “For the last century, our society's basic drive has been toward more — toward a bigger national economy, toward more stuff for...