In The News

“We the Japanese People” – A Reflection on Public Opinion

Hikari Agakimi May 22, 2006
For more than 60 years following its devastation in World War II, Japan has held onto an intense fear of militarism, renouncing the right to wage war and limiting its self-defense force. A side effect of such pacifist policies, according to scholar Hikari Agakimi, is a carefree people who struggle to find a national identity. In a 2005 survey of high school students, only 13 percent reported...

Cracks in the System

Hassan Nafaa May 12, 2006
Nonproliferation is an admirable goal, but hardly stops the spread of nuclear weapons. Since its inception, the nonproliferation system was designed to be temporary. The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) has flaws and loopholes that make it inadequate and unfair. Dividing the world into two groups – with nuclear capability acceptable for some nations and not for others – is not a viable...

Al Qaeda Talking Heads

Fawaz A. Gerges May 11, 2006
Just after Iraqi leaders chose a new prime minister and president, the leaders of Al Qaeda – Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi – hurriedly released a series of statements to the media. The media blitz represents the most concerted effort to date by Al Qaeda leadership to articulate its investment in the ongoing conflict in Iraq – and suggests that a viable government,...

Step 1 in Bolivian Takeover: Audit of Foreign Companies

Juan Forero May 9, 2006
Bolivia is taking steps to nationalize its natural gas industry, announcing plans to revise contracts with foreign energy firms and audit financial records. The multinationals have six months to negotiate new contracts or face takeover with compensation. Landlocked Bolivia has Latin America’s second largest gas reserves, which are largely undeveloped, with Brazil serving as the major market....

China Seeks "Strategic Partnership" With Africa

Tom Ashby April 27, 2006
After making economic inroads throughout Africa, China seeks to strengthen political ties. Speaking in Nigeria – Africa’s top oil-producing nation – China President Hu Jintao promised respect for African sovereignty, which contrasts with the ongoing US demands for democracy and a war on terror. The Chinese president’s tour has included stops in the US, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Kenya. "...

East Asia’s Troubled Waters – Part II

Peter Beck April 27, 2006
In 1910, Japan invaded Korea, colonizing the country for 35 years and attempting to obliterate its culture. Nationalism, fed by historic grievances, lingers today. In the second part of this three-part series, Peter Beck of the International Crisis Group analyzes the troubled relationship between Japan and South Korea, who are major trading partners, yet continue to clash over territorial...

EU Accused of Ignoring Human Rights Abuses in Rush for Gas Deal

Nicholas Watt April 26, 2006
The lucrative gas reserves in Turkmenistan attract the EU to such an extent that parliamentary committees are prepared to disregard the harsh regime of President Niyazov and many human-rights abuses. In contrast, the EU has banned Belarussian leaders from traveling for vote-rigging their country’s elections, a less serious crime than human-rights abuses. Coincidentally, Belarus does not have oil...