In The News

Unification Can Only Follow Democratization

Orville Schell March 19, 2004
Taiwan may have been its own country for seven out of the last eleven decades and claim that it has the right to decide for itself its sovereign status, but that does not prevent China from pressing for unification. . In recent years, China and Taiwan have come closer due to increased economic interactions, but why does China still point 500 missiles on the island? A large part of the answer can...

Taiwan's Challenge to China and the World - Part II

Linda Jakobson March 15, 2004
Beijing claims that 'the Taiwan issue' is an internal political affair, but many in Taiwan beg to differ. In the second installment of a two-part series, Linda Jakobson, co-author of the International Crisis Group's recent Taiwan Strait IV report, suggests a possible way out of the present imbroglio. On March 20, Taiwanese will take to the polls to vote for the next president and...

Taiwan's Challenge to China and the World - Part I

Jean-Pierre Cabestan March 12, 2004
With Taiwan's approaching referendum and presidential election set for March 20, the world is watching to see what Taiwanese voters will do and how China will react. The incumbent, President Chen Shui-bian, originally planned to ask Taiwanese voters whether they disapproved of Chinese missile deployment, but after intense US and EU pressure, he watered down the referendum's wording....

Alarm Raised Over Quality of Uranium Found in Iran

Craig S. Smith March 11, 2004
Iran is back in the spotlight for its alleged nuclear weapons program, and this time the international pressure to dismantle will be strong. United Nations nuclear inspectors have found traces of extremely highly enriched uranium in Iran, of a purity reserved for use in a nuclear bomb. Iran claims that its military had indeed enriched uranium but only to create unsophisticated models for use by...

Thaksin's Chance for Leading Role in the Region

John D. Ciorciari March 10, 2004

India and Pakistan Get Ready for Cricket

M.J.Akbar March 8, 2004
As Indian and Pakistani cricket teams face off this week, the matches may arouse more emotions than the two countries' recent diplomatic relations. The resumption of play on the sub-continent is a remarkable turn in a relationship that has been marked by bloody conflict over the disputed Kashmir region, argues M.J. Akbar, editor of The Asian Age. Now, political pragmatism may outweigh...

American Troops Are Killing and Abusing Afghans, Rights Body Says

Brian Whitaker March 8, 2004
After routing out the oppressive Taliban regime from Afghanistan in 2001, America took on the burden of enforcing security within the war-torn country. Now, according to a report released today by Human Rights Watch (HRW), the US is failing to live up to its own standards of democracy and respect for human rights. The use of excessive force and paramilitary tactics for policing procedures are...