In The News

Nuke Quarantine

Amir Mir February 26, 2004
The United States government is placing pressure on Pakistan to allow an inspection of its nuclear arsenal, and to put into place, a joint Pakistan-US monitoring mechanism. The American pressure follows the recent disclosure of a Pakistan based global network that supplied nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea. Pakistan, a vital ally in the US led war against global terrorism, needs...

China's Taiwan Dilemma

Michael Yahuda February 18, 2004
China's leadership believes strongly in the goal of a unified country - and for Beijing that means preventing Taiwan from declaring independence. For many Chinese, uniting with Taiwan is a matter of national pride. China scholar Michael Yahuda argues that pushing the issue politically or militarily would stimulate hostility abroad and cause an economic downturn at home, possibly leading to...

Echoes of Panic over Global Disease

Philip Bowring February 17, 2004
Philip Bowring believes lessons from history should inform our current concerns over global epidemics. While epidemics lead to widespread fears and calls for global advisory boards and local action, Bowring asserts that we would be wise to question virologists, journalists, and health officials on the level of threat they suppose looms around the corner. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)...

AQ Khan Issue Settled: Jamali

February 9, 2004
Four days ago, Pakistani President Musharraf pardoned nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, called him a national hero, and declared that Pakistan would not allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to inspect its nuclear sites. Several members of Musharraf's government have praised his stance on the 'AQ Khan issue' - in which the chief designer of Pakistan's...

Immigrants Shouldn't Act like Dracula's 'Undead'

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray February 3, 2004
In a provocative essay, Sunanda K. Datta-Ray, a researcher at the Institute of South-east Asian Studies, argues that the sympathetic worldwide response to the proposed French ban on religious symbols in schools highlights the development of the "globalization of protest" and social movements. Improved communications and the rapid flow of ideas, ideologies and people across national...

Anti-Separatist Taiwan Parties Changing Tune

Ching Cheong December 18, 2003
The 'pan-blue' political camp in Taiwan has traditionally been Beijing's best line of defense against those who want full separation from China, as pan-blue members aim for maintaining the status quo separation of Taiwan and China with an eye to eventual unification. The 'pan-green' camp, which is committed to an eventual Taiwanese independence, has traditionally been...

Iraqi Planners Hope to Start Trial by Spring

Rajiv Chandrasekaran December 16, 2003
Only days after the capture of deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, Iraqi leaders have already begun planning for his legal prosecution in an Iraqi courtroom. Vowing to choose only a manageable number of charges to bring against the former dictator, Salem Chalabi said the process would not be rushed, but that the trial could begin as early as the spring of 2004. "We don't want to...