In The News

Pentagon Seeking New Access Pacts for Africa Bases

Eric Schmitt July 5, 2003
The United States influence and presence in Africa is set to increase with the signing of a series of bilateral agreements between the United States and several African countries. The US is already planning to provide troops to join an international peacekeeping force in Liberia. The US is also seeking to establish Army bases in Mali and Algeria, and sign aircraft refueling agreements with...

Recognition of Israel Not on the Cards: Musharraf

Salim Bokhari July 3, 2003
For Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, the last leg of his four-nation trip to North America and Europe was one of the most important. After the US, France is the one country with which Islamabad has strong defence cooperation. Although his visits were primarily meant to build ties and goodwill with allies, Musharraf also used the opportunity to reiterate that Pakistan's recognition of...

Recognition of Israel Not on the Cards: Musharraf

Salim Bokhari July 3, 2003
For Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, the last leg of his four-nation trip to North America and Europe was one of the most important. After the US, France is the one country with which Islamabad has strong defence cooperation. Although his visits were primarily meant to build ties and goodwill with allies, Musharraf also used the opportunity to reiterate that Pakistan's recognition of...

Mass Protests Held in Hong Kong over Rights

Angela Mackay July 1, 2003
In scorching heat, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong demonstrating against a pending anti-subversion law. The proposed 'Article 23' legislation would give the government the power to ban organizations deemed unfriendly to China or Hong Kong, permit police to search without a court warrant, and give a life sentence to those convicted of treason or...

Problems, Problems

June 30, 2003
Breakdown of law and order, guerilla efforts, smashed infrastructure, multiple currencies, and deep factionalism are just a few of the problems currently plaguing the American-led coalition in Iraq. Many parts of the country, including Baghdad, are still anarchic, says this article from The Economist. The coalition was taken aback by the speed with which Iraqi forces melted away, and was thus...

Debate on Freedoms Splits Hong Kong

Peter S. Goodman June 30, 2003
Hong Kong should be celebrating – SARS has been contained, and the island just signed a free trade agreement with mainland China. But Hong Kong's independence and freedom are under threat, worry some critics. Democracy advocates and businesspeople fear that a proposed new law, called 'Article 23', will undermine the openness that has long attracted investors and enabled Hong Kong...

America Goes Backward

Stanley Hoffman June 27, 2003
After the war in Iraq, the US Bush administration is once again criticized by many. In this feature article in the New York Review of Books, Harvard scholar Stanley Hoffmann argues that not only has the administration's unilateralism resulted in anti-Americanism overseas, but also domestic concerns of justice issues, among others. Furthermore, seeing itself as the world's peacekeeper,...