In The News

International Community Calls for a Free and Sovereign Lebanon

Marianne Stigset February 17, 2005
Though President Bush did not include Syria in his famous "Axis of Evil," he may as well have. Thanks to Syria's defiant and often belligerent stance towards US policy in the Middle East, officials in Washington have taken an increasingly critical approach to the country and its Baathist government. The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has only heaped...

An Empire's Fraying Edge

February 15, 2005
The strife in Chechnya has shown no signs of abating. Countless terrorist acts, mostly perpetrated by Islamic radicals, have made the Russian republic one of the most insecure regions in Europe. In response, Russia has cracked down, dispatching security services to track down and disarm the militants. Part of the trouble, however, is that many Chechnyans have a historical perception of Moscow as...

Questions of Timing…

William C. Triplett II February 14, 2005
North Korea's recent announcement left many observers questioning its timing. One factor may have been the recent visit to China by members of President Bush's National Security Council. During their visit, US officials told their counterparts in Beijing that Libyan nuclear materials had been scientifically tested. These tests showed that certain materials had come from North Korea,...

Despite Rhetoric Trans-Atlantic Alliance is Alive and Well

Mohammed Ayoob February 14, 2005
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week delivered a speech urging reconciliation among allies ostensibly torn asunder by the US invasion of Iraq. According to international affairs scholar Mohammed Ayoob, however, the US-EU alliance was never in danger. Whatever differences might arise over specific foreign policy issues, Ayoob maintains, the overriding objective of the Concert is to...

The Rise of a New Axis?

Leonard S. Spector February 11, 2005
North Korea is at it again. On the eve of a new round of diplomatic talks on its troubling nuclear program, Pyongyang has upped the ante: Announcing that it has already manufactured 'nukes,' the government suddenly suspended its participation in negotiations. This revelation comes in the wake of US reports that North Korea secretly shipped nuclear material to Libya, a shipment which...

Pyongyang Damps Hope for Nuclear Deal

Anna Fifield February 11, 2005
By announcing that it has already manufactured nuclear weapons and that it would withdraw from multilateral negotiations on its disarmament, North Korea surprised its dialogue partners and the world. The US, Chinese, Russian, Japanese and South Korean governments, as well as foreign policy analysts, are busy trying to figure out what message Pyongyang is trying to deliver. The US State Department...

Israel, Palestinians Declare End to Violence

Reuters February 8, 2005
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and newly-elected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared an end to violence between Israel and Palestine, after meeting at a summit in Egypt. The announcement marks the highest-level meeting since the outbreak of hostilities in 2000. The death of Yasser Arafat and meetings with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are said to have...