In The News

Everyone Wants A Bomb

George Monbiot September 21, 2004
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was founded with noble intentions, but today this same agency is badly misguided, says author George Monbiot. The initial hope was that nuclear fission would solve the world's problems by creating alternative energy sources. According to IAEA statutes, non-nuclear countries were supplied the essentials for creating nuclear power, to be used...

Muslim World's Brush with Democracy Turns into an Embrace

Jonathan Power September 20, 2004
Contrary to popular Western belief, free elections in largely Muslim states would not lead to domination by violent terrorist regimes, argues columnist Jonathan Power in this Khaleej Times article. Indonesia and Turkey are shining examples of Muslim nations that have used the democratic system to oust militants and put stable moderates in office. With an increasingly freer media, the governments...

The Road to Madness

Ibrahim Nafie September 17, 2004
After the fall of communism, did Western politicians and intellectuals chose to paint Islam as the next great threat to civilization? So claims Ibrahim Nafie, chairman of Egypt's Al-Ahram Weekly newspaper, in a new book. Nafie argues that US policymakers, fueled by racist hysteria and a desire for strategic control of Middle Eastern resources, have attempted to "reconfigure economic,...

The War Was Illegal

September 17, 2004
Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, is inherently cautious in his choice of words. In the weeks leading to the Iraq war, Annan refrained from outright criticism of the grounds for invasion, and only recently did he warn of the dangerous precedents established by preemptive action. But in a recent BBC interview, Annan bid farewell to the ambiguity, restraint, and equivocation that usually...

The End of Unipolarity

Gautam Adhikari September 17, 2004
The end of the Cold War ushered in the beginning of a new era – one in which the economic, military, and political superiority of the United States seemed an undisputed fact. Gautam Adhikari reexamines the vocabulary of unquestioned – and often unquestionable – US authority. While the country's influence is undeniable, claims Adhikari, words such as "hyperpower" overstate its...

Countering Terror with an Amnesty: Why It Makes Sense

Bouchaib Silm September 15, 2004
In a move that contrasts sharply with the US approach to combating terrorism, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdullah granted amnesty to several Al-Qaeda members. Providing a historical and psychological analysis of amnesty in Islamic religion and society, this Straits Times article explains why amnesty might ultimately defuse the cycle of violence from Islamic militants worldwide. Consistent with...

Dutch Have a Kinder, Gentler Plan

Frida Ghitis September 14, 2004
Despite scattered threats from terrorist groups, the environment in Amsterdam continues to appear peaceful. The Dutch government's approach to national security, in direct contrast to US policies, underscores protection of civil liberties and adherence to laws. In an effort to prevent a culture based in fear, the Netherlands has resisted alarmist measures common to other Western societies...