In The News

The Metrosexual Superpower

Parag Khanna August 16, 2004
Europe is a “metrosexual” superpower, writes Parag Khanna, a fellow in global governance at the Brookings Institution; just as modern metrosexual men mix traditional masculine traits such as strength with an eye for style, Europe wields influence around the globe through soft power and finesse. Instead of overt displays of military strength, Europe has racked up diplomatic success through doling...

Signs Across the Atlantic: 'Europeans for Kerry!'

Shada Islam August 12, 2004
With the US presidential elections nearing, Europe is carefully evaluating its tumultuous relationship with its transatlantic neighbor. Shada Islam, a Brussels-based journalist who specializes in EU foreign policy, says that differences between the two sides run almost as deep as the ocean that separates them. The relationship between the EU and the Bush administration has been plagued by...

Mapuche Indians in Chile Struggle to Take Back Forests

Larry Rohter August 11, 2004
Chile’s native Mapuche people have struggled against the government since the arrival of the Spaniards. In those colonial days, the Mapuches were pushed south of Chile’s Bío-Bío river, where they retained formally recognized autonomy. After Chilean independence, however, they were forcibly incorporated into the state and, decades later, pushed onto reservations so as to make room for European...

Saudi Surprise

Mohamed El-Sayed Said August 6, 2004
The Saudi government is attempting to rescue U.S. President George W Bush from his ill-fated venture in Iraq by declaring an initiative to send multinational Muslim troops to the war torn country. Criticism of President Bush’s handling of the Iraq War is rising, jeopardizing his chances for reelection this coming November. Saudi Arabia’s proposition could provide Bush with a convenient exit...

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Paul Kennedy August 6, 2004
One of the worst blows to the fragile system of international law happened recently, writes Yale professor and international security expert Paul Kennedy, and it made no headlines. On June 2, Taliban soldiers in Afghanistan murdered five members of the Nobel Prize winning organization, Doctors Without Borders. The atrocity prompted the withdrawal of remaining volunteers, ending 24 years of aid...

UN Efforts in Iraq No Walk in the Park

Benny Widyono August 5, 2004
Symbolically, the rift between the US and the UN has been healed. An interim Iraqi government has assumed sovereignty, and a newly-appointed Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General has been dispatched to Iraq. Yet, according to former UN official and Cambodia expert Benny Widyono, the challenge confronting UN peacekeepers remains daunting and dangerous. Iraq is still rife with...

Islamic Troop Plan Prompts Skepticism

Robin Wright August 1, 2004
Last week, the Saudi government outlined its proposal for deployment of Muslim soldiers in Iraq. While US Secretary of State Colin Powell said that he supported “the concept” of a Muslim troop presence, both he and the leadership of Iraq’s interim governing council have several reservations about specifics. Whereas the Saudi proposal advocates troops forming a separate UN-mandated umbrella, the...