In The News

The War on Terror Yet to Be Won in Southeast Asia

Zachary Abuza June 15, 2004
Since the much-hyped global ‘war on terror', the human rights situation in Southeast Asia has taken a turn for the worse. In the name of fighting Islamic terrorist groups in the region, says political scientist Zachary Abuza, governments are using state power to repress political opposition by targeting political dissidents and making widespread arrests without trial. Malaysia and Singapore...

U.S. Nuclear Inquiry Finds China-Iran Link

June 15, 2004
An American congressional commission responsible for investigating security and economic issues in the US-China relationship is giving Bejing poor marks on cooperation and honesty. The commission charged yesterday that China is transferring nuclear technology to Iran in exchange for much-needed oil. It also said China continues to allow North Korean missiles and nuclear technology to traverse...

Rumsfeld Approved Methods for Guantanamo Interrogations

Jess Bravin June 10, 2004
According to a memo reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, US Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld agreed in December 2002 to allow for a variety of harsh interrogation methods at Guantanamo Bay. "Mild non-injurious physical contact," "stress positions", and forced nudity were among the techniques approved for interrogating prisoners held at the US military installation, this...

State Dept. Concedes Errors in Terror Data

R. Jeffrey Smith June 10, 2004
In its 2003 report titled “Patterns of Global Terrorism”, the US State Department failed to give a true account of global terrorism, says this Washington Post article. The report stated that 2003 saw a significant decrease in terrorist activities largely due to US involvement in global counter-terrorism efforts. However, academics, a lawmaker, and others argue that the figures presented by the...

New Violence, Old Problem

Neil MacFarquhar June 6, 2004
The last two terrorist attacks on Saudi Arabian soil left over two dozen people dead, including 25 foreigners. In both attacks, the corpse of a Westerner was dragged behind a car in apparent celebration. As gruesome as this sounds, writes Neil MacFarquhar, it is only a symptom of the times in Saudi Arabia. The ruling House of Saud, he says, officially maintains that the terrorists responsible...

Las intenciones de Bush

Dilip Hiro June 3, 2004

Islam and West: Time for Enlightened Moderation

Pervez Musharraf June 2, 2004
The events of the recent past have brought the Muslim world to a state of emergency, writes Pervez Musharraf, president of Pakistan. The world perception of Muslims as violent extremists has placed the moderate and peaceful faithful – the “innocent multitudes” – at odds with the world. The proliferation of suicide bombers and the events of 9/11 have bred a deep fear in the West of Islam and its...