In The News

A New Coalition To Keep WMD Out of Terrorists' Hands

Michael Richardson May 10, 2004
Current arms control treaties make it easy for countries like North Korea and Iran to import the materials needed to make WMD. Yet despite widespread fear about terrorism, observes correspondent Michael Richardson, no effective international laws exist to prevent the sale or transfer of weapons or related technology to state or non-state actors. To remedy this worrisome loophole, Richardson,...

Poor 'Are Paying for War on Terror'

Mark Tran May 10, 2004
The “war on terror”, fought on many fronts, is increasingly working against poorer people across the globe. A recent report by Christian Aid showed that as world governments shift priorities to counter the possibility of terrorist attack, budgets leave needy individuals empty-handed. The report criticized the United States, the generally recognized leader in the protracted war on terror, for this...

Business as Usual

Nermeen Al-Mufti May 7, 2004
The abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners in US custody in Iraq has made headlines around the world this week, with condemnation coming from many heads of state and governments who are appalled by the shocking images they have seen. Yet Iraq's own Governing Council, says this article in Egypt's Al-Ahram Weekly, has been virtually silent on the entire issue. Reports of mistreatment have...

Iraqi Prison Scandal Hits US in a Big Way

Ilnur Cevic May 5, 2004
The recent uproar in the US over the torture and abuse of Iraqi prisoners in US custody is really not big 'news' in the Arab world, says this editorial in the Turkish Daily News. Although the humiliating photos circulating the globe may have "devastating consequences" for the US, writes Ilnur Cevic, the problems are seen by many in Iraq and the Middle East as just another...

Iraq Prisoner Abuse Draws Global Media Outrage

May 5, 2004
Revelations of Iraqi prisoner abuse and torture at the hands of Americans have shocked the world. A survey of 128 editorials in 44 countries compiled by the US Department of State's Office of Research finds great revulsion and contempt for the American actions. Some papers demand the US be charged with war crimes, while others see the torture as a "major defeat" for the US and...

Bomb Kills Three Chinese in Pakistan

Kamran Khan May 4, 2004
In an unprecedented event, three Chinese engineers in Pakistan were the target of a terrorist car bombing Monday morning. Western aid workers have received the brunt of attacks from radical Muslim groups in Pakistan since the 2001 war in Afghanistan. "Frankly speaking, we never thought of providing extra security to Chinese citizens in this country," says one Pakistani police chief. A...

N Korea Offers US Pledge on Weapons

Victor Mallet May 3, 2004
North Korean officials condemn terrorist organizations, including al-Qaeda, and promise not to sell nuclear materials to them in interviews with The Financial Times’ Selig Harrison on Tuesday. Taken togethers, their comments constitute an unexpectedly friendly gesture to the US, especially coming from a regime that has been known to sell both materials and technologies to militants in unstable...