In The News

From Bali to Madrid, Attackers Seek to Inflict Ever-Greater Casualties

Ewen MacAskill March 12, 2004
In a worrisome development, Spain's tragic bombing yesterday may mark a shift in strategies for small, politically-directed terrorist groups. If ETA, the Basque separatist group, was behind the train bombing that killed almost 200 people, then their methods have changed and their aim has become bloodier. Al-Qaida's attack on 9/11 may have provided an unfortunate lesson – terrorist...

American Troops Are Killing and Abusing Afghans, Rights Body Says

Brian Whitaker March 8, 2004
After routing out the oppressive Taliban regime from Afghanistan in 2001, America took on the burden of enforcing security within the war-torn country. Now, according to a report released today by Human Rights Watch (HRW), the US is failing to live up to its own standards of democracy and respect for human rights. The use of excessive force and paramilitary tactics for policing procedures are...

India and Pakistan Get Ready for Cricket

M.J.Akbar March 8, 2004
As Indian and Pakistani cricket teams face off this week, the matches may arouse more emotions than the two countries' recent diplomatic relations. The resumption of play on the sub-continent is a remarkable turn in a relationship that has been marked by bloody conflict over the disputed Kashmir region, argues M.J. Akbar, editor of The Asian Age. Now, political pragmatism may outweigh...

Fischer Sees Turkey's Membership in EU as Part of War on Terror

Sam Hapgood March 5, 2004
As the EU gets ready to welcome 10 new members on May 1, Germany's foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, is pushing for Turkey to join the group sooner rather than later. "We have a new task that will shape this century: We have to give globalization political contours," he said. Bringing Turkey into the group, he says, will help deter Muslim terrorists. The German Finance Ministry...

Growing Vulnerability of Seaports from Terror Attacks

Michael Richardson March 5, 2004
Global trade is heavily dependent on shipping, with hundreds of port cities worldwide offering open doors to goods from other countries. Unfortunately, writes Michael Richardson, this same openness allows terrorists the possibility of bringing into the target country devastating means of attack – from high-explosives to radiological bombs, even nuclear devices. Al-Qaeda used a cargo vessel to...

Nuke Quarantine

Amir Mir February 26, 2004
The United States government is placing pressure on Pakistan to allow an inspection of its nuclear arsenal, and to put into place, a joint Pakistan-US monitoring mechanism. The American pressure follows the recent disclosure of a Pakistan based global network that supplied nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea. Pakistan, a vital ally in the US led war against global terrorism, needs...

The Fallout of Pakistani Revelations on North Korea

Phillip C. Saunders February 23, 2004
North Korean nuclear programs have long been a puzzle for the international intelligence community to solve. No one is quite sure when they started, how they started, or how far along towards producing weapons-grade uranium and plutonium they are. The recent revelation by Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan that he sold technology to the North Koreans could begin to unravel the mystery. Talks this...