In The News

Knock, Knock…Who's There? Many Migrants!

Joseph Chamie August 5, 2003
All people have the right to leave their country, writes Joseph Chamie, Director of the United Nations Population Division, but they do not have the right to enter another without permission. As population growth soars in the developing world, this apparent contradiction is creating a dilemma for developed countries, which are being inundated with illegal migrants. According to Chamie, the...

Can US Transit Visa Rule Prevent Terrorist Strike?

August 5, 2003
Thousands of air passengers pass through the US each year on their way to other destinations, but after the US begins requiring them to first apply for transit visas, that process won't be so easy. Washington has cited fears of terrorism and the resultant need for increased security as the reason for the new rules, but this editorial in the Khaleej Times is skeptical of that rationale:...

North Korea Agrees to Multilateral Talks

Don Kirk August 1, 2003
After months of diplomatic posturing and much bravado, North Korea and the US have agreed to sit down together to find a way to deal with Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, its security fears, and its urgent need for fuel and food aid. Representatives of China, Russia, South Korea, and Japan will be joining the US and North Korea in multi-lateral talks, a format Washington has insisted upon as...

Arab Press Review

Salamander Davoidi August 1, 2003
Anti-American sentiment pervaded Arab newspapers this week. The intensity varies from writer to writer, as does the focus; however, this weekly survey of Arab newspapers shows Middle Eastern media united in their denouncement of American power. One heated Syrian journalist described the US government as violent and stupid, and denounced the US for imposing sanctions on Syria until it has...

Superpower in the South Pacific

C. Raja Mohan July 30, 2003
Australia has long been the premier power in the South Pacific. According to this opinion in an Indian daily, however, Australia is increasingly matching its economic and military capabilities with the political will to exercise its power. The author says that national security concerns are behind Canberra's new policies of intervention and preemption in failing microstates where terrorist...

Pentagon Prepares a Futures Market on Terror Attacks

Carl Hulse July 29, 2003
A bizarre new strategy in the war on terrorism is emerging from the headquarters of the US military. The Pentagon is creating an online futures market to predict the likelihood of terrorist attacks and assassinations. With the explicit aim of predicting the effects of US involvement in the Middle East, the program's website will begin registering traders on Aug. 1, and trading will begin...

Setting America above the Law

Soha Abdelaty July 18, 2003
The US and Egypt recently signed a bilateral agreement guaranteeing the immunity of each other's officials and military personnel from prosecution in the International Criminal Court (ICC). Cairo's decision to exempt the US personnel from Court jurisdiction has angered those who uphold the need for an encompassing, multilateral judicial institution. Cairo was initially an enthusiastic...