In The News

Policing the Sea Is a Job for Everyone

Tony Tan June 3, 2003
In a speech at the Asia Security Conference, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tony Tan tried to raise an alarm about the threat of terrorism on the high seas. "Individual state action is not enough," he says. "The oceans are indivisible and maritime security threats do not respect boundaries. The very nature of commercial shipping is multinational."...

Mid-air Hijack Bid Conjures Up Scary Security Scenario

Ross Peake June 3, 2003
Though not terrorist related, the attempted aircraft hijacking in Australia was doubtless inspired by the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States this article in The Khaleej Times says. Since the attacks, Australia has heightened airport security, indicating the nation’s understanding that the United States is not the only target for terrorist animosity. The fact that the 2000...

Sharm El Sheikh & al-Aqaba: New Emperor to Reap Conquest

Kareem M. Kamel June 2, 2003
This article by Kareem Kamel on Islam Online maintains that the upcoming summits at Sharm El Sheikh and al-Aqaba will deal only with furthering US diplomatic aims in the region. Amidst continuing resentment over Iraq and powerful tensions between Palestinian and Israeli leaders, current diplomatic moves by the US will result in continued polarization between pro-US Arab nations and anti-Israeli-...

Global Eye -- Copycat Killers

Chris Floyd May 30, 2003
Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has been taking lessons from US President Bush, says this article in the Moscow Times. Megawati is using Bush’s anti-terrorist rhetoric and military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq to justify her bloody invasion of Aceh, a rebel territory she characterizes as terrorist-ridden. While her strong military stance has heightened her domestic popularity,...

European Union’s Southern Drive

Shada Islam May 30, 2003
Despite apparent attempts by the US to lead the world in every way and area, when it comes to northern Africa and the Middle East, the European Union has its own ideas. Europe's importation of immigrant labor to support its aging population has contributed to a buildup of over 13 million Muslims of Middle Eastern descent across the continent. In the face of continued economic shifts and...

Poverty Doesn't Create Terrorists

Alan B. Krueger May 29, 2003
In his National Security Strategy issued in November 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush asserted that poverty was one of the factors leading to increased terrorist activities. This article in the New York Times, however, argues that civil liberty is the main factor and that wealth has little to do with terrorist activities. The author cites a study which found that many suicide bombers were from...

Nuclear Confrontations with North Korea

William Perry May 28, 2003
Speaking in a panel discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, William Perry, the former Secretary of Defense of the Clinton administration, said that the Korean Crisis of June 1994 was the only period during the Clinton presidency when the US came close to a major war. That was also the time the US took a diplomatic initiative to peacefully resolve the...