In The News

The Trans-Atlantic Aftershock of 9/11

Immanuel Wallerstein February 26, 2003
It has been long time in the making, but the debate over the wisdom of attacking Iraq has revealed how far apart the alliance forged after World War II has grown. In the past, despite reservations European countries may have had about specific US policies, they have tended to support the US because of shared security concerns. All that has changed with the rise of an economically strong and...

War for Peace? It Worked in My Country

José Ramos-Horta February 25, 2003
In this opinion article in The New York Times, José Ramos-Horta, East Timor's minister of foreign affairs and cooperation – and a man who shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 – supports the possible use of force in removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq. East Timor was only liberated from Indonesia, he writes, thanks to an international peacekeeping force. Although he urges the Bush...

Inspection of Weapons of Mass Destruction Should Be Universal

Martin Shubik February 25, 2003
With world opinion turning against the planned US war against Iraq there is a crying need for the US to assure the international community that it is not seeking domination. Martin Shubik, a noted game theorist who has been a consultant to several American administrations, says the dangers to world civilization are far greater than most citizens appreciate. He advocates a whole new approach to...

Powell fails to win over China on two hot spots

Goh Sui Noi February 25, 2003
US Secretary of State Colin Powell concluded the China leg of his Asia tour yesterday with no clear promises from China that Beijing stands behind US security positions. Powell had hoped to win the Chinese leadership over to supporting a multi-lateral approach on North Korea's nuclear program. Also on his agenda was garnering support for possible military action in Iraq, although the lack...

Marching Towards a High-Risk War in Iraq

Richard K. Betts February 22, 2003
Now that a US-led war against Iraq is a near certainty - unless a coup d'etat removes Saddam Hussein - the focus is shifting to the question of its consequences. Political and strategic analyst Richard Betts looks at the possible outcomes of the war, which he thinks is a "bad idea" to begin with, and sees the risks as very high to catastrophic. He reckons there is thirty percent...

Where Did All the Anger Go?

Amira Howeidy February 21, 2003
Protesters on every continent marched for peace on February 15, but the turnout in Egypt was rather small. The few hundred that did show were largely stifled by a massive police presence; public protest has been illegal in Egypt since a state of emergency was declared in 1981, and lately authorities have been jailing dissidents with more frequency. Though many were frustrated by the...

U.S. Combat Force of 1,700 is Headed to the Philippines

Eric Schmitt February 21, 2003
Within days, the United States plans to deploy troops to the Philippines in order to "disrupt and destroy" the extremist group Abu Sayyaf. The Abu Sayyaf, with its goal of establishing Islamic states across Asia, has been aided in the past by terrorists across the world, including Osama Bin Laden. The latest US move shows that the war on terrorism is truly a global effort. – YaleGlobal