In The News

The Righteous War

Immanuel Wallerstein February 15, 2003
What is really behind the Bush administration’s big push to wage war on Iraq? Is it about removing a tyrant hell-bent on using his weapons of mass destruction? Or is it a US move to gain more control over the oil resources in the Middle East? Sociologist theorist Immanuel Wallerstein argues that both of these interpretations are flawed. The motivation to go war, he says, is really about...

Threat Erodes Japan’s Pacifism

Doug Struck February 15, 2003
After decades of constitutional restrictions on offensive forces, Japan has reopened a national debate about the military. As part of its surrender after World War II, Japan agreed to dismantle its armed forces and since then has largely relied on the United States for military support. In the past few months, however, nervous defense ministers have quietly begun to rebuild the military in...

Poll Shows Most Want War Delay

Patrick E. Tyler February 14, 2003
With world powers squabbling over military action in Iraq, a new poll shows that President Bush may still have work to do to convince his own citizens that war is an immediate necessity. While a majority of Americans support military action against Iraq, 59% think that the United Nations should be given more time to carry out weapons inspections. And Americans continue to worry about the threat...

U.S. Hackers Told to Leave Iraq Alone

February 14, 2003
The FBI is telling Americans not to hack into and sabotage Iraqi websites. There is a possibility that such patriotic hacking could backfire, doing more harm to U.S. computer systems than to Iraqi systems. Nationalistic ‘cyber wars’ launched by patriotic citizens of one country against websites of other countries are increasing, and the U.S. is now drawing up guidelines to deal with them. In...

Govt. to send team to evacuate Indonesians in Middle East amid possible war on Iraq

February 12, 2003
With tens of thousands of its citizens working in the Middle East, the Indonesian government is following the example of its Southeast Asian neighbors and preparing for the worst. In the face of a growing threat of war in Iraq, Jakarta is sending a team of government personnel to the region to plan an evacuation of Indonesian nationals. – YaleGlobal

China Maneuvers to Bring a Soft-landing to the Korean Crisis

Yu Bin February 11, 2003
China is in no position to tell North Korea what to do regarding the current nuclear crisis. Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, Beijing's relations with Pyongyang have soured. At the same time, China has cultivated political and economic relations with both South Korea and the United States. But, as Yu Bin, the author of a book on China's role in the Korean War, explains, China...

Don't ignore 'North Korea Effect'

William Pesek Jr. February 11, 2003
In this commentary in Singapore's Straits Times, William Pesek Jr. argues that "The West may be preoccupied with Iraq, but those who ignore risks from North Korea could be hit on the blind side by declining Asian markets." The 'North Korea Effect' he describes anticipates North Korea developing and testing nuclear weapons, setting off an economic chain reaction. A...