In The News

The Withdrawal Syndrome – Part II

Dilip Hiro November 2, 2006
With daily bombings, sniper attacks and abductions, the US struggles to devise a withdrawal plan while maintaining control in Baghdad. This two-part series analyzes how policymakers and citizens in both the US and Iraq question the value of a US presence in the country. With the mid-term election in the US on Tuesday, Republicans could lose control of one chamber in Congress, and President George...

Blood Feud in Bangladesh

November 2, 2006
Violence has rocked Bangladesh as supporters of the country’s two major political parties clash over the upcoming transition period before national elections in January. The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has interfered in elections and been negligent about corruption and extremism. The main opposition Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina Wajed, is equally...

The Withdrawal Syndrome – Part I

Richard N. Haass October 31, 2006
Three years into the endless violence and destruction of the Iraq war, sentiment in both Iraq and the US calls for American withdrawal. This two-part series reviews how the US government is dealing with that sentiment and analyzes the implications of US withdrawal for both nations. The first article – written by Richard Haass, president of the Council of Foreign Relations and former director of...

China Gets Tough With North Korea

Susan L. Shirk October 26, 2006
Destitute and isolated, North Korea is a desperate state. The nation may have nuclear weapons, but survives only with economic aid from China and South Korea. Despite many provocations, China has been steadfast in refusing to penalize North Korea. But a North Korean nuclear test in early October, despite Chinese warnings against conducting it, proved too much. China surprised the world by siding...

Can You Tell a Sunni From a Shiite?

Jeff Stein October 26, 2006
Some of the worst violence in Iraq is a result of sectarian conflict, pitting followers of the Shiite branch of Islam against Sunni adherents. The sectarian violence draws in neighboring states and adds to the challenge of the US military in the region. Unsettling is the lack of US understanding about the difference between Sunnis and Shiites, as described by journalist Jeff Stein. Questions...

Kremlin Puts Foreign NGO’s on Notice

C.J. Chivers October 24, 2006
The Russian government stopped operations of foreign non-profit organizations operating in Russia, such as Amnesty International, while reviewing bureaucratic registrations required under a new law. For now, the bureaucratic process, combined with closures and described as temporary, has quieted normally vocal non-government organization spokespeople. The closures, according to the “New York...

Way Radical, Dude

Jose Antonio Vargas October 20, 2006
Radical Islamic organizations have developed video games that aim to kill US President Bush or rescue Iranian nuclear scientists from US Special Forces. For some Middle Easterners, the new games are a response to US Defense Department games that depict Muslims as military targets. But the Army Game Project denies that it focuses on any particular people or region. The free video games produced in...