In The News

A New Middle East, or Rice’s Fantasy Ride?

Rami G. Khouri July 31, 2006
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described the escalating violence between Lebanon and Israel as “birth pangs of a new Middle East.” The US has vested interests in its support of Israel, and its alliances with Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, as well as the eventual eradication of Islamic Jihadist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. However, columnist Rami G. Khouri for...

The Call That Tells You: Run, You're About to Lose Your Home and Possessions

Conal Urquhart July 28, 2006
With a relentless bombing campaign on two fronts, in Gaza and Lebanon, Israel tries a new tactic. Israeli intelligence officers make telephone calls across enemy lines to warn targets that their homes are about to be bombed. Sometimes attacks follow the calls and sometimes not. The Israeli telephone warnings are brief but friendly, with one officer urging her Palestinian target to “Be safe.”...

US Cuts in Africa Aid Said to Hurt War on Terror

Mark Mazzetti July 27, 2006
The US government has ended military aid for several African countries with governments that refused to sign an “Article 98 agreement” that exempts American soldiers from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The 2002 “American Servicemembers’ Protection Act” is a keystone of US opposition to the ICC, but the aid cutoffs have angered some military officials who say that...

New Conflicts in an Old War

James Carroll July 25, 2006
Israel’s expanding conflict with the Muslim world may have forced many observers into a frustrated state of ambivalence. Yet “Boston Globe” columnist James Carroll urges onlookers to examine the larger context of Islamist extremism. Israel confronts extraordinary violence from Hezbollah and Hamas, and constant battling with such forces push the country into a warlike state. Carroll warns readers...

Boosting Extremists With Bombs

Dilip Hiro July 25, 2006
Israel’s air strikes on Southern Lebanon boost support for Hezbollah in the Arab world, as many lose faith in already struggling Arab democracies. Outlining the history of Hezbollah in a region prone to setbacks and violence, Middle East analyst and author Dilip Hiro predicts that the present fighting paves the way for more Arab rulers to resort to repressive measures in order to control dissent...

Custom-Built Pathogens Raise Bioterror Fears

Joby Warrick July 25, 2006
In 2002, German-born molecular geneticist Eckard Wimmer created the first live and fully functioning virus in a lab. Built from scratch, this virus was a variation of one that causes polio. Wimmer points out that he didn’t invent the technology that made his experiment possible, but only drew attention to equipment that’s available at any well-funded university. Al Qaeda has sought biological...

Why Israel’s Reaction Is Right

Matthias Kuntzel July 24, 2006
Despite Germany and the rest of Europe siding against Israel and hoping for immediate peace, author Matthias Kuntzel argues that a ceasefire is, in fact, a dangerous strategy. Israel – attacked from all directions by Islamic extremists – is fighting a just war and wants peace, he notes. Kuntzel suggests Israel lacks alternatives and that the heavy attacks could free Lebanon of Hezbollah influence...