In The News

Our Failure in Somalia

John Prendergast June 20, 2006
Rather than help root out terrorists finding refuge in war-torn Somalia, the US support of warlords against Islamist militias has created what analyst and former US National Security Council official John Prendergast calls “an al-Qaeda recruiter’s dream.” The Islamists have gained control of the capital, and the relative security that their rule promises has swung Somalia public opinion in their...

A Global Web of Justice Is Up and Running

Luis Moreno-Ocampo June 19, 2006
Luis Moreno-Ocampo, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, describes the relative success of three recent ICC investigations: war crimes in the Congo, the Lord's Resistance Army killings in northern Uganda, and the genocidal events in Darfur, Sudan. The ICC, which carries no allegiance to any one country, intervenes in domestic criminal adjudication only when national...

Washington’s Tactical Error in Somalia

Jen Alic June 17, 2006
Naivité is not particularly helpful in the war on terror. When Somali warlords extended the tempting offer of capturing several fugitive Al Qaeda operatives suspected of hiding in Somalia, the US government funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cause. The cause turned out to be bloody conflict with Islamic militias who have emerged victorious, controlling Somalia and riding a wave of...

America's Image Slips, But Allies Share US Concerns Over Iran, Hamas

June 15, 2006
The Pew Global Attitudes Project has released results of its annual global public-opinion polls for 2006, and results show increasingly negative views toward the US. For its most recent release, the project conducted 16,710 interviews in 15 countries. The most significant reason for the slip in US popularity, in most cases, is the conflict in Iraq. Many respondents ranked this conflict – along...

China Hosts Summit to Rival US

Jonathan Watts June 15, 2006
China hosted an “A-list” gathering of international leaders, with a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Representatives included Chinese Presient Hu Jintao, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The SCO, formed ten years ago, “is designed to promote peace and stability in a region that has become an increasingly important source of oil and...

UK Fears Record Afghan Heroin Output

Declan Walsh June 13, 2006
Despite 3,300 British troops deployed to the Helmand, Afghanistan, the province is on track to produce a record heroin crop. There are numerous reasons for the inability of British soldiers to control the trade. The UK government accused the Afghan minister in charge of counter-narcotics of having ties to smuggling. While the UK has not yet provided concrete proof, the allegation has strained...

How Good Is American Intelligence on Iran’s Bomb?

Graham Allison June 13, 2006
The US should be wary of progress in the Iranian nuclear standoff that could either be promising or illusory. Without discounting recent diplomatic achievements, Graham Allison, a former US defense official and a leading analyst of national security and nuclear weapons, cautions that US intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program may not be accurate. US intelligence officers could be drastically...