In The News

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...

North Korea’s Missiles Backfire

Shim Jae Hoon July 18, 2006
North Korea’s missile launches in early July, despite repeated pleas by all, enraged an international community worried about a growing threat to global security. The launches even provoked North Korea’s longtime allies, China and Russia, prompting both parties to sign on to the UN resolution calling for sanctions. South Korea, which favored negotiations and reconciliation with the North, now...

Militia Rebuked by Some Arab Countries

Hassan M. Fattah July 17, 2006
Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan publicly denounced Hezbollah’s escalating violence against Israel, despite the popular anti-Israeli sentiment in their respective countries. While many countries from the Group of 8 Conference, or G-8, in St. Petersburg urge Israel to exercise restraint in carrying out surmounting air strikes on Lebanon and Gaza, Prince Saud al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia calls...

Only a UN-Led Peace Process Can Halt the Iraq Catastrophe

Menzies Campbell July 17, 2006
Continued violence and instability in Iraq have undermined the ability of coalition forces to play a positive role in the reconstruction, writes Menzies Campbell, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party in the UK. To move forward, he explains, the task must be internationalized and carefully planned. Urging that the United Nations should be given more control of the peace process, Campbell writes...

Effect of Climate Change on Oceans Gaining Attention

Tom Paulson July 11, 2006
Richard Feely of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has long reported on how carbon emissions increase acidity of the world’s oceans. In June, a panel of scientists confirmed his findings about the destruction of ocean habitat in a federal report. The report recommends more fieldwork about the effect of carbon dioxide in acidifying the ocean. The oceans have long absorbed...

Stop Hyperventilating, Start Talking

Peter Hayes July 11, 2006
North Korea’s missile test “was a strategic non-issue,” according to Peter Hayes, executive director of the Nautilus Institute. No major international constraints prevent the nation from testing missiles, with the North Koreans assuming that the Bush administration will never negotiate with them in good faith. Therefore, the decision to test the missile was a result of domestic factors inside the...

North Korea's Neighbors Keep Friendly Tone

Evan Ramstad July 8, 2006
The world is alarmed by the test launch of seven missiles by North Korea, yet South Korea and China decline to issue a tough response. Instead South Korea reaffirms its “sunshine” policy and China reasserts its “friendly” relations with its neighbor to the east. In the United Nations, meanwhile, China and Russia were the only two states on the Security Council to oppose a Japan-sponsored...