In The News

Help the Refugees Who Reach China

Joel R. Charny June 14, 2005
Thousands of North Koreans have succeeded in reaching China in hope of refuge. However, instead of receiving the humanitarian assistance that China is internationally bound to provide for those claiming refugee status, these North Koreans are labeled as illegal immigrants and deported. Once back in their home country, they face harsh conditions, including imprisonment, torture, and sometimes...

"In Larger Freedom": Decision Time at the UN

Kofi Annan May 31, 2005
The wide range of threats afflicting different regions today complicates international collaboration. In an interconnected world, however, these threats are often more closely related than we realize. Extreme poverty and civil conflict in one country, for example, encourage terrorist groups to strike in another; the outbreak of disease in a region with poor health care may spread to wealthier...

Reviving an Old Dream of Afro-Asian Cooperation

Thomas Abraham May 24, 2005
In 1955, the giants of the developing world gathered in Bandung, Indonesia, in an historic attempt to promote Asian-African solidarity. Despite their hopes, few of the participating countries were stable enough to ensure meaningful change. Fifty years later, developing country leaders gathered in the same city, with the same purpose: to promote cooperation between the two regions. Though the...

Protecting Biodiversity 'May Clash with Pursuit of MDGs'

Ehsan Masood May 19, 2005
According to a new report, UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce global poverty will interfere with efforts to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss. Infrastructural development such as road building can have a negative environmental impact, disrupting habitats and leading to species loss in many places. This has sparked much debate over which is the more important goal to meet,...

Nuclear Regime in Peril

Joseph Cirincione May 17, 2005
The nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has proven to be among the most successful security pacts in history. For 35 years, it has forestalled the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and with only one defector: North Korea. Yet as the world meets to review the treaty at the United Nations this month, discord among members is hindering the development of an effective plan. Of key importance...

Power Plays in Asia

Jim Hoagland April 22, 2005
Protesters recently filled China's streets, objecting to Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council; Japan, the protesters maintain, has yet to atone sufficiently for its crimes during World War II. As this Washington Post article points out, however, "It is a mistake to write off the political turmoil in Asia as a case of resurgent nationalism in a region that...

Asia Battles over War History

David McNeill April 11, 2005
The worsening relations between Japan and its northeast Asian neighbors sank a few notches as demonstrators in China attacked Japanese diplomatic missions and businesses. South Koreans, too, have vented their anger at Japan's attempt to whitewash history. Recently, Japan's Ministry of Education has approved history and civics textbooks for use in schools that are either silent over past...