In The News

America's Double Standard Fuels Crises

Ramzy Baroud October 31, 2006
North Korea’s nuclear arsenal must be dismantled, but the US must consider the stability of the North Korean Peninsula over its own political goals in any decision about how to proceed. US eagerness for regime change in Iraq led the US to its current quagmire of sectarian conflict and surmounting deficits. In 2005, just after North Korea agreed to end its nuclear program in a joint statement by...

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...

Bush Signs Fence Bill, Pushes Back

Nicole Gaouette October 27, 2006
President George Bush signed a bill that authorizes 700 miles of fence but does not cover costs. Critics on all sides questioned whether the bill may have been designed to shore up support for candidates favored by the president in the upcoming November 7 US congressional elections. Both Mexico’s president and president-elect lashed out against the plan, calling it an “embarrassment” for the US...

Perilous Journeys: The Plight of North Koreans in China and Beyond

October 27, 2006
One reason for the stalemate over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is because neighboring nations fear a rush of desperate refugees from the country of 23 million people. The International Crisis Group reports that a record number of North Koreans headed to South Korea this year to escape the brutal political control and isolation of Kim Jong Il, which has led to famine, censorship and...

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...

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...

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...