In The News

The “Secret Plan” Ploy

Walter Wells October 20, 2006
News of violent deaths and chaos continues to pour out of Iraq, and analysts increasingly compare the struggle and politics to Vietnam. The wars in Vietnam and Iraq have many obvious differences, but both wars diminished global respect for the US and hampered its ability to resolve more pressing crises. With no sign of improvement or stability in Iraq, it’s no secret that the Bush administration...

US and China Urge North Korea to Return to Talks

Thom Shanker October 20, 2006
Both China and the US call for North Korea to return to Six-Party Talks and hash out a plan to end North Korean nuclear research. The US secretary of state traveled to Japan, China, South Korea and Russia, urging a multilateral effort in putting a halt to any attempt by North Korea to trade nuclear wares. China, once reticent about imposing harsh measures on its destitute neighbor, has...

Bush Sets Defense as Space Priority

Marc Kaufman October 18, 2006
The US might be the most powerful nation on the face of the earth, but much of that power depends on a vast array of satellites orbiting high above the planet. Now, President Bush has signed a new National Space Policy declaring that control of the interplanetary void is “as important to the United States as air power and sea power.” Supporters hail the policy as a necessary step toward...

Sensible Ideas on Why to Engage Tehran

Rami G. Khouri October 17, 2006
Since the end of the Cold War, the US has led the international effort to encourage global security and nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. The US unabashedly has used regime change and an array of diplomacy to promote arms control and democracy. But the tools have failed when it comes to Iran and North Korea and their nuclear programs. Even the most hawkish voter in Texas understands the US...

A Clash of Civilizations in Europe?

Patrick Sabatier October 17, 2006
Secular Europe and some of its Muslims citizens continue to clash – not in direct battle but over cartoons, operas, newspaper essays and school customs. The clashes are a product of a globalized media system, according to French journalist Patrick Sabatier, with instant information about any perceived slight to faith over satellite television or internet obscuring complex issues and provoking...

Technical Perspective on North Korea’s Nuclear Test

October 12, 2006
The news that North Korea had successfully tested a nuclear weapon on Monday morning shocked the world. Estimates about the size of the explosion ranged wildly, with some reporting a half-kiloton blast to others guessing that it was much larger. The key questions are: did the test go as planned, and is there likely to be another soon? Dr. Gi-Wook Hin of Stanford sat down with Dr. Siegfried Hecker...

N. Korea Links Next Move to U.S. Policy

Choe Sang-Hun October 11, 2006
While Western governments wonder whether the weak blast was indeed what North Korea claimed to be a nuclear test, Pyongyang has issued threat of further testing. In an interview, Kim Yong Nam, president of the North Korea's legislature, has warned that future testing is contingent upon the attitude of the US. If the US were to impose global sanctions, he claims "we will have no choice...