In The News

Taliban Exposes Cracks in NATO

Simon Tisdall September 21, 2006
NATO’s secretary-general has requested additional troops for Afghanistan. Making a public plea, he said that some nations carrying more burden than others. Many members are reluctant to send troops to the country’s southern region, where drug trade and local warlord power engage the troops in conflict, forcing them to abandon the original reconstruction mission. Aggravating the troop shortage is...

Coup Ousting Thailand's Premier Tests Democracy in Key US Ally

James Hookway September 20, 2006
Tanks moved in and took command of the Bangkok and its government offices – while the prime minister was in New York for a meeting at the United Nations, reports “The Wall Street Journal.” The coup could challenge the candidacy of Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, the sole candidate approved by ASEAN member countries for the post of UN secretary-general, according to “The Korean...

Iran Befriends Iraq

Dilip Hiro September 19, 2006
Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship in Iraq relied on mass murder, torture and chemical warfare against its own citizens. He was also the last of several Iraqi rulers who elevated the Sunni minority at the expense of the Shiite majority. During the years of repression, the Shiite sect in Iraq sought refuge in the mosque, much like their spiritual brethren in Iran, who became more devout during the...

Pope “Sorry” About Reaction to Islam Remark

Alan Cooperman September 18, 2006
Pope Benedict XVI issued a rare apology for comments that spurred angry reactions from Muslims around the world, but the Vatican reiterates its opposition to any violence in the name of religion. Extremists reacted to the comments with church bombings in the West Bank and Gaza and the murder of a nun who worked in a Somali children’s hospital. In his lecture, the pope had called attention to a...

Can a White House Visit Shore Up a Sagging US-South Korea Alliance?

Morton Abramowitz September 14, 2006
North Korea is the biggest common problem for both South Korea and the US, but the two presidents do not agree on strategy. As presidents Roh Moo-hyun and George Bush meet on September 14, their conversation could be awkward. Both men are stubborn about how to end the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear program: the Bush administration favors sanctions or even regime change, while Roh insists on...

UN Inspectors Dispute Iran Report by House Panel

Dafna Linzer September 14, 2006
The US continues to clash with international agencies about global threats. United Nations inspectors label a report about Iran nuclear activities from the US House of Representatives as “misleading” and “unsubstantiated.” The report on the Iranian nuclear program also criticizes the work of UN inspectors. Inspectors with the UN International Atomic Energy (IAEA) Agency had similar disagreements...

Turkey Toughs Out Terror

September 14, 2006
An offshoot of the separatist Kurdish Workers Party in Turkey has reignited its terrorist campaign, with attacks aimed at foreign tourists, designed to hurt Turkey economically. The government in Ankara has tried to address the group’s grievances by improving Kurdish rights, though investment in the impoverished, mostly Kurdish southeastern region of Turkey is lagging. The Turkish government...