In The News

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...

A Conflict That Will Stay Close to Home

Edward M. Luttwak July 18, 2006
The heated missile exchange between Israel and Hezbollah factions in southern Lebanon is influenced by Syria and Iran, both openly supportive of Islamist agendas to obliterate the Zionist state, according to political analyst Edward M. Luttwak. However, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has reasons to step gingerly, as his precarious reign depends on the loyalty of the small Alawite religious...

The Fighters and the Freeloaders

Sebastian Mallaby July 17, 2006
Hezbollah’s attacks have focused on Israel, but growing extremism combined with North Korea’s missile tests and Iran’s nuclear-weapon program threaten many countries. Israel’s bombing campaign in response to Hezbollah could foreshadow a major war. Unfortunately, nations lack diplomatic options to negotiate with extremists who thrive in failed states. To avoid major conflicts, powerful nations...

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...

North Korea Crisis Tests China’s New Global Role

Gordon Fairclough July 17, 2006
North Korea’s missile tests present a diplomatic challenge to many countries, but China is a special case. As North Korea’s largest trading partner, China may have economic leverage that could steer Pyongyang back to Six Party talks over its nuclear weapons program. Yet China’s reluctance to take action that could be viewed as punitive could stem from deep-rooted ties between the two countries...

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...

Written Again in British Blood

Ben Macintyre July 17, 2006
The UK has 3,300 troops in the Afghan province of Helmand, with increasing casualties, and thus author Ben Macintyre suggests that the British engagement in Afghanistan is settling into the pattern of what he calls a fourth Anglo-Afghan war. The deep history of conflict between the two countries, combined with the ongoing, organic nature of historical storylines in Afghan culture, combine to...