In The News

UK Fears Record Afghan Heroin Output

Declan Walsh June 13, 2006
Despite 3,300 British troops deployed to the Helmand, Afghanistan, the province is on track to produce a record heroin crop. There are numerous reasons for the inability of British soldiers to control the trade. The UK government accused the Afghan minister in charge of counter-narcotics of having ties to smuggling. While the UK has not yet provided concrete proof, the allegation has strained...

How Good Is American Intelligence on Iran’s Bomb?

Graham Allison June 13, 2006
The US should be wary of progress in the Iranian nuclear standoff that could either be promising or illusory. Without discounting recent diplomatic achievements, Graham Allison, a former US defense official and a leading analyst of national security and nuclear weapons, cautions that US intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program may not be accurate. US intelligence officers could be drastically...

Zarqawi Built Global Jihadist Network on Internet

Scott Shane June 9, 2006
Since April 2004, when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi posted his first communiqué on a jihadist website, the militant leader has used the Internet as a successful and deadly tool. Creating a worldwide network, Zarqawi’s volunteers post messages from their leader and videos of militant acts, like beheading, on multiple servers to avoid delays in downloading, also making it difficult for the material to be...

Arabs Split Over Zarqawi – Hero or Ruthless Killer?

June 8, 2006
The death of Al Qaeda’s commander in Iraq, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, gives US president Bush something to crow over, but what are its true implications? Arabs themselves show conflicting opinions on Zarqawi and his legacy. For some, he was a freedom fighter, for others he tarnished the name of Islam. When one extremist leader dies, it is worth remembering, another just as bad or worse can take his...

Islam and the West

June 8, 2006
Such a dichotomous opposition of terms as the “West” and “Islam” will inevitably be loaded with misunderstanding and contention. If words alone perpetuate misconceptions, then political, strategic and cultural relations between the two entities can be expected to be more complex. In discussing the current crises of understanding between countries like Iran and Iraq, and the US and Great Britain...

Islamic Militia Ends Somali Warlords’ Rule

Xan Rice June 6, 2006
After 15 years of battles between warlords and the Union of Islamic Courts, an Islamic militia has secured full control over the Somalian capital of Mogadishu. Some of the city’s citizens expect the Union to create and maintain a stable administration capable of improving conditions in a country that has lacked effective government since the overthrow of Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. However,...

Don’t Exaggerate Iranian Threat

Thomas W. Lippman May 25, 2006
Most world powers want to prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons. Yet at the same time, those opposed to Iran nuclear capability cannot resort to unrealistic fears. For example, US policy should not focus narrowly on the threat that nuclear Iran poses for Israel. Without nuclear weapons, a military confrontation would inevitably turn in Israel’s favor: Israel has state-of-the-art...