In The News

NATO Role in Darfur on Table

Bradley Graham April 13, 2006
The Bush administration has proposed sending several hundred North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) advisors to the Darfur region of Sudan. The advisors would aid African Union troops in protecting civilians in Darfur from the ongoing clash of government-supported Arab militias and rebel fighters. This stage of conflict in Darfur originated in 2003 when rebels initiated combat with the Arab-...

Has Globalization Gone too Far?

Nagesh Kumar April 11, 2006
Developed nations express growing resistance to foreign takeovers of national enterprises – from Mittal Steel’s bid for Archelor based in Luxembourg to Dubai Ports World plan to take over terminal operations of six US ports. The resistance contradicts WTO proposals from the West that would have allowed foreign investors to establish or acquire any business entity in any country. Developing...

US Plans Strike to Topple Iran Regime - Report

Julian Borger April 10, 2006
An investigative article in the US magazine “The New Yorker” reports that President George Bush is seriously considering military strikes against Iran – strikes aimed not only at preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, but also at achieving “regime change.” The White House assumes that Iran will retain its nuclear weapons program as long as it retains its current government, writes...

India Nuclear Deal May Face Hard Sell

Glenn Kessler April 6, 2006
The Bush administration’s surprise deal in 2005 with India, which would recognize the nation’s status as a nuclear power, was motivated by both a desire to reward a democratic future superpower and to counter the rise of China. But the deal, largely constructed through US State Department backchannels and secret negotiations, may suffer because Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her staff...

Iran’s Nukes in a Power Game

Ehsan Ahrari April 6, 2006
World leaders disagree about how to control Iran’s nuclear program. With respect to Iran’s steadfast dedication to preserving its uranium-enrichment program, the US and the EU-3 countries are upfront – they want to halt Iran before the program advances any further. China and Russia agree that Iran should not acquire nuclear weapons, but disagree with the US and Europe about how to contain Iran....

Afghanistan: The Long Road Ahead

Richard Holbrooke April 3, 2006
Plotting attacks against US, NATO and Afghan forces, US enemies in the war on terror continue to make Afghanistan a source of conflict. Unspoken publicly, but increasingly obvious, is that the US presence will be required in Afghanistan for years, probably long after troops leave Iraq, according to Richard Holbrooke, former US ambassador to the UN. Afghanistan’s border areas are particularly...

A New Challenge for Bangladesh

Sumit Ganguly March 30, 2006
Preserving democracy in an impoverished Muslim nation is no easy task. After separating from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh created a constitution embracing secularism and democracy. A 1982 military coup suspended the constitution, and Islam was eventually named the state religion. Extremists instigate violence against politicians with a secular platform, thus contributing to the government’s...