In The News

Terrorism and the Message of Carnage

Norman Solomon March 29, 2006
“Fighting terror” has become a rational for the war in Iraq, and author Norman Solomon argues that the US President George Bush views the war on terror as black and white, good versus evil conflict. Without doubt, terrorism is pure evil, but Solomon points out that a terrorist attack doesn’t take place in a vacuum. He identifies the post-9/11 trend in the government and media that neglect...

How Bush’s Nuclear Deal Burned Canada

Leonard S. Spector March 24, 2006
To achieve the deal that was the focal point of his recent visit to India, President Bush retracted an original US demand that all of India’s nuclear facilities be classified as civilian facilities and subjected to permanent IAEA monitoring. Under the current agreement – yet to be approved by legislative bodies in both nations – India will have both civilian and military facilities, with the...

The Arab Connection to Chechen Conflict

Faryal Leghari March 21, 2006
An Arab influence continues to transform secessionist efforts in Chechnya into a drive for an Islamic state. Islam, long part of the region’s identity, however, was not the impetus for nationalistic movement to separate from Russia, underway since the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union. Al Qaeda has funded Chechen rebels and also trained many in Afghanistan, and the Russian government has taken...

Hacking Made Easy

Brian Krebs March 17, 2006
Russia has a work force that is technologically skilled and underemployed. As a result, some savvy tech workers turn to crime, creating web sites and software aimed to collect financial details from unsuspecting victims in the US, Europe and South America. The Russian internet is home to sites that can break into computers abroad through a security hole in Microsoft's Internet Explorer web...

US Backs First-Strike Attack Plan

March 16, 2006
The Bush administration has released a document outlining its national security strategy - one that touches on many sensitive points all over the world. The document is released as polls continue to show a majority of US citizens questioning the war in Iraq and the direction of their own country. Singling out Iran as the greatest single current danger, the document defends the Bush administration...

Port Deal: Not a Foreign Idea

Laura Meckler March 10, 2006
US citizens have suddenly discovered the global intricacies of port operations throughout the country. While the outrage over the Dubai Ports World investment questioned safety, federal agencies such as US Customs and the US Coast Guard continue to control port security. Since the 1970s, US flag-shipping lines have faced increasing competition from foreign companies, which operate with low-cost...

Arab Firms Reassessing US Holdings

Jim Krane March 10, 2006
Conventional wisdom suggests that Arab nations and investors would scorn US investments after the US Congress objected to a Dubai firm taking over management of six major US ports. There is fear that the rejection of the deal, reflecting anti-Muslim bias, could trigger a short- or long-term backlash. Yet analysts report that the US – representing 50 percent of the world’s economic market –...