In The News

Israel, Palestinians Declare End to Violence

Reuters February 8, 2005
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and newly-elected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared an end to violence between Israel and Palestine, after meeting at a summit in Egypt. The announcement marks the highest-level meeting since the outbreak of hostilities in 2000. The death of Yasser Arafat and meetings with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are said to have...

Germany's "Project Cleanup" Could Deport Hundreds of Radical Muslims

Markus Deggerich February 1, 2005
With the passage of a tougher immigration law, Germany is waging its own kind of pre-emptive strike in the war against terror: It will now have the ability to deport people suspected of possibly committing a terrorist act in the future. The burden of proof for deportation will employ a lower standard than the current one. As one government official said, "The fact that someone spent time...

Militant Imams Under Scrutiny Across Europe

Lowell Bergman January 25, 2005
On Sunday, German police arrested a man they accused of recruiting for the Iraqi insurgency. The police are confident that larger networks of recruitment and smuggling to Iraq will soon be discovered in Germany. Across Europe, security forces - often working with the United States - are stepping up arrests and surveillance of militant Muslims, in the belief that recruitment from Europe to Iraq is...

New Bush Policy Not to Affect Ties with Pakistan

Anwar Iqbal January 24, 2005
In his inauguration speech from last Thursday, President Bush echoed the theme of his first term in linking US foreign policy to the spread of freedom and democracy. Bush spoke forcefully throughout, declaring the end of tyranny to be the ultimate goal of the United States. Despite the tone of the speech, top Bush officials have assured foreign leaders that it marks no change in relations with...

Fried Rice

M.J. Akbar January 23, 2005
During her confirmation hearings with the Senate Foreign Relations committee last week, US Secretary of State nominee Condoleeza Rice said that the Bush administration had a “contingency plan” in the event of a coup in Pakistan. She implied that if something “happened” to President Pervez Musharraf, and “Islamic fundamentalists” obtained access to Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, the United States...

What the Bush Victory Means for East Asia

Lee Kuan Yew December 15, 2004
As US President George W. Bush eases into his second term of office, governments in East Asia and around the world are reevaluating their place within an American foreign policy. The upcoming elections in Iraq, recently endorsed at a summit attended by the EU, the Arab League, China, and other nations, may prove a test of international dedication to security and democracy in the Middle East. Bush...

Rising Tensions in Asia

Anthony Rowley December 15, 2004
In an already tense region, Northeast Asia, the announcement of Japan's new defense upgrade brings a new wave of anxiety to its neighbors. As the United States and Japan forge a stronger strategic alliance, and considering the growing US presence in central Asia and the Middle East, Chinese officials have expressed concern. Neighbors are also wary of Japan's heightened regional and...