In The News

Pressure Alone Will Not Deter Iran from Its Nuclear Path

George Perkovich June 9, 2003
Iran apparently has been seeking to develop nuclear weapons, but it can still be dissuaded from its dangerous course, writes George Perkovich, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Despite Iran's inclusion in US President Bush's 'Axis of Evil', Perkovich believes that with subtle but substantive diplomacy from the US, Tehran could be...

US May Put Naval Blockade on North Korea

Andrew Ward June 9, 2003
US undersecretary of state for arms control, John Bolton, told the media last week that the Bush administration was discussing with its allies a possible naval blockade on North Korea, mainly in order to cut off its weapon exports. It is very possible that this measure, if adopted, will also halt the export of other illegal products such as drugs. Since weapons technology and illegal exports have...

Thailand Tiptoes in Step With American Antiterror Effort

Raymond Bonner June 8, 2003
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been keeping his assistance to the US anti-terrorist effort private, fearing retaliation from terrorists and the impact of a public avowal on a tourist industry already suffering because of SARS and a bombing in Bali last year. Nevertheless, Thailand has been instrumental to the US anti-terrorism effort, providing interrogation facilities, the use of...

Japan Adopts Laws Strengthening Military Powers

Howard W. French June 7, 2003
As tensions mount in North Korea, the Japanese Parliament has passed a series of war contingency bills that increase the power of the government to use military force in a time of emergency. These bills represent the first major expansion of Japanese military power; the treaty ending WWII had reduced its military to a self-defense force that often facilitates US efforts. The laws have sparked a...

Truths and Consequences

Bruce B. Auster June 6, 2003
As the War on Iraq has come to an end and no weapons of mass destruction (WMD) have yet been found, many people are now questioning the accuracy of American intelligence. In the past several months, says this article in the U.S. News and World Report, there have been heated discussions on how credible intelligence information is even within the U.S. government. The Vice-President and the hawks in...

Downer Raises New Weapons Fears

Tom Allard June 5, 2003
Intelligence agencies in several countries now fear that materials used to make weapons of mass destruction (WMD) may have been smuggled into Syria around the time the war began in Iraq. Australian officials stated that this view is "prevalent" among intelligence services in the US, Britain and Australia. Although, the public may not see evidence of WMD for several months, officials...

Egypt Warned U.S. of a Qaeda Plot, Mubarak Asserts

Patrick E. Tyler June 4, 2003
Though the Egyptian government has been cooperating with the American CIA for years, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says that the US failed to heed warnings from Egypt of an imminent terrorist attack against the US prior to September 11. The CIA denies that such intelligence was received, but is currently cooperating closely with Egypt because of the country’s extensive sources within Al Qaeda...