In The News

US Makes New Plans for War on Pyongyang

Shane Green June 4, 2003
This article in the Sydney Morning Herald reports that the US is developing a new plan to consolidate American and South Korean forces in areas away from the demilitarized zone in the Korean Peninsula. A US official told reporters that the U.S. military would be able to line up around the demilitarized zone if war broke out, and this would be "Kim Jong-Il's worst nightmare." Deputy...

Mid-air Hijack Bid Conjures Up Scary Security Scenario

Ross Peake June 3, 2003
Though not terrorist related, the attempted aircraft hijacking in Australia was doubtless inspired by the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States this article in The Khaleej Times says. Since the attacks, Australia has heightened airport security, indicating the nation’s understanding that the United States is not the only target for terrorist animosity. The fact that the 2000...

Policing the Sea Is a Job for Everyone

Tony Tan June 3, 2003
In a speech at the Asia Security Conference, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tony Tan tried to raise an alarm about the threat of terrorism on the high seas. "Individual state action is not enough," he says. "The oceans are indivisible and maritime security threats do not respect boundaries. The very nature of commercial shipping is multinational."...

Russia Joins the US in Tackling North Korean Challenge

Alexander Lukin June 2, 2003
By joining its voice with the US condemnation of North Korea's nuclear weapons program, Russia is making a mid-course correction of its policy toward the Korean peninsula that is designed to preserve its influence. Russian scholar Alexander Lukin posits four reasons why Moscow is in a good position to help bring about a peaceful settlement with North Korea and end the crisis. First,...

In Africa, Pricking the West's Conscience

Somini Sengupta June 2, 2003
A French-led peacekeeping force of 1,400 is expected to arrive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo later this week. The recent surge of violence in the Congo has raised fears that, unless action is taken immediately, another peacekeeping fiasco like the one in Rwanda might take place. The violence that plagues the DRC has made the delivery of aid (in food and medicine) very difficult, making...

Global Eye -- Copycat Killers

Chris Floyd May 30, 2003
Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has been taking lessons from US President Bush, says this article in the Moscow Times. Megawati is using Bush’s anti-terrorist rhetoric and military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq to justify her bloody invasion of Aceh, a rebel territory she characterizes as terrorist-ridden. While her strong military stance has heightened her domestic popularity,...

Preemption an Option for EU

Elise Kissling May 30, 2003
A proposed new EU military doctrine identifies weapons of mass destruction as the major threat to EU security.. The new doctrine, if adopted, could authorize preemptive strikes against potential enemies, much like the "Bush doctrine" formulated by Washington last year. Despite opposing the US-led war on Iraq – which Washington claimed was necessary due to the imminent threat of Saddam...