In The News

Why Unity Is Essential

Zbigniew Brzezinski February 19, 2003
The bedrock of the alliance with NATO that supported the US for the past half century may be in jeopardy. Zbigniew Brzezinski, the former National Security adviser of President Jimmy Carter, says that the sharp differences with NATO and accompanying vitriol have led to grave doubt about American intentions toward the Atlantic alliance. Some Europeans, he says, are beginning to believe that the...

The Godfather’s War

Amira Howeidy February 17, 2003
Former Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, who shot to international fame during the oil embargo of 1973, says that a US-led war on Iraq would be about everything but weapons control. US president George Bush’s true motivations, Yamani said, are controlling world oil supplies, ensuring Israel's survival and political gain, and winning a second term in the Oval Office....

US Planning Sanctions Against North Korea

James Dao February 17, 2003
Despite claims by Washington just last week that it was not seeking sanctions on North Korea, officials now say that the US military and State Dept. are detailing plans for international sanctions against Kim Jong Il’s regime if his country takes further steps towards building nuclear weapons. The measures would include provisions for stemming remittances from North Koreans living abroad as well...

Will We Just Watch Upcoming U.S. Sanctions Against N. Korea?

February 17, 2003
Will a U.S. plan for sanctions against North Korea further sour the two country’s relationship? Even after South Korean opposition to economic sanctions forced the U.S. to scale back its plan, it is possible that a proposed ban on the trade of weapons and narcotics will inflame North Korea, which has denounced sanctions as an act of war. Still, part of the current situation stems from a lack of...

Negotiation Offers Hope in Nuclear Containment

Daniel Sneider February 16, 2003
As the global frenzy over Iraq reaches its boiling point, the Bush administration has downplayed the threat of nuclear weapons in North Korea. Capitalizing on US distraction, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is apparently building up a nuclear stockpile, perhaps to later sell to improve a weak North Korean economy. Daniel Sneider argues that in minimizing the North Korean problem, the US has...

Threat Erodes Japan’s Pacifism

Doug Struck February 15, 2003
After decades of constitutional restrictions on offensive forces, Japan has reopened a national debate about the military. As part of its surrender after World War II, Japan agreed to dismantle its armed forces and since then has largely relied on the United States for military support. In the past few months, however, nervous defense ministers have quietly begun to rebuild the military in...

North Korean Threat Exaggerated

Ivan Oelrich February 14, 2003
Current American assumptions of North Korean missile capabilities are based upon the monitoring of North Korean missile tests, and scientist Ivan Oelrich believes that it is incorrect to make the assumption that North Korean missiles could reach the United States. North Korea has yet to demonstrate this capability, and looking at its known missiles, will find it very difficult to obtain such...