In The News

Howard W. French November 19, 2002
A North Korean weekend radio broadcast presented by South Korean news agency Yonhap confirmed strong suspicions that North Korea possesses nuclear weapons: Or so we thought. With governmental clarification on Tuesday that depended on the translation of one Korean syllable, the North Korean government stated not that it possessed nuclear weapons, but that in light of U.S. imperialist threats, it...
November 17, 2002
orth Korea’s disguise of its nuclear capabilities has always served as the rogue state’s only playing card in negotiations with the US. Today, the state publicized its possession of “powerful military counter-measures, including nuclear weapons" for the first time, possibly in reaction to the recent conditional halt of fuel aid by the US, South Korea, the European Union, and Japan. Pyongyang...
Peter Bergen November 15, 2002
Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda’s new tactics are both broader in scope and more focused in purpose. Judging by recent attacks, more countries have been placed on Bin Laden’s hit list. The US was previously Al Qaeda’s bulls-eye, but now most of the West is on the dartboard. Although more countries are now fair game, the targets are more specific: the heart of economic well-being. As noted, Bin Laden...
November 14, 2002
The U.S. military’s mission to catch Osama Bin Laden after the attacks of 9/11 has met with little success. Of particular interest has been the surfacing of a new audio tape in which a voice, supposedly Bin Laden’s, praises the bombing attacks in Indonesia and promises further vengeance upon the United States. The identity of the voice has been verified by Gulf officials and Muslim activists as...
James Risen November 14, 2002
News of the existence of an audio message claiming to be Bin Laden’s has prompted the Bush administration to once again emphasize the real danger of the Al Qaeda network. Recent events, such as the bombings in Indonesia, seem to indicate that Al Qaeda is regrouping in preparation for more attacks against the United States. For months, U.S. military experts have debated whether or not Bin Laden...
James Drummond November 13, 2002
Al-Jazeera, the Arab-language broadcasting service which has aired recordings of Osama Bin Laden, has just released another audio recording attributed to the Al Qaeda leader. The Financial Times reports that the tape reveals ominous threats to the US-led effort to constrain Saddam Hussein: "In references to recent attacks ranging from the bombing of a Bali nightclub to the occupation of a...
November 12, 2002
In an audio message purported to be of Osama bin Laden, the speaker promises to continue sending the sons of the Muslim nation to carry on jihad. Their goals: to rectify inequality and defeat injustice. The speaker lets it be known that as long as the sons have eyes that see and a heart that beats, jihad will continue. Most of the G8 nations share in the crimes that the speaker wishes to be...