In The News

Young People's Protests Are Easy to Mock – But Ignore Them at Your Peril

Gary Younge June 19, 2006
Young political protesters mobilize around the globe, with successful protests conducted by younger, poorer and darker-skinned activists. Gary Younge, columnist for The Guardian, rejects nostalgia over May 1968, noting that the generation grew older and quickly embraced policies of fear and insecurity. Instead, he welcomes young achievements burgeoning in new ways: Chilean student walk-outs,...

Elections Expand Voting Rights for Foreigners, Younger Citizens

Cho Chung-un June 15, 2006
South Korea seeks to make the most of democracy by granting foreigners and young Koreans the right to vote in larger numbers than ever before in the country’s local elections. Integration of foreigners is a major concern throughout the world, but South Korea is the first Asian country to grant voting rights to foreigners who have lived in the country for three or more years. The move could prove...

America's Image Slips, But Allies Share US Concerns Over Iran, Hamas

June 15, 2006
The Pew Global Attitudes Project has released results of its annual global public-opinion polls for 2006, and results show increasingly negative views toward the US. For its most recent release, the project conducted 16,710 interviews in 15 countries. The most significant reason for the slip in US popularity, in most cases, is the conflict in Iraq. Many respondents ranked this conflict – along...

US Warms to Hague Tribunal New Stance

Jess Bravin June 14, 2006
Critics of the US suggest that the country considers itself to be above international law. To counter the complaints, the Bush administration is gradually recognizing the International Criminal Court. Washington strongly opposed the move to create the ICC – but has come to realize that the US simply cannot ignore a court that has the support of 100 countries, including key allies such as the UK....

How Good Is American Intelligence on Iran’s Bomb?

Graham Allison June 13, 2006
The US should be wary of progress in the Iranian nuclear standoff that could either be promising or illusory. Without discounting recent diplomatic achievements, Graham Allison, a former US defense official and a leading analyst of national security and nuclear weapons, cautions that US intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program may not be accurate. US intelligence officers could be drastically...

Death in Darfur

Mohamed Buisier June 9, 2006
The Arab League’s response, or lack thereof, to the massacres in Darfur signals a leadership problem that must be confronted. Political activist Mohamed Buisier opposes the culture of fear that supports Arab leaders as well as the crimes committed by leaders against their own people – and urges reexamination of leadership and government’s legitimacy in the Arab world. The Arab League’s denial of...

Time to Lift North Korea’s Quarantine

John Feffer June 8, 2006
North Korea is suspected of a long list of disturbing activities – drug smuggling, counterfeiting, money laundering and, not least, the development of nuclear weapons. The international community must focus on creating a viable state in North Korea, according to Author John Feffer, and yet the current US strategy of sanctions and military containment probably does more harm than good. Sanctioning...