In The News

Latin Blues

Ernesto Zedillo March 27, 2006
Some analysts anticipate that successful populist campaigns, with irresponsible campaign promises and unrealistic goals, could plunge Latin America into economic disaster and thus reverse democratic gains from the past 20 years. Yet former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, now director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, notes that every Latin American politician recognizes the...

This Is Why the Islamists Are Winning

Rami G. Khouri March 16, 2006
Conservative Islamist candidates have met with success in Palestine, Iraq, Egypt and other countries, leaving Western analysts to speculate about Islamist motives and platforms. Author Rami G. Khouri analyzes the Islamist political success and suggests that Western pundits are confused by the integration of factors such as religion, national identity, good governance, and resistance to foreign...

The Bolton Archipelago

Ian Williams March 16, 2006
The UN General Assembly's majority vote to create a new Human Rights Council reduced US global prestige as well as some maneuvering by John Bolton, US ambassador to the UN. The US was one of only four votes opposing a plan to replace the former Commission on Human Rights, widely regarded as ineffective. Notably, the other three votes came from Israel, the Marshall Islands and Palau - major...

At Last, the Warmongers Are Prepared to Face the Facts and Admit They Were Wrong

Rupert Cornwell March 13, 2006
After three years of fighting, the loss of tens of thousands of lives, both US and Iraqi, and an expenditure of $200 billion, neoconservatives have started to question the wisdom of the war in Iraq. The shift in thinking extends across the conservative media landscape from William Buckley to George Will, who note that Iran, North Korea and Iraq are “more dangerous” than in 2002 when US President...

A Bush Alarm: Urging US to Shun Isolationism

David E. Sanger March 13, 2006
President Bush’s vision for US foreign policy has evolved in five years. During his first campaign for president, Bush promoted a “humble foreign policy” and avoided talk of globalization. With 9/11, benign neglect turned to a go-it-alone search for security, with the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq quickly following. But isolationist policies have not worked, and Bush is a late convert to the...

Port Deal: Not a Foreign Idea

Laura Meckler March 10, 2006
US citizens have suddenly discovered the global intricacies of port operations throughout the country. While the outrage over the Dubai Ports World investment questioned safety, federal agencies such as US Customs and the US Coast Guard continue to control port security. Since the 1970s, US flag-shipping lines have faced increasing competition from foreign companies, which operate with low-cost...

Arab Firms Reassessing US Holdings

Jim Krane March 10, 2006
Conventional wisdom suggests that Arab nations and investors would scorn US investments after the US Congress objected to a Dubai firm taking over management of six major US ports. There is fear that the rejection of the deal, reflecting anti-Muslim bias, could trigger a short- or long-term backlash. Yet analysts report that the US – representing 50 percent of the world’s economic market –...