In The News

Poverty – Not Ideology – Must be World Bank's Focus

David Dickson March 24, 2005
When Bush administration-favorite Paul Wolfowitz was nominated last week to head the World Bank, much of the international community recoiled in shock. Many critics fear Wolfowitz's lack of economics credentials and his ideologically charged reputation make the neo-conservative unfit to head the World Bank. Yet David Dickson argues that Wolfowitz can prove the world wrong for crying, "...

Japan-South Korea Ties Take Turn for Worse

Kakumi Kobayashi March 23, 2005
Two recent diplomatic snafus by Japan have resulted in a flaring up of tensions with South Korea. The first is a prefectural government proclamation of a Japanese commemorative day on Takeshima, an uninhabited island in the Sea of Japan that both countries claim. The other is the proposed publication of a Japanese history book which paints Japan’s period of colonial rule over South Korea in...

Off to Algeria

Dina Ezzat March 22, 2005
The Arab League will convene in Algeria this week to mark its sixtieth anniversary and develop a common stance on the Syria-Lebanon conflict and other regional problems. Or so the organizers hope. In fact, representatives from the 22 member states disagree on a number of key issues, making consensus unlikely. Although Arab nations are united in supporting Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, each has...

Kofi Annan Presents Comprehensive Agenda for Reforming the UN

Kofi Annan March 21, 2005
Following the huge row over the Iraq war and the embarrassing oil-for-food scandal, critics and supporters of the United Nations agree that the body is in dire need of reform. Without reform, both sides fear, the UN risks sliding into irrelevance. UN secretary-general Kofi Annan addressed those concerns today, introducing plans for the most sweeping reforms of the UN since its founding in 1945....

Bush's Conversion on the Road to Tehran

Philip H. Gordon March 18, 2005
These days, the competition for the title of "World's Most Pressing Nuclear Threat" seems tight. Weeks ago, North Korea stole the show with its admission of nuclear weapons possession; but in the battle for headline primacy, at least, the Iran issue has emerged as this week's winner. The most recent development involves the United States: On March 11, the Bush...

European Leaders Grudgingly Accept Appointment

Katrin Bennhold March 17, 2005
On the tail of his diplomatic tour through Europe, US President George W. Bush has announced two appointments that may strain transatlantic relations. Paul Wolfowitz's nomination to the top seat at the World Bank followed quickly after John Bolton's assignment as UN ambassador. Both Wolfowitz and Bolton – unpopular in Europe for their hawkishness – are prime exemplars of US unilateral...

A World Without the UN?

Ernesto Zedillo March 14, 2005
Critics of the United Nations point to its failure to intervene in humanitarian crises and to maintain global peace and security. Some claim that the organization has reached its expiration date, that the world no longer needs such an impotent governing body. Yet despite the significant changes in world politics in the last 60 years, collective action among nations is still necessary to assure...