In The News

Japan to Join U.S. Policy on Taiwan

Anthony Faiola February 18, 2005
American officials have long paid close attention to Chinese threats to use military force against Taiwan should the island move towards independence. Japan, on the other hand, has traditionally avoided taking a stance on the issue, prioritizing the maintenance of close economic ties over confrontation. However, with China rapidly modernizing its military and drawing business away from Japan,...

With Neighbors Like These

V. Sudarshan February 18, 2005
India's refusal to participate in the SARC summit earlier this month was a direct reaction to trouble in three of its neighboring countries: Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The crisis in Kathmandu has been particularly difficult for India, one of Nepal's biggest trading partners. Many New Delhi diplomats believe that India's best course is to successfully convince King Gyanendra of...

International Community Calls for a Free and Sovereign Lebanon

Marianne Stigset February 17, 2005
Though President Bush did not include Syria in his famous "Axis of Evil," he may as well have. Thanks to Syria's defiant and often belligerent stance towards US policy in the Middle East, officials in Washington have taken an increasingly critical approach to the country and its Baathist government. The assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has only heaped...

An Empire's Fraying Edge

February 15, 2005
The strife in Chechnya has shown no signs of abating. Countless terrorist acts, mostly perpetrated by Islamic radicals, have made the Russian republic one of the most insecure regions in Europe. In response, Russia has cracked down, dispatching security services to track down and disarm the militants. Part of the trouble, however, is that many Chechnyans have a historical perception of Moscow as...

Questions of Timing…

William C. Triplett II February 14, 2005
North Korea's recent announcement left many observers questioning its timing. One factor may have been the recent visit to China by members of President Bush's National Security Council. During their visit, US officials told their counterparts in Beijing that Libyan nuclear materials had been scientifically tested. These tests showed that certain materials had come from North Korea,...

Despite Rhetoric Trans-Atlantic Alliance is Alive and Well

Mohammed Ayoob February 14, 2005
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week delivered a speech urging reconciliation among allies ostensibly torn asunder by the US invasion of Iraq. According to international affairs scholar Mohammed Ayoob, however, the US-EU alliance was never in danger. Whatever differences might arise over specific foreign policy issues, Ayoob maintains, the overriding objective of the Concert is to...

Beijing Counts Cost of Supporting an Embarrassing Old Friend

Hamish McDonald February 14, 2005
During the Korean War, hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers came to the aid of North Korea in battling US forces. Over fifty years later, it is clear that history will not repeat itself: China is not prepared to make sacrifices for a regime that has become a political embarrassment and a possible threat to China's own economic development. Observers of Chinese policy now say that...