In The News

What the Bush Victory Means for East Asia

Lee Kuan Yew December 15, 2004
As US President George W. Bush eases into his second term of office, governments in East Asia and around the world are reevaluating their place within an American foreign policy. The upcoming elections in Iraq, recently endorsed at a summit attended by the EU, the Arab League, China, and other nations, may prove a test of international dedication to security and democracy in the Middle East. Bush...

Taiwan Averts a Crisis

Jonathan Fenby December 13, 2004
With polls predicting a win by the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian and Beijing threatening dire consequences, cross-Strait relations seemed headed for turbulence. However, to the relief of nervous observers, Saturday's legislative elections resulted in a victory for the opposition alliance led by the more conservative Kuomintang Party...

If UN Fails, We All Do

Fareed Zakaria December 9, 2004
The military or humanitarian “failures” of the United Nations over the years must be recognized as collective failures of member countries, argues Newsweek Editor Fareed Zakaria. The Rwandan genocide a decade ago is a case in point: Decisions made among the most powerful U.N. member nations, including the US, the UK, and France, led to completely botched peacekeeping operations. Now on the brink...

Learning the Hard Way in Kosovo

Alkman Granitsas December 9, 2004
A newly released report on UN reform suggests that the path be cleared for the world organization to intervene in sovereign nations and send peacekeepers to places like Darfur or Rwanda. But before rushing the blue berets to the next political crisis, the international community would do well to learn from past missteps in other parts of the world. In the past 15 years, the nature of peacekeeping...

Europe's China-Play

François Godement December 6, 2004
One of the most controversial issues to be discussed at the 7th annual EU-China Summit will be a 15-year-old arms embargo. The European Union instated the embargo in response to the Tiananmen Massacre of 1989. As China continues its ascent as a world economic power, however, European nations find it harder and harder to maintain a policy based solely on human rights. The financial rewards for...

A UN for This Century, Not the Last One

Robin Cook December 3, 2004
Amidst mounting pressure over external and internal scandals, this is a truly embattled time for the United Nations. On Wednesday, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan received the report of a high-level panel outlining possible reforms to the governing body. Formed in the wake of the invasion of Iraq, the panel investigated ways by which the organization could better adapt to the exigencies of...

Re-Popularizing Peace

December 3, 2004
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit recently met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to discuss recent developments in Palestine and Syria – a sign that Egypt is determined once again to play an important role in facilitating Middle East peace. While Syria has reportedly expressed a desire to re-open peace talks, Israel may not want to negotiate at a time when Syria faces strong...