In The News

Akayev: We Do Democracy the Kyrgyz Way

Erdin Beshimov October 18, 2004
The path of many Central Asian states from crumbling Soviet control to democracy has been littered with problems. Though nominally democratic, governments have maintained tight control over their states, leading to a growing number of human rights violations against political dissidents throughout the region. Nevertheless, Central Asian officials like Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev, respond to...

Koizumi's Change-Up

William Antholis October 8, 2004
Japan has been the biggest laggard among the developed countries, and given the size of its economy, its ten-year stagnation has been a drag for the whole world. Power of the entrenched bureaucracy and vested interest of the political bosses have held back attempts to reform the economy. But change may be coming. According to the Brookings Institution’s William Antholis, recent high-level...

In Washington's Good Books?

Khaled Dawoud October 8, 2004
Syria's porous border with Iraq, continuing presence in Lebanon, and harboring of Palestinian groups have all poisoned US-Syrian relations. A recent visit to Damascus by US Assistant Secretary of State Willam Burns may have led to a breakthrough in several diplomatic impasses. "Certainly the dialogue between the US and Syria is a more serious dialogue than we've had in quite a...

Only Hussein Had Full Picture

Bob Drogin October 7, 2004
Based on in depth interrogations with a cooperative Saddam Hussein, a report by the CIA's Iraq Survey Group released Wednesday revealed that the former Iraqi leader’s purported stock of destructive arms was all smoke and mirrors. Apparently, Hussein kept a close watch on his weapons program, and knew that his regime had no capability to make so-called weapons of mass destruction. He kept up...

Patriot Qualms

Paula R. Newberg October 6, 2004
The repercussions of the 2001 US Patriot Act are especially damaging to foreign aid and humanitarian relief. Provisions aiming to undercut terrorist funding have contributed to greater woes for organizations seeking financial backing. Washington-mandated bureaucratic gymnastics have rendered humanitarianism "a logistics nightmare," according to Brookings Institution scholar Paula R....

Turkey: EU Reports Pave Way for Qualified Approval of Entry Talks

Ahto Lobjakas October 4, 2004
For over a decade, Turkey has tried to force the issue of its accession into the European Union (EU) onto the agenda of the European Commission. With the recent release of two draft progress reports, serious discussions seem imminent. While the reports laud the country's social and political reforms, Turkey still fails to meet certain entry requirements. At issue are the country's...

Bush Administration Launches Latin Outreach Program

Pablo Bachelet September 28, 2004
As the 2004 US presidential elections draw near, the incumbent administration has begun targeting a relatively new constituency: immigrants from Latin America. A series of seminars held by the State Department will brief Central American community organizations on US policies regarding their respective native countries. In addition to warming the voters to the current presidency, government...