In The News

Japan Elbows its Way into Far East: Not Only for Energy

August 12, 2004
As a country poor in natural resources, Japan has had to look elsewhere for its energy needs. Although most of Japan's oil imports presently come from the Middle East, instability in the region has prompted Japan to look to relatively oil-rich Russia as an alternative source. Through building good relationships with the local government, investing in the area, and fostering a positive...

Signs Across the Atlantic: 'Europeans for Kerry!'

Shada Islam August 12, 2004
With the US presidential elections nearing, Europe is carefully evaluating its tumultuous relationship with its transatlantic neighbor. Shada Islam, a Brussels-based journalist who specializes in EU foreign policy, says that differences between the two sides run almost as deep as the ocean that separates them. The relationship between the EU and the Bush administration has been plagued by...

Darfur Rebels not Aware of Talks, Welcome Nigeria

August 10, 2004
To address the humanitarian crisis in Sudan’s Darfur region, the Sudanese government and black African rebel groups have agreed to peace negotiations mediated by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. The meeting, set to take place in Abuja, Nigeria on Aug. 23, will hopefully end the turmoil that has far claimed 50,000 lives since February 2003. Rebel groups set to participate include the...

Afghan Asylum Seekers Sew Up Mouths in Protest in Indonesia

August 10, 2004
Approximately 150 Afghan asylum seekers currently live in Indonesia and are waiting to move to a third country such as the United States, Norway or Australia. Though some have been granted refugee status, forty of these asylum seekers are going on a hunger strike to protest being denied this status by the United Nations. In the past, Afghan immigrants in Indonesia, many of whom have security...

Looking for Common Values, a Community Driven ASEAN

Meidyatama Suryodiningrat August 9, 2004
Although members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have signed multiple official agreements over the past 37 years, Meidyatama Suryodiningrat of The Jakarta Post sympathizes with critics who see the organization as “a hopeless powwow, meandering from one headline meeting to another.” Meidyatama writes that the organization has produced myriad declarations of intent without...

Chávez's 'Monitors' Are Really Electoral Tourists

Andres Oppenheimer August 8, 2004
In an upcoming recall election, the Venezuelan public will decide whether current president Hugo Chavez will be allowed to remain in office for the remainder of his term. Preparing for the election, Chavez has placed restrictions on electoral monitoring groups that rank among the strictest in recent Latin American history. The European Union has responded by announcing that it will not dispatch...

Saudi Surprise

Mohamed El-Sayed Said August 6, 2004
The Saudi government is attempting to rescue U.S. President George W Bush from his ill-fated venture in Iraq by declaring an initiative to send multinational Muslim troops to the war torn country. Criticism of President Bush’s handling of the Iraq War is rising, jeopardizing his chances for reelection this coming November. Saudi Arabia’s proposition could provide Bush with a convenient exit...