In The News

Louder than Words

Matthew Tempest August 5, 2004
Mark Curtis, head of the London-based World Development Movement (WDM) objects to Britain’s making economic liberalization a pre-condition to receiving aid monies. He argues that the US, the UK, and even the Asian Tigers achieved economic ascendancy through protection of infant industries, not open markets. To ask developing countries to liberalize their economies or get no aid is unfair....

UN Efforts in Iraq No Walk in the Park

Benny Widyono August 5, 2004
Symbolically, the rift between the US and the UN has been healed. An interim Iraqi government has assumed sovereignty, and a newly-appointed Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General has been dispatched to Iraq. Yet, according to former UN official and Cambodia expert Benny Widyono, the challenge confronting UN peacekeepers remains daunting and dangerous. Iraq is still rife with...

India’s Kinder and Gentler Globalization

Pratap Bhanu Mehta August 3, 2004
Upon assuming office in May, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s first official action was to visit drought-stricken farmers in an impoverished state of India. This visit was to signal the new administration’s desire to focus on farming and poverty alleviation – without detracting from efforts to attract foreign investment. As Pratap Bhanu Mehta, President designate of the Center for Policy...

Cubans Flock to See ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’

Mary Murray August 3, 2004
After Michael Moore’s film, “Fahrenheit 9/11”, played to sold-out crowds in 120 movie theaters across Cuba, the Cuban government decided to play the documentary on state television. Having berated the Bush administration for four years over allegedly waging a war to destabilize the Castro regime, the official Cuban government line parlays well with Michael Moore’s film which portrays the US an...

NK Defectors in China Remain Concern

Seo Hyun-jin July 30, 2004
Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans are seeking asylum in neighboring countries. Those that escape to the South are welcomed by the South Korean government, which has been embracing all escapees. Those that flee to China are not so lucky, however, and human rights activists are pressuring South Korea to step in. Between 50,000 and 300,000 North Koreans seek refuge in China every year, but...

Can America Regain Its Soft Power After Abu Ghraib?

Joseph S. Nye, Jr. July 29, 2004
One of the heaviest costs of the Iraq War has been the loss of America’s reputation worldwide, writes Harvard professor Joseph S. Nye, Jr. The image of America as an arrogant, global bully is increasingly commonplace around the world. The abuses at Abu Ghraib prison have exacerbated this negative perception of the US, and contributed to the decline of America’s 'soft power'. For...

President Praises the EU's Example as Nation's Future

Chang Yun-ping July 29, 2004
While talking with French Parliamentarian Alain Madelin, Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian reiterated his belief that the EU could serve as model for relations between Taiwan and China. Chen attributed the appeal of Europe’s integration to its “trade-based interactions” and “principles of voluntary participation, equality and peace.” Madelin, however, pointed out that application of the...