In The News

Asian Democracies: The Half-Full Glass

Gwynne Dyer May 10, 2004
The transition to democracy in many Southeast Asian nations has been striking. The upcoming or recent national elections in Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines highlight their quick turnaround from authoritarian rule. The last two decades have been marked by positive change in the region, but the inherent pitfalls of new democracy remain. Among the slew of candidates for election...

Business as Usual

Nermeen Al-Mufti May 7, 2004
The abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners in US custody in Iraq has made headlines around the world this week, with condemnation coming from many heads of state and governments who are appalled by the shocking images they have seen. Yet Iraq's own Governing Council, says this article in Egypt's Al-Ahram Weekly, has been virtually silent on the entire issue. Reports of mistreatment have...

N Korea Offers US Pledge on Weapons

Victor Mallet May 3, 2004
North Korean officials condemn terrorist organizations, including al-Qaeda, and promise not to sell nuclear materials to them in interviews with The Financial Times’ Selig Harrison on Tuesday. Taken togethers, their comments constitute an unexpectedly friendly gesture to the US, especially coming from a regime that has been known to sell both materials and technologies to militants in unstable...

How Far East Can Europe Go?

Shada Islam May 3, 2004
As the celebrations over the expansion of the European Union die down, debates over the next big expansion proposal are sure to heat up. Talks on Turkey's entry into the European Union, however, won't be limited to a simple discussion of the economic benefits of regional consolidation. To some, letting Turkey - an Islamic nation that has been accused of human rights abuses - into the...

Ranking the Rich 2004

May 3, 2004
The process of helping developing nations is a lot more complex than simply giving foreign aid via public and private donors. Richer nations can benefit or harm poorer nations through policies on security, aid, immigration, environment, technology and trade. In an effort to rate which programs work and which do not, Foreign Policy Magazine and the Center for Global Development (CGD) have...

Learning From Europe

Nader Fergany April 30, 2004
In a time of tremendous scrutiny upon the Arab world, many interpreted the March collapse of the Arab League summit in Tunisia as a sign of Arab impotence. Nader Fergany, the director of Almishkat Centre for Research, and the lead author of the Arab Human Development Report, argues that rather than being discouraged by the failure of the summit, Arabs should push to reform the Arab League itself...

Danube Blues

Ben Aris April 26, 2004
Soon to become part of the European Union (EU), Hungary is now "busily trying to dump its Soviet-era trappings," says this article in the Guardian. Symbolic moves, like canceling Stalin's honorary citizenship and prohibiting the public display of communist red stars, are being taken to distance Hungary from its communist past. But economic concerns aren't so easy to legislate...