In The News

The China Threat?

Nicholas D. Kristof December 20, 2003
Writing from Shanghai, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof says that what worries him isn't China’s growing military prowess, but the fervent nationalism the government has cultivated among its youth. Kristof believes Chinese attitudes towards the Japanese exemplify the destabilizing effects of “blind nationalism.” Such attitudes originated during Japan’s occupation of China before...

China's "Peaceful Ascendancy"

Yoichi Funabashi December 19, 2003
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, some international observers have predicted that China would be the next major counter-balance to US power and the only country with the potential to challenge American hegemony on a global scale. But, Chinese officials are now at pains to deny that they have any ambition to reign supreme again in Asia or destabilize the world economically, politically, or...

Anti-Separatist Taiwan Parties Changing Tune

Ching Cheong December 18, 2003
The 'pan-blue' political camp in Taiwan has traditionally been Beijing's best line of defense against those who want full separation from China, as pan-blue members aim for maintaining the status quo separation of Taiwan and China with an eye to eventual unification. The 'pan-green' camp, which is committed to an eventual Taiwanese independence, has traditionally been...

Tensions Between Globalization, Backwardness

Riad al-Khouri December 18, 2003
For the Middle East to move forward economically and politically, says this article in Lebanon's Daily Star, states in the region must embrace principles of efficiency and inclusivity. Rather than fight against the tide of globalization, the author suggests, the Middle East must jump on the bandwagon, work to strengthen itself internally, and fortify its position in the global economy....

Saddam in Custody Offers New Opportunity

Shada Islam December 17, 2003
When Saddam Hussein was in power and was defying the UN, the US and its European allies wrangled over how to bring him into compliance. Now with the Iraqi leader in American custody there is a new opportunity to repair transatlantic relations. But there is also a fresh new hurdle. Writing from Brussels, veteran EU watcher Shada Islam says that the Pentagon's announcement that only nations...

France and Germany Join U.S. in Effort to Reduce Iraq's Debt

Craig S. Smith December 17, 2003
US President George W. Bush's envoy on Iraqi debt relief, James Baker III, seems to have already proved his credentials. After talks with officials in the French and German governments, Baker received assurances that those two countries would do what they can to lessen Iraq's debt burden, which is estimated at $120 billion. $40 billion of that is owed to nations within the so-called...

Iraqi Planners Hope to Start Trial by Spring

Rajiv Chandrasekaran December 16, 2003
Only days after the capture of deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, Iraqi leaders have already begun planning for his legal prosecution in an Iraqi courtroom. Vowing to choose only a manageable number of charges to bring against the former dictator, Salem Chalabi said the process would not be rushed, but that the trial could begin as early as the spring of 2004. "We don't want to...