In The News

Atom Agency Finds Pyongyang in Violation of Arms Accords

James Dao February 12, 2003
At the U.S.’s behest, the International Atomic Energy Agency has now found North Korea in violation of international nuclear weapons agreements. The Agency has sent the issue to the United Nations Security Council for review and to determine the appropriate action, which could include economic sanctions against North Korea. While China supports the U.S. initiative, Russia opposes it, saying...

Allies Face a Fresh Crisis

Joseph Fitchett February 10, 2003
The differences over Iraq that emerged between France, Germany and the US in the UN Security Council have now widened and spilled over into NATO. The Bush administration and Congressional leaders were furious at a news report about a secret Franco-German plan to boost the number of arms inspectors in Iraq. That dispute has now spread to NATO as France, along with Germany and Belgium, blocked...

Schröder's back is against the wall

Elise Kissling February 7, 2003
Behind-the-scenes maneuvering by Great Britain, Spain, and several eastern European states has left France and Germany the only major EU opponents of war in Iraq. If France abandons German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder during the next UN war resolution vote, Schroder will be on his own in Europe. Schroder must maintain the support of antiwar Germans while earning the backing of his own Christian...

Election for Criminal Court Judges Starts

Mark Turner February 4, 2003
The upcoming election of the first bench of judges for the International Criminal Court has raised interesting debates among the 88 member states on issues of sovereignty and citizenship; especially between some European countries and the United States, which differ greatly on these issues. The Court will handle trials of crimes against humanity, and while diplomats have expressed satisfaction at...

EU Must Face Up to a Fractured Future

Anatol Lieven February 2, 2003
Despite repeated protests against American unilateralism, European Union leaders may have to reconcile themselves to the idea that they will be unable to prevent the Bush administration from waging war in Iraq. While the oft-cited “Transatlantic gap” has yet to materialize, the power gap between the United States and Europe has never been more real. As this opinion explores, without a drastic...

Cash Went North; 'Why' Not Clear

Lee Sang-il January 31, 2003
An investigation in Seoul is casting some shadow on a Nobel Peace prize winner. Government investigators in Seoul have discovered that the South Korean government transferred $200 million to North Korea before the historic summit meeting between the two countries' leaders, Kim Jong Il and Kim Dae Jung, in June 2000. The same year, Kim Dae Jung was awarded the Nobel prize for his role in...

Students Close Down McDonald’s Restaurant in Riau

January 29, 2003
Muslim students have closed down a McDonald’s in Indonesia and are calling for a boycott of U.S. products to protest U.S. interference in Indonesia’s domestic affairs. - YaleGlobal