In The News

Stepping into a Burgeoning Gap

Amira Howeidy January 29, 2003
What effects would a UK- and US-led war on Iraq have on Egypt’s economy, society and political position? What effects are already taking place at the prospect of war? This article in Egypt's Al-Ahram Weekly says Egypt would suffer heavy economic losses, for not only would the war hurt its vital tourism industry, it would also disrupt trade with Iraq and destabilize jobs for Egyptian...

Global Spread of Democracy Poses New Challenge for the US

Donald K. Emmerson January 29, 2003
The globalization of democracy, long a staple of American foreign policy, has created nations who no longer are willing to simply follow the lead of the United States in foreign affairs. In such a global environment, the United States finds itself acting in an increasingly undemocratic manner, pursuing actions that run contrary to the wishes of the international majority. To be fair, it must be...

Big Bang Expansion of the European Union

Shada Islam January 28, 2003
The expansion of the European Union to include another 75 million people in Eastern and Central Europe is an event of monumental proportion. Negotiations remain underway as 10 new countries adjust their economies and polities to EU standards on agriculture, trade, human rights, and other issues. Meanwhile, people around the globe are taking stock of what a larger EU means for their region. -...

Landmark China-Taiwan Flight Thaws Ties, for Now

January 27, 2003
To loud fanfare, an airline flight from Taiwan to Hong Kong, and then on to Shanghai, was hailed as a first step towards direct transportation across the Taiwan Strait. Though about 800,000 Taiwanese live and work in China, they have traditionally had to make complex connections to fly home for the New Year’s holiday. Taiwan's China Airlines is leading five other airlines that wish to make...

SVR Denies Helping CIA Keep an Eye on North Korea

January 22, 2003
Russia’s foreign intelligence service denies installing nuclear detection equipment inside Russia's Pyongyang embassy.

European Court Agrees to Hear Chechens’ Suits Against Russians

January 17, 2003
In a move that both brings Russia within the fold of European law and alienates it from the European community, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Chechens could sue the Russian army for crimes against humanity during the war in Grozny and its surroundings. This moves the Russian and Chechen fight out of domestic courts and into the international arena, giving credence to Chechnya’s...

Northeast Asia in the Coming Decade

Immanuel Wallerstein January 1, 2003
Social theorist Immanuel Wallerstein argues that the situation in Northeast Asia – including the current US-North Korean conflict – must be evaluated with a long-term perspective. Each of the three main zones of northeast Asia, he says, is currently seeing only its own narrow concerns: Korea is focused almost solely on unification, Japan is paralyzed with uncertainty over how to re-establish its...