In The News

US Yet to Accommodate China's Rise

Philip Stephens April 1, 2005
Compared to the war in Iraq, the hunt for bin-Laden, and the rift in the transatlantic alliance, writes columnist Philip Stephens, "the implications of China's rapid emergence as a global power have been neglected." Only recently have the full geopolitical implications of China's burgeoning economic power come to the forefront of US policy. And according to Stephens, the...

Web Petition Stokes Anti-Japan Passions

Hamish McDonald March 30, 2005
In the last week, over 19 million people, mainly Chinese, have signed an online petition against Japanese inclusion in the ranks of permanent members on the United Nations Security Council. Kofi Annan's recently announced plans for reform in the UN has led Japan, along with Germany, India, and Brazil, to step up efforts to gain permanent status alongside the five current seatholders, which...

Scholars Urge Debate on Women's Role in Prayer

Hera Diani March 24, 2005
When Amina Wadud led mixed-gender prayers last Friday, she struck two birds with one stone: Not only is mixed-gender prayer prohibited in Islam, but women under Islamic law are forbidden from leading services. With the event, Wadud, a professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, sparked tremendous debate across the breadth of the Islamic world, stirring discussion as far as...

Japan-South Korea Ties Take Turn for Worse

Kakumi Kobayashi March 23, 2005
Two recent diplomatic snafus by Japan have resulted in a flaring up of tensions with South Korea. The first is a prefectural government proclamation of a Japanese commemorative day on Takeshima, an uninhabited island in the Sea of Japan that both countries claim. The other is the proposed publication of a Japanese history book which paints Japan’s period of colonial rule over South Korea in...

The Piracy Threat to Japan

March 17, 2005
In this age of global trade, the logical arena for international anti-piracy efforts would be intellectual property. Yet after a recent incident of maritime piracy in the Strait of Malacca, the world may be forced to recognize that the sea buccaneers of yore are not a thing of the past. Though the tsunami significantly reduced piracy in local sea lanes, the Malacca Strait remains one of the world...

HSBC to Double Offshore Jobs

Mark Bendeich March 16, 2005
Global banking giant HSBC plans to shift a large number of Western clerical and call-center operations to lower-cost areas, according to a top executive. In the next three years, HSBC may employ as many as 25,000 workers in Asia, offshoring thousands of jobs in a move that would save the company over US$1 billion. Though outsourcing has raised many eyebrows among skeptics – US and European...

Crafting Intelligence: Iraq, North Korea, and the Road to War

Selig Harrison March 8, 2005
As the North Korea nuclear problem continues to unfold, the need for credible intelligence becomes even more urgent. And to avoid another Iraq-type situation – an overextended US military, thousands of deaths, transatlantic ill will – the American public should be wary of the Bush administration's use of intelligence, writes Selig Harrison. According to Harrison, the administration...