In The News

North Korea Curbs Brinksmanship During Iraq War

Doug Struck April 8, 2003
Since the Iraq War began, North Korea has been waiting its turn, expecting to become either a target or a dialogue partner for the US. Notably, Pyongyang hasn't made any moves to further develop nuclear weapons, in what one observer describes as "an unspoken pact" to keep the peace while the US focuses on Iraq. "The bottom line is they want to have talks with the U.S. That...

Use SARS as Excuse to Reinvest in Taiwan

Huang Tien-lin 黃天麟 April 7, 2003
SARS is frightening, but so is the 'economic Sinocization' that threatens Taiwan, says Huang Tien-lin, a national policy adviser to Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian. In this opinion piece from the Taipei Times, Huang suggests that by encouraging Taiwanese businesspeople to stay home in relatively safe Taiwan, "the [SARS] crisis will not only boost the nation's GDP but...

North Korea Says Its Arms Will Deter U.S. Attack

Howard W. French April 7, 2003
After having been virtually silent since the US-led invasion of Iraq began, North Korea's government is once again proclaiming the right to protect itself against any US aggression. "The Iraqi war shows that to allow disarming through inspection does not help avert a war but rather sparks it," say the latest statement from Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry. "This suggests...

China’s Workers Risk Limbs in Export Drive

Joseph Kahn April 7, 2003
In recent years, China has become the “world’s factory” for labor-intensive goods. However, the factories producing these goods often lack safe machinery or appropriate oversight. As a result, accidents that result in a lost limb or a life have increased, especially among the migrant laborers who work at these factories. Even though statutory laws are in place governing safety and compensation...

Terrifying for Asia, Worrying for the World

April 3, 2003
With the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), all fingers are pointing to China. World Health Organization Officials believe the disease spread more quickly because of China’s reluctance to admit that the disease originated in its Guangzhou region. The outbreak went undetected by international health organizations and spread through doctors and businessmen traveling in Southeast...

WHO Says Mainland Officials Continue to Hinder Investigation

Leu Siew Ying April 1, 2003
The World Health Organization says that officials investigating the origin of the devastating pneumonia outbreak in Asia are still being denied permission to travel to southern China's Guangdong province, where the illness is suspected to have originated. With over 800 reported cases in the area – the largest number yet in any WHO member country – international health officials are...

Japan Joins the Exclusive Space Spy Club

Joan Johnson-Freese March 31, 2003
To the surprise of its neighbors, Japan has taken action to protect itself from North Korea. After North Korea tested a ballistic missile in 1998, the usually slow-moving Japanese assembly decided immediately to build a space-based surveillance system. Japan launched two information-gathering satellites into space, provoking harsh words from North Korea. Whether the new system will...