In The News

China Maneuvers to Bring a Soft-landing to the Korean Crisis

Yu Bin February 11, 2003
China is in no position to tell North Korea what to do regarding the current nuclear crisis. Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, Beijing's relations with Pyongyang have soured. At the same time, China has cultivated political and economic relations with both South Korea and the United States. But, as Yu Bin, the author of a book on China's role in the Korean War, explains, China...

Preemptive Strikes

February 6, 2003
The rhetoric of the Bush administration about American might and rights may have greatly changed the balance of the international system. In an interview with the BBC, North Korea's Foreign Ministry deputy director, Ri Pyong-gap, says that if more US troops move into Northeast Asia, Pyongyang could make a preemptive strike. "A preemptive attack is not something only the United States...

A Scary Thought: Loose Nukes in North Korea

Ashton B. Carter February 6, 2003
Until recently, North Korea’s plutonium, used to make nuclear weapons, was contained at one site. Now the material is being moved, possible to the couintry’s many caves, where it will be hard to find and destroy. This is only the beginning of the imminent threat posed by the country’s nuclear program. North Korea could sell some of its weapons material, or the material could fall into the wrong...

Pyongyang's Aims Hidden by Veil of Rhetoric

Andrew Ward February 5, 2003
North Korea, often referred to as “the world’s most secretive state”, is distrusted by both South Korea and the United States, who point to the country’s extensive anti-American propaganda within its borders as well as its deceptive statements to outsiders. Even its action are difficult to judge, as some U.S. intelligence officials believe Pyongyang's recent apparent moves to re-start a...

Food Imports: Tough New Checks

February 5, 2003
Thailand’s announcement of more stringent inspections of food imports from the EU and other areas comes after the EU’s own announcement of stricter regulation against Thai food imports. Thai officials claim the new policy is not a retaliation against the EU, whose more rigorous inspections have caused Thai food exporters large financial losses. - YaleGlobal

Number of Hong Kong Emigrants Hit 22-Year Low Last Year

February 4, 2003
The shrinking of economies in Western countries, particularly in the United States, Canada, and Australia, has led to Hong Kong emigration figures tapering off in the past eight years. The better life once guaranteed by immigration has been slowly changing. If anything, China’s own entry into the globalization arena has seen its economy expand much faster, thereby attracting some of those...

Political Will Needed to Eliminate Racial Discrimination

Zakki Hakim February 4, 2003
For those who take a long-term view of globalization, the phenomenon is in many ways a story of the movement of people. In some countries of Southeast Asia, Chinese descendants of early sojourners often hold positions of great economic strength but little political power. In Indonesia, people of Chinese descent are a tiny but wealthy minority of the population. Despite criticisms from observers...