In The News

Putin's Tragic Gaffes of 2004

Constatine Pleshakov January 4, 2005
In an environment rife with political suspicions, with European and Central Asian nations eying Russia's every move, Russian President Vladimir Putin made several fundamental mistakes, according to this Japan Times commentary. The first fundamental error was the mishandling of the Beslan school hostage tragedy, which resulted in a large number of unnecessary casualties. Putin's...

Schröder Boosts Arms Sales to China

Peter Sturm December 17, 2004
The topic of weapons sales frequently divides the coalition government of German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. But despite the controversy that has raged over past plans to sell tanks and submarines to Turkey and Israel, Schröder is pushing to vend weapons to China. "In economic terms, the gigantic country fuels people's money-making fantasies," writes FAZ Weekly columnist Peter...

Turkey's Muslim Identity Did Not Prevent Turkey's Intense Relations with Europe

Abdullah Gil December 16, 2004
The debate surrounding Turkey's inclusion as a member of the European Union has prompted a process of political and economic reform that has been remarkably successful and has received widespread popular support. Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul writes that his country has demonstrated a commitment to internal restructuring merits recognition by the European and global community....

A Reluctant Embrace

Shada Islam December 16, 2004
Following Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh's murder by an alleged Islamic extremist, many European countries are even more nervous about the plan to begin talks with Turkey for EU admission. The country's Islamic religion and alleged undemocratic nature have also inspired opposition in largely secular Europe. Yet Turkey's membership has obvious benefits for the Union, says journalist...

Learning the Hard Way in Kosovo

Alkman Granitsas December 9, 2004
A newly released report on UN reform suggests that the path be cleared for the world organization to intervene in sovereign nations and send peacekeepers to places like Darfur or Rwanda. But before rushing the blue berets to the next political crisis, the international community would do well to learn from past missteps in other parts of the world. In the past 15 years, the nature of peacekeeping...

The EU Loses its Rag

December 8, 2004
Ten years ago, trade negotiators set a deadline to end global quotas on textile exports. But with less than a month before the agreed-upon expiration date, the EU is growing increasingly worried about China's likely dominance of the international textile trade. Yet considering the EU's hopes to install its former trade commissioner as head of the World Trade Organization, efforts to...

Europe's China-Play

François Godement December 6, 2004
One of the most controversial issues to be discussed at the 7th annual EU-China Summit will be a 15-year-old arms embargo. The European Union instated the embargo in response to the Tiananmen Massacre of 1989. As China continues its ascent as a world economic power, however, European nations find it harder and harder to maintain a policy based solely on human rights. The financial rewards for...