In The News

Ending the Divide

Shada Islam March 19, 2004
Spain's election shocker last week has left analysts speculating. Was it a victory for the democratic forces that mobilized against Prime Minister Aznar? Or was it a victory for terrorists who aimed to influence the vote by bombing Madrid on March 11? Shada Islam, a journalist specializing in European foreign relations, writes that in Spain the election results were seen as both a...

Rhetoric, Not Substance, to Change in Spain

Andres Oppenheimer March 18, 2004
The election upset in Spain last Sunday is being seen by some observers as a repudiation of outgoing Prime Minister José María Aznar's close ties with the US and support for the Iraq War. In Latin America, national leaders from Argentina to Venezuela are celebrating the arrival of a stronger ally in the new socialist party government of Spain. Despite the potential for change, however,...

After the Train Bombs, a Political Bombshell

March 15, 2004
The ruling People's Party in Spain lost yesterday's election to the opposition Socialists – a result that would have been unthinkable just a week ago. Last Thursday's train bombings, which killed 200 people and wounded almost 1500 more, disrupted all political predictions. As evidence emerged that the bombings may have been planned by al-Qaeda-related operatives and not Basque...

From Bali to Madrid, Attackers Seek to Inflict Ever-Greater Casualties

Ewen MacAskill March 12, 2004
In a worrisome development, Spain's tragic bombing yesterday may mark a shift in strategies for small, politically-directed terrorist groups. If ETA, the Basque separatist group, was behind the train bombing that killed almost 200 people, then their methods have changed and their aim has become bloodier. Al-Qaida's attack on 9/11 may have provided an unfortunate lesson – terrorist...

Fischer Sees Turkey's Membership in EU as Part of War on Terror

Sam Hapgood March 5, 2004
As the EU gets ready to welcome 10 new members on May 1, Germany's foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, is pushing for Turkey to join the group sooner rather than later. "We have a new task that will shape this century: We have to give globalization political contours," he said. Bringing Turkey into the group, he says, will help deter Muslim terrorists. The German Finance Ministry...

Moments Before the Union, "Old" Europe Gets Cold Feet

Shada Islam March 3, 2004
As Europe's leaders prepare for their expansion party, they fear immigrant gate-crashers. Shada Islam notes that widespread fears of immigrants flooding Western Europe in search of employment, welfare, and health benefits has forced many governments to enact restrictions to stem this supposed flood. But the facts prove that these fears are unfounded. Past history shows immigration slows once...

Chinatown Is a Hard Sell in Italy

Daniel Williams March 2, 2004
Rome recently laid down the law on would-be founders of a Chinatown in the city's downtown area. The city wants to avoid the creation of an ethnic ghetto “in the historic center of Rome.” The Italians’ strongest complaint is the isolationist nature of the Chinese neighborhood, which operates almost entirely apart from the rest of the city. Many of the Chinese immigrants do not speak...