In The News

Saudis Cite Market Forces for Lower Crude Output

Bhushan Bahree June 12, 2006
At a June 1, 2006, meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in Caracas, cartel members attested to having trouble finding buyers for their crude oil exports. While such oil-producing countries as Saudi Arabia and Iran accumulate a massive inventory of crude, reports suggest that demand for oil is actually going up, according to the New York Mercantile Exchange. Some cartel...

Desert Cities Are Living on Borrowed Time, UN Warns

John Vidal June 9, 2006
Desert cities all over the globe move closer to becoming completely unlivable. Rising temperatures and lack of rain in such areas from Phoenix in the US to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia are affecting as many as 500 million people worldwide with rising water tables beneath irrigated soils, leading to increased salinization. This phenomenon affects large tracts of land all over central and south Asia,...

Zarqawi Built Global Jihadist Network on Internet

Scott Shane June 9, 2006
Since April 2004, when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi posted his first communiqué on a jihadist website, the militant leader has used the Internet as a successful and deadly tool. Creating a worldwide network, Zarqawi’s volunteers post messages from their leader and videos of militant acts, like beheading, on multiple servers to avoid delays in downloading, also making it difficult for the material to be...

For One Month Every Four Years, A New World Order Leaves America on Touchline

Simon Tisdall June 8, 2006
Football – known as soccer in the US – is not as deeply rooted in US history as it is for other countries around the globe. A US team hoisting the World Cup, therefore, could a most unbearable image for the rest of the football-crazed world. Luckily for US foreign policy, the chances of the nation flexing its hegemonic muscles on the pitch this summer are slim. Other international dramas,...

Panama: A Crossroad With Two-Ocean Views

Nancy Beth Jackson June 8, 2006
Panama has a history of invasions, but the latest comes from international investors, lured by favorable exchange rates, a mixture of European and American influences, along with amenities that include health-service discounts for retirees. Panama building permits have increased by 91 percent, and new projects begin almost every day. Two projects, both Spanish backed, compete to become the...

In Praise of Migration

Kofi A. Annan June 8, 2006
UN secretary general Kofi Annan not only suggests that borders are meant to be crossed, but also that those crossing national borders “have always been the motors of human progress.” Migration offers myriad benefits, including an increased menial and skilled labor force comprised of incoming migrants, as well as the high level of remittances that migrants send home, which totaled around $232...

Cooking the Climate With Coal

Jeff Goodell June 7, 2006
Recognizing limited energy supplies, the world turns to coal for fuel. Coal meets about half of US energy needs, about 70 percent for China. Anticipating strict regulatory limits, countries like the US have stepped up coal mining and construction of coal-burning power plants. But Author Jeff Goodell suggests that relying on coal is dangerous, from mining accidents to air and ground pollution....