In The News

Bolivia Provides a Tragic Lesson for Latin America

Norman Lamont October 21, 2005
Bolivia often escapes the notice of Europeans and Americans, writes Norman Lamont, and the country's current troubles merit much greater international attention. Bolivia has seen several governments overthrown over its recent history, and its likeliest contender for the leadership, Evo Morales, now seems determined to force through measures that will further destabilize the country. Morales...

Islam Dot Com

Injy El-Kashef October 20, 2005
Internet real estate has a growing niche market, one that stands to transform the nature of religious dialogue the world over. Websites devoted to the study and discussion of Islam have increased in numbers in the last two decades. From humble beginnings at the start of the internet boom, today, sites like Ramadan.co.uk and Islamicity.com feature reminders and tips for religious holidays, modern-...

George W. Bush’s Suicidal Statecraft

Zbigniew Brzezinski October 14, 2005
Zibigniew Brzezinski, former national security adviser of President Jimmy Carter, is sounding an alarm at the danger that the current US policy has created for the country. In a sweeping criticism, he says that the invasion of Iraq has had a disastrous effect worldwide. “An intense political hatred for America, Britain and Israel,” he writes, “is drawing recruits for terrorism, not only from the...

U.S. faces challenges on three fronts

Kwon Ji-young October 14, 2005
In a speech at the World Knowledge forum in Seoul, Korea, renowned historian Paul Kennedy warned that America's status as an unchallenged global hegemon may be on the decline. The US faces three challenges that are currently threatening its sole-superpower status: terrorism, economic rivalries and a diminishing cultural reputation. At their current rates of growth, the economies of China...

As Polar Ice Turns to Water, Dreams of Treasure Abound

Clifford Krauss October 11, 2005
What will be left when the Arctic's polar ice cap is gone? The answer, in the eyes of the nations who border the Arctic Ocean, is untapped economic opportunity. New oil deposits, new fisheries, and new trade routes – including the fabled Northwest Passage – all promise tantalizing riches to what are now barren, frozen outposts. But who will get to tap those riches? Russia, Canada, Norway...

To Save Global Trade Talks, Act on Agriculture

Kevin Watkins October 7, 2005
The Doha round of trade talks has the potential to significantly reduce global poverty – that is, if the talks are successful. According to the author, the key issue is agriculture. He urges the US and the EU to seriously investigate the propriety of their outsized farming subsidies and high agricultural tariffs, as these policies effectively block farmers in developing companies from enjoying...

The World Loves America But Resists Its Power

Rami G. Khouri September 29, 2005
On Saturday, protesters snaked through the streets of Washington in opposition to American actions in the Middle East. These demonstrations paled in comparison to those three years ago, but what anti-war demonstrators have lost in numbers, they may have gained in unlikely allies in the establishment. Mainstream foreign policy strategists are now seriously questioning American "liberal...