In The News

Obama Hones Iran Strategy

Leonard S. Spector March 16, 2009
Under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, signatory Iran has the right to pursue civilian applications of nuclear technology. But the Bush administration regarded Iran's nuclear research involving highly enriched uranium as a step to building a nuclear weapon and thus a threat to world peace. Policies now being developed by the Obama administration echo the goals of the...

The Gordian Knot of Gaza

Tamara Cofman Wittes March 6, 2009
The internal politics for authoritarian Arab nations allied with the US complicate any resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and empower nations that resist Western influence, like Iran. The lack of power and miserable existence for Palestinians who seek their own state resonates with millions of Arabs, especially those who live in corrupt regimes allied with the US, Israel's major...

Afghanistan’s Perilous Roads: Allies Struggle to Find Safer Supply Route

Dieter Bednarz February 18, 2009
The tribal people who live in the remote borderlands between Pakistan and Afghanistan are irritated about ongoing intrusions into their territory and way of life. As result, attacks against NATO convoys are on the rise along the few rugged roads between the two countries. Plans are underway for sending more NATO troops to stabilize Afghanistan, and that may force the allies to look for...

Laid-Off Foreigners Flee as Dubai Spirals Down

Robert F. Worth February 12, 2009
Globalization bestows and eliminates wealth with speed. A global credit crisis has struck tourism and financial industries hard, even for fast-growing economies like Dubai. Recent investors and home-buyers in Dubai have watched values plummet in the past year. Unpaid debt is a crime punishable by imprisonment. With a workforce that is about 90 percent foreign, many want to escape the downward...

Whose Resistance?

Amr Hamzawy February 2, 2009
The plight of the Palestinian people fuels Muslim ire, boosting the popularity of non-state militants and non-militant religious groups alike. As a result, the Palestinians are sometimes seen as more symbol than humanity. Amr Hamzawy, with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, points to a decline of humanitarianism in the region, on the part of a brutal occupying force and on the part...

Gaza Explosions Reverberate in Europe

Shada Islam January 23, 2009
Israel invaded Gaza and waged war for 22 days, in response to Hamas firing a nonstop barrage of rockets over the border and refusing to recognize Israel’s right to exist: 13 Israelis and 1,300 Palestinians died, and more than 50,000 people were left homeless. A tenuous ceasefire is in place, but the hard feelings and questions swirl far from the region. In Europe, thousands marched along the...

Gaza Agreement Eludes Arab Leaders

January 21, 2009
After a regional economic summit, Arab governments vow to support Gaza, but disagree how to distribute aid or respond to Israel. “The question of how to respond to the Israeli offensive has divided Arab nations, with some nations calling for strong action while others prefer a softer approach,” notes a report from Al Jazeera network. Some $2 billion has been pledged, but countries like Egypt and...