In The News

The USS Cole and America's Election

Michael Young March 6, 2008
President George W. Bush is in his final year of office, and there are two ways of looking at the administration’s delaying any reduction of troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the Middle East until after the November election. Keeping a large force in place this year could either be a gift or a curse for the next president: The gift is that the next president can perhaps quickly reduce troop levels,...

China Comes to Town

Dena Rashed March 4, 2008
Chinese-made goods turn up all over the globe, including Egyptian fairs and markets, and some rival the local products both on quality and price. Consumers can now choose from a range of goods, including clothes, electronics, vehicles and even Egyptian flags. Chinese exports to Egypt grew by 50 percent last year, yet still lag behind US imports, the value of which were more than double China’s....

New Partners in Pakistan

Matt Phillips February 22, 2008
Long awaited elections in Pakistan, despite violence and low turnout that affected results, produced a strong repudiation of President Pervez Musharraf, whose party came in third place, according to unofficial results. An alliance between the two leading parties, the late Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-N, would fall just short of the two-thirds of...

“Ancient Civilization . . . Broken to Pieces”

Alexandra Zavis January 25, 2008
Iraq is dotted with archaeological sites containing the remains of Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Islamic and other civilizations. The sites have long been subject to theft, but with chaos following the 2003 invasion, sites and museums were openly plundered. Sold on global markets are “coins, jewelry and fragile clay tablets etched in wedge-like cuneiform script, recording myths, decrees,...

An Empowered Middle East – Part II

Humphrey Hawksley January 14, 2008
The Middle East has great economic potential, with rich resources, a young population and a location central to three continents. But the regional quest for enhanced prosperity requires stability, trust and security. Subsiding violence in Iraq contributes to regional security, largely because of extra troops inserted by the US in recent months and a coordinated pragmatic approach from US...

An Empowered Middle East – Part I

Pranay Gupte January 10, 2008
President George Bush’s trip to the Middle East comes at a time when Iraq is stabilizing and the oil-producing countries’ fortune is rising. Bush will visit Israel and Saudi Arabia, also making stops in Palestine, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirate and Egypt, perhaps even Iraq and Lebanon. Along the way he’ll witness results of US foreign policy – diplomacy, intervention and some neglect. A...

Rocking Lolita in Tehran

Colin Meyn January 8, 2008
Iran’s strict adherence to theocratic principles has historically led it to muzzle such perpetrators of poison as rock bands, women singers, political dissenters, and other marginalized groups. In 2007, the scene changed when a film documenting Iran’s evolving underground music scene was screened internationally. Beyond the reach of the censors, this film – Sounds of Silence – might generate the...