In The News

Behind the Rise of Iran's President: A Populist Economic Agenda

Bill Spindle June 30, 2006
Extravagant government spending could cause more economic harm to Iran than any sanctions by Europe and the US over the country’s nuclear program. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s promise to “put the oil revenue on the dinner table of every Iranian” garners him the loyalty of Iran’s working class. Buoyed by oil money, he has proposed $4 billion for school renovations, raised salaries for state...

A Bad Time for Conciliatory Gestures

Pierre Heumann June 28, 2006
On the one hand, the Palestinian governing coalition, led by the heretofore hard-line militant group Hamas, has signed a document that implicitly recognizes the existence of the Israeli state, a positive step in relations between the two entities. On the other hand, the Israeli military is massing tanks on the border and cutting off electricity into Gaza, an attempt to pressure Palestine’s Hamas...

Distempered Days

Declan Walsh June 28, 2006
Chaos is on the rise in Afghanistan as violent attacks by the Taliban increase, and corruption and the drug trade run rampant through the country. Four years ago, Hamad Karzai was viewed as Afghanistan’s best hope for rebuilding the country, but now many question his leadership. Afghans contend that their president has failed to meet basic needs, and most still live in poverty. Western officials...

Holocaust Memories Hover Over Refugees

Peter Hirschberg June 20, 2006
Sudanese refugees who have illegally crossed the border into Israel are either forced back into Egypt or arrested and detained. Some of those arrested are released by the courts and taken in by kibbutzim, while others remain in prison waiting to be charged. The refugees pose a moral dilemma to the citizens and government of Israel; the chairman of Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust museum, wrote in...

US Approach to Iran Has a Familiar Ring

Jay Solomon June 14, 2006
International applause greeted the Bush administration’s policy shift and decision to participate in international talks with Iran about its nuclear program. The basic strategy focuses on offering Iran economic incentives in exchange for compliance on nuclear development. As the talks proceed, US diplomacy with North Korea may emerge as a precedent. In some ways, bargaining with Iran could be...

How Good Is American Intelligence on Iran’s Bomb?

Graham Allison June 13, 2006
The US should be wary of progress in the Iranian nuclear standoff that could either be promising or illusory. Without discounting recent diplomatic achievements, Graham Allison, a former US defense official and a leading analyst of national security and nuclear weapons, cautions that US intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program may not be accurate. US intelligence officers could be drastically...

Move Over, Barbie

Amany Abdel-Moneim June 12, 2006
With Muslim women’s ever-growing adherence to traditional dress code, it is no wonder that a new doll, Fulla, is becoming popular in Egyptian and Middle Eastern markets. The doll’s physique and large assortment of accessories, from lace underwear to prayer mat, place her in the Barbie genre, but many young Egyptian girls feel more connected with Fulla’s dark hair, hazel eyes and ankle-length...