In The News

German Firms Applaud Libya Deal

Aaron Kirchfeld August 13, 2004
Though Germany and Libya already enjoyed “consistently good to very good economic relations,” the door to increased bilateral trade opened wider recently when Tripoli agreed to pay $35 million to the non-American victims of a 1985 Berlin discotheque bombing. Germany has responded by guaranteeing credits for German exports to Libya. The prospect of increased trade has piqued the interest of...

Saudi Surprise

Mohamed El-Sayed Said August 6, 2004
The Saudi government is attempting to rescue U.S. President George W Bush from his ill-fated venture in Iraq by declaring an initiative to send multinational Muslim troops to the war torn country. Criticism of President Bush’s handling of the Iraq War is rising, jeopardizing his chances for reelection this coming November. Saudi Arabia’s proposition could provide Bush with a convenient exit...

UN Efforts in Iraq No Walk in the Park

Benny Widyono August 5, 2004
Symbolically, the rift between the US and the UN has been healed. An interim Iraqi government has assumed sovereignty, and a newly-appointed Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General has been dispatched to Iraq. Yet, according to former UN official and Cambodia expert Benny Widyono, the challenge confronting UN peacekeepers remains daunting and dangerous. Iraq is still rife with...

Islamic Troop Plan Prompts Skepticism

Robin Wright August 1, 2004
Last week, the Saudi government outlined its proposal for deployment of Muslim soldiers in Iraq. While US Secretary of State Colin Powell said that he supported “the concept” of a Muslim troop presence, both he and the leadership of Iraq’s interim governing council have several reservations about specifics. Whereas the Saudi proposal advocates troops forming a separate UN-mandated umbrella, the...

Arab Opinions

Khaled Dawoud July 30, 2004
Recent opinion polls of six Arab countries show that rising anti-American attitudes in the Arab world are due mainly to American foreign policy, as opposed to American civilization or values. According to the surveys, none of the six Arab countries returned approval ratings of the US above 20%, a statistic due in large part to the fact that America’s Iraq policy now equals its Israel-Palestine...

Seoul, Israel Differ on Korean Pilgrims

Choi Soung-ah July 28, 2004
It was only one month ago that South Korean citizen Kim Sun-il was beheaded in Iraq due to what his captors claimed to be participation by him and his company in Christian activities. So it may come as no surprise that South Korea’s government is concerned about the prospect of 3,000 Korean college students traveling to Israel. The students are traveling to participate in the "Jerusalem...

Knock-on Effects will be Global if Iraq Carries on Downhill

Daljit Singh July 28, 2004
According to this op-ed by Daljit Singh, a senior research fellow at the Institute of South-east Asian Studies, defeat, or perception of defeat, of America in Iraq could have destabilizing consequences for not just the Middle East, but all of Asia as well. If the United States, the global hegemon, is unable to restore peace to this one Middle Eastern country, its credibility as a superpower will...