In The News

Roh Stands by Deployment of Korean Troops in Iraq

Seo Hyun-jin June 22, 2004
The government will not give in to terrorists demands, says the President of South Korea. Iraqi militants are threatening to kill a South Korean national they captured in Iraq if Seoul insists on sending more troops to the war-torn country, but President Roh Moo-hyun says his country will not waver. Beginning in early August, South Korea will send another 3,000 troops to the country, making it...

Not a good recipe for happy times

Rami G. Khouri June 16, 2004
Against the backdrop of the ever-worsening drama of bombings, killings and hostage-taking in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, the price of oil has shot up to a record high. Rami Khouri, Executive Editor of the Daily Star and a veteran commentator of the Middle East, says this may be the first peek at a Doomsday scenario for the region. Khouri writes that Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading oil supplier...

U.S. Nuclear Inquiry Finds China-Iran Link

June 15, 2004
An American congressional commission responsible for investigating security and economic issues in the US-China relationship is giving Bejing poor marks on cooperation and honesty. The commission charged yesterday that China is transferring nuclear technology to Iran in exchange for much-needed oil. It also said China continues to allow North Korean missiles and nuclear technology to traverse...

Private Schools Asked to Revise Textbooks

Mohsen Rashid June 15, 2004
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), all private schools – regardless of the curricula they teach – might soon come under the strict control of Islamic social and religious codes. This article in the Khaleej Times reports that all private schools have been ordered by the Ministry of Education and Youth to revise their textbooks in order to disallow ideas and concepts contrary to Islamic teachings....

Red Cross Ultimatum to US on Saddam

Jonathan Steele June 14, 2004
Amidst growing international and domestic criticism of human rights abuses in Iraq, the International Committee of the Red Cross is calling on the White House to clarify the status of deposed leader Saddam Hussein. Hussein and many Iraqis who served in his government have been held without being charged for any crime since their capture by the US. According to the Red Cross, international law...

Rumsfeld Approved Methods for Guantanamo Interrogations

Jess Bravin June 10, 2004
According to a memo reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, US Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld agreed in December 2002 to allow for a variety of harsh interrogation methods at Guantanamo Bay. "Mild non-injurious physical contact," "stress positions", and forced nudity were among the techniques approved for interrogating prisoners held at the US military installation, this...

The Case for Hypocrisy

Niall Ferguson June 7, 2004
Niall Ferguson, author of "Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire", makes his case against the much-demanded quick American exit from Iraq and transfer of full sovereignty to an Iraqi government. First of all, he says, the references to ‘full sovereignty’ made by US President George Bush and many others is unrealistic, because the US army will continue to have a strong...