In The News

Iran Playing With Fire

October 3, 2003
Iran faces harsh international scrutiny in coming weeks about its nuclear weapons program as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) begins new inspection. In question are traces of weapon’s grade enriched uranium found in Iran that Tehran officials claim were contaminated before Iran received them. The IAEA has warned that Iran could face international sanctions backed by the US if Iran...

Roh Says Iraq Troops Hinge on NK Nukes

Sim Sung-tae October 2, 2003
Though the US has made an effort to keep the security issues of North Korea and Iraq separate, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun views them as connected. President Roh hesitates to deploy any troops to the Middle East, thus sending an "indirect message" to the US to consider the non-aggression pact that North Korea has been demanding. According to the author, as the US continues to...

Is the Arab Reform Chorus Serious or Fraudulent?

Rami G. Khouri October 1, 2003
Rami G. Khouri, executive editor of Lebanon's Daily Star, argues that the 'guns and cash' provided by donor nations influence the rhetoric of Arab states. Whatever the foreign donor takes up as an important issue, the Arab state parrots in turn. For example, Middle Eastern governments have adopted the rhetoric of human rights reform, equitable development, and now the 'war on...

U.S. Must Counteract Image in Muslim World, Panel Says

Steven R. Weisman October 1, 2003
A team of academics, diplomats, and writers convened by the Bush administration has found "shocking levels" of hostility towards the US in the Muslim world. The panel found anti-American sentiment increasing in the wake of the Iraq war and escalating Israel-Palestine conflict, and called this sentiment a "lethal threat" to American interests and public safety. The panel's...

Iranian Pilgrims Resume Journeys to Iraq

September 30, 2003
Two of the holiest places for Shi’ite Muslims – the cities of Karbala and Najaf – are located in Iraq. Devout Iranian pilgrims have traditionally journeyed to these cities each year to visit the burial sites of prominent Shi'ite religious figures. The Iranian government halted pilgrimages when the US invaded Iraq, fearing for the safety of the travelers. However, these measures did not...

Ankara Links Iraq Force to US Action Over Kurds

Metin Munir September 29, 2003
The US recently asked India, Pakistan, South Korea, and Turkey to deploy troops in Iraq. India and Pakistan declined, preferring to commit troops only under UN sanction. South Korea is still considering the request. But Turkey will commit only if there is a quid pro quo. Worried about the Kurdish secessionist movement and public approval, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants the US...

Politics in Command

Jonathan Schell September 29, 2003
In war, true victory means the achievement of an express political aim. Although Saddam Hussein has been toppled, the political objective of the American war in Iraq appears far from fulfilled. An author and journalist who has written extensively about war and peace, Jonathan Schell, says what should worry Washington more than the daily attacks on US troops is its failure to win the hearts and...