In The News

Public Staggered by Costs but Wants to Stay the Course

September 23, 2003
Americans are increasingly open to a major UN role in postwar Iraq, with about half (51%) saying the US should give up some military control to the UN to get other countries to send more troops there. Growing support for an expanded UN role in Iraq comes amid growing public concern over mounting US casualties and the rising cost of the operation. According to a recent study by the Pew Research...

Attackers United by Piety in Plot to Strike Troops

Anthony Shadid September 20, 2003
Cassettes of a Syrian cleric, whose violent words used to be outlawed under Saddam Hussein's secular regime, sell freely on the post-war streets, and - more frighteningly - there's a growing audience willing to listen. Islamic extremism, which is denounced by most religious leaders as against the peaceful precepts of true Islam, is becoming increasingly appealing to angry Iraqis who...

Pressuring Tehran

Mustafa El-Labbad September 19, 2003
Iran has come under increasing pressure since Washington officially ended its war in Iraq and turned its eye on other countries in the region. Now, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear monitoring body, has passed a resolution giving Iran until October to declare the extent of its nuclear program and sign the Additional Protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation...

Iran, Sept. 11 and the Repercussions of ‘Regime Change'

Abumohammad Asgarkhani September 15, 2003
Iran stands increasingly big potential new target for America's fight against terrorism. As the US's new foreign policy—outlined after September 11th by the Bush administration—continues to take shape, Iran finds itself under (verbal) attack from the US and UK as a nation with a radical government, nuclear dreams, and a strong regional presence. Whether or not fears of Iranian power...

Al-Azhar on Air

Rania Khallaf September 8, 2003
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the US, Washington invested money and resources in trying to improve the image of the US in the Middle East. Now, it seems, the Middle East may be ready to launch its own media offensive. Egypt's venerable Al-Azhar University is considering launching its own satellite channel "to refute people's misconceptions about Islam and confront the...

Why the US needs the UN in Iraq

Paul Reynolds August 28, 2003
The chief US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, claims that Iraq is "not a country is chaos and Baghdad is not a city in chaos," yet Washington is edging ever closer to asking for multilateral assistance from the UN. This article from BBC News says that Washington's stance is changing because of both domestic politics and the growing complexity of the situation in Iraq. At home...

Iran Admits Foreign Help on Nuclear Facility

Joby Warrick August 27, 2003
The UN nuclear watchdog agency – the IAEA – noted many improvements in the quality of information and cooperation Iran gave them during inspections last month. However, environmental samples taken from nuclear facilities outside Tehran tested positive for enriched uranium, a key ingredient in the manufacture of nuclear weapons. In an effort to explain the test results, Iran deviated greatly...