In The News

Is Iraq Becoming a New Vietnam? - Part One

Orville Schell July 14, 2003
Is the American occupation of Iraq turning into a Vietnam-style quagmire? With American casualties mounting almost daily and the Bush Administration hinting at increasing troop levels, it is a question that will be asked. Historical comparisons are often misleading, because the actors and the context tend to be different. Yet, such comparisons with the past provide a valuable analytical framework...

Al-Jazeera, A Channel To Another World

Ken Ringle July 10, 2003
In the minds of most Americans, the Arab news station, al-Jazeera, is associated with tapes of Osama Bin Laden and therefore with extremist Muslims. However, as this Washington Post article points out, al-Jazeera's reporters "aren't the problem in the Middle East: They may be the start of the solution." Citing a new documentary by film-maker Ben Anthony, the article reveals...

Problems, Problems

June 30, 2003
Breakdown of law and order, guerilla efforts, smashed infrastructure, multiple currencies, and deep factionalism are just a few of the problems currently plaguing the American-led coalition in Iraq. Many parts of the country, including Baghdad, are still anarchic, says this article from The Economist. The coalition was taken aback by the speed with which Iraqi forces melted away, and was thus...

Iran Is Trying to Curb Porn and Politics on Web

Neil MacFarquhar June 29, 2003
The Iranian government is attempting to control the internet, the last refuge of unadulterated information – and pornography – in the country. Newspapers, television, and other forms of media have long been censored by the government, prevented from printing sexually explicit pictures and from criticizing the regime. Thus far, the internet has remained immune to such controls, with student...

Insecurity Drives WMD Proliferation – ElBaradei

Roula Khalaf June 23, 2003
After Iraq, Iran has become the new focus in the Middle East. With the US insisting that Iran has been active in building weapons of mass destruction (WMD), UN weapons inspection teams have been called upon to verify the allegations. Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), says a twofold measure is necessary to effectively diffuse the crisis. While continuing...

Foreign Fighters Add to Resistance in Iraq, U.S. Says

Michael R. Gordon June 22, 2003
During the recent Iraq war, there were reports of foreign fighters sneaking into the country to aid Saddam Hussein’s forces. Now, as the U.S. army struggles to control post-war chaos, American commanders say foreigners are still being recruited by Hussein loyalists. A lack of American presence in some parts of the country has allowed these loyalists, many fueled by the belief that the dictator...

Left to Their Own Devices

Amr Elchoubaki June 20, 2003
The United States has frequently criticized Arab governments for suppressing freedom of expression and pluralism. Yet, when popular movements such as student protests in Iran belie such criticism, the author argues, the US does not see the protests as manifestations of an existing democracy but as expressions of popular revolt,. In Iran, the religious Supreme Guide and democratically elected...