In The News

A Push to Increase Icebreakers in the Arctic

Andrew C. Revkin August 20, 2008
Patrolling the icy Arctic requires large ice-breaking ships, and more countries look to the Arctic as a potential source for minerals and fossil fuels. The head of the US Coast Guard has warned that “whatever mix of natural and human factors is causing the ice retreats, the Arctic is clearly opening to commerce – and potential conflict and hazards – like never before,” reports Andrew Revkin for...

What Bush Got Right

Fareed Zakaria August 18, 2008
The organization of the US governing system, with its checks and balances, encourages moderation. Policies from US President George Bush that raised international ire largely emerged during the first presidential term, including a war on terror with invasion of Iraq as its centerpiece, refusal to negotiate with Iran or North Korea, neglect of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. “His decision...

US and Poland Set Missile Deal

Thom Shanker August 15, 2008
After months of delays, the US and Poland quickly reached agreement on a US missile defense base in Poland: 10 interceptors against ballistic missiles will be based in Poland, relying on a tracking system based in the Czech Republic. Russia’s military support of separatists in Georgia gave speed to the agreement. “The deal reflected growing alarm in countries like Poland, once a conquered Soviet...

A Question for the Global Community

Rachel Clogg August 14, 2008
As regions gain new freedoms, minority groups with longstanding differences and gripes try to break away from central governments, too often stirring international conflict in the process. Attempting to separate from Georgia, provinces South Ossetia and Abkhazia have fueled tensions between the West and Russia. “For years the Georgian government has failed to engage seriously with the needs and...

Revisiting the “Axis of Evil” – Part II

Scott Snyder July 31, 2008
North Korea was a thorn in the side of the US long before President George Bush labeled the nation as a member of an “axis of evil,” along with Iraq and Iran, in his January 2002 State of the Union address. This three-part series analyzes the US approach to Iran and North Korea, and in the second article, Asia analyst Scott Snyder reviews the history of North Korea’s antics and crises since 1992...

Revisiting the “Axis of Evil” – Part I

Dilip Hiro July 29, 2008
In his January 2002 State of the Union address, US President George Bush identified the new enemies of the United States and the world. He pointed to Iraq, Iran and North Korea: “States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger.” Little more...

Maliki Votes for Obama

Charles Krauthammer July 29, 2008
The US underestimated the difficulties of invading Iraq and how long the war would last. Now Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki must prepare to deal with a new US commander in chief. By accepting Obama's campaign goal of removing US troops from Iraq sooner rather than later, Maliki indicates an opinion that the war has been won, with Al Qaeda defeated and Sunni-Shiite conflicts under...