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In EU, Hope Dims for Iraqi Refugees

April 24, 2008
The US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent insurgency have produced an estimated 4.7 million refugees. One Swedish town alone, Södertälje near Stockholm, has accepted about 6,000 asylum seekers in the last five years – more than the entire United States. In all, Sweden – which had no role...

Bush May Turn to UN in Search for Iraq Solution

May 24, 2007
The Bush administration is considering an alternative to the surge, and is in the process of internationalizing the Iraq crisis. This plan involves an expanded role for the United Nations, and also a greater role for regional countries, who must realize that their security depends on success in...

Saudis Cite Market Forces for Lower Crude Output

June 12, 2006
At a June 1, 2006, meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in Caracas, cartel members attested to having trouble finding buyers for their crude oil exports. While such oil-producing countries as Saudi Arabia and Iran accumulate a massive inventory of crude, reports suggest...

Democrats Give Bush the Business on Trade

February 1, 2007
To avoid petty special-interest confrontations, the US Congress can extend authority to the president to negotiate trade deals. Congress retains final approval, voting yes or no on deals negotiated by the president. But a Democratic Congress at odds with the Republican president has demanded...

Beijing's Closed Politics Hinders "New Diplomacy"

September 12, 2004
In the past year and a half, China has become a key player in several difficult international conflicts, including the North Korean missile threats, the Pakistan-India quarrels, and the war in Iraq. However, argues the author of this Financial Times piece, it should come as no surprise that the...

US Congressman Seeks Assurances on Yasukuni

June 7, 2006
A US congressman has urged the Japanese prime minister to swear off future visits to the Yasukuni Shrine. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is scheduled to address a joint session of US Congress in late June, but Representative Henry Hyde, a veteran of World War II in the Pacific, wrote a letter...

Italian Waste Hits New Snag

March 11, 2008
Utah is more remote than Italy, with about 30 people per square mile to Italy’s 5000. That doesn’t mean Utahns want 20,000 tons of radioactive waste from Italy buried in their deserts. “We believe that any country that has the technological capability of producing nuclear power within its borders...

India Nuclear Deal May Face Hard Sell

April 6, 2006
The Bush administration’s surprise deal in 2005 with India, which would recognize the nation’s status as a nuclear power, was motivated by both a desire to reward a democratic future superpower and to counter the rise of China. But the deal, largely constructed through US State Department...
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