News Abroad

The "International" Investigation into the Sinking of the Cheonan and the Risk of a New Korean War

by John McGlynn

On May 20, South Korea's defense ministry made public a short statement on the "international" investigation into the sinking of the South Korean warship, the Cheonan, on March 26, which left forty-six sailors dead.  U.S. and South Korean officials, along with major Western news organizations, have been describing this statement as a "report," but since a)  the authors of the document d

General McChrystal and the Wages of Hypocrisy

by Mark A. LeVine

Of the many questions surrounding the sudden career implosion of General Stanley McChrystal, the one to which no one has yet been able to offer a satisfactory answer is why. Could it really be that one of the gurus of twenty-first-ce

How to Rebuild the Special Relationship

by Lee P. Ruddin

Barack Obama is the first American president since the Second World War not to be touched in any way by the triumph over fascism which forged the so-called special relationship.  Both George W. Bush and Bill Clinton had fathers who fought alongside Brits in the 1940s and both went on to become pillars in the Atlantic alliance as commander-in-chief.  Unlike the 42nd President of the United States—a Rhodes scholar, no less—Obama grew up in the Pacific and his memoir,

Back to the (Mahdist) Future?

by Timothy R. Furnish

Ayatollah Mohammed Bagher Kharrazi's recent call for a Greater Iran encompassing "the entire Middle East and Central Asia" has caused a veritable epidemic of Internet hyperventilating among the armchair alarmist eschatologists, many of whom are living proof that "a little learning is a

A Message to the G-8 Summit: Remember June, 1946

by William Lambers

When President Obama and other world leaders gather this week in Canada at the G-8 summit, they can make history.  To do so they can draw some ins

BP's Other Gifts to America—and to the World

by Lawrence S. Wittner

The offshore oil drilling catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico brought to us by BP has overshadowed its central role over the past century in fostering

What's Next for the Nuclear Disarmament Movement?

by Lawrence S. Wittner

The last nineteen months have been a tumultuous time for the nuclear disarmament movement, placing it, today, on the cusp of some important decision

Will Obama and Cameron be as Close as Kennedy and Macmillan?

by Alanna O’Malley

If Kennedy and Macmillan reinvigorated the Anglo-American relationship after Suez in order to bring it back to the closeness of the war years, Cameron and Clegg will face a different sort of challenge with Obama.

BP Has Dealt With Government Takeover Before...In Iran

by Edwin Black

America’s unrelenting addiction to oil has compelled it to recklessly drill off its most pristine shores without an emergency plan.  Now, the country’s territorial integrity is increas

Gaza, Israel and the Limits of "Escalation Dominance"

by Geoffrey Wawro

Israel has long defended itself through a "doctrine of retaliatory action," which President Eisenhower angrily characterized in 1955—after savage Israeli reprisal raids into Gaza and Jordan—as "more li

The Ampo Treaty’s Troubled Fiftieth Anniversary

by Gavan McCormack

On January 19, 2010, the Foreign and Defense Minsters of the U.S. and Japan, in a statement to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the mutual treaty on cooperation and security, jointly declared that:

Why The Arab/Israeli Conflict Remains Intractable

by Alex Grobman

There have been many attempts to understand why the Arab/Israel conflict remains unresolved.  Among the reasons advanced for this impasse are:  years of suspicion, fear, feelings of injustice and stereotyping

China's Season of Protests

by Jeffrey Wasserstrom

There's a special significance to the fact that, thanks to a strike wave at Honda factories in Foshan, Chinese protests are making head

Can We Live With the Bomb?

by Lawrence S. Wittner

For some time now, it has been clear that nuclear weapons threaten the existence not only of humanity, but of all life on Earth.Thus, Barack O

Fortress Guam: Resistance to U.S. Military Mega-Buildup

by LisaLinda Natividad and Gwyn Kirk

United States presidents rarely visit the U.S. territory of Guam (or Guåhan in the Chamorro language), but President Obama may visit this June.  This will be a significant stop for residents of this small island, thirty miles long and eight miles wide, dubbed the place “where America’s day begins.”  Guam is the southernmost island in the Northern Mariana chain that also includes Rota, Tinian, and Saipan.  It is the homeland of indigenous Chamorro

"Prompt Global Strike" Has Deep Roots in American History

by Ira Chernus

Prompt Global Strike (PGS) is the latest innovation (or is it fantasy?) in U.S. military technology—“a new class of weapons,

French Nippon Foundation Sues Scholar for Libel to Protect the Honor of Sasakawa Ryōichi

by Karoline Postel-Vinay with Mark Selden

Something unusual happened on 5 March 2009 in the quiet compound of the French school known as Sciences Po, the National Foundation for Political Science, from which most of the past and present French governmental elite graduated. It was the first day of a major conference on “Memory, The Writing of History and Democratization” that assembled political scientists, sociologists, and historians, addressing a vast array of issues related to World War II, Stalinism and Maoism, and re

Obama’s Policy Toward Yemen is Failing on Food

by William Lambers

President Obama and Secretary Clinton have both stated how a strong, stable Yemen is a vital national security priority. The Senate, citing Al Qaida's presence, has emphasized the same through a resolution. But where is the food? The UN World Food Programme (WFP) just announced that rations would be cut in half for over 250,000 Yemenis displaced by a conflict between the government and rebels. Other food aid programs have been suspended since last year. Why? Because of low fu

May 10 Elections in the Philippines Will Change Little

by Luis H. Francia

On Monday, May 10,Filipinos will troop to the polls to decide who will be their next president. As always, the campaign for Malacañang, the presidential palace, has produced hyperbole, violence

European Citizenship's Past and Future

by Andreas Fahrmeir

The Greek currency crisis has led to much soul-searching in Europe.  While the focus remains on currency issues, the project to establish a common European citizenship is also at a crossroads.  Membership in the Europea