POLITICS-IVORY COAST: Mbeki Soldiers On

The past few days have seen South African President Thabo Mbeki push ahead with his initiative to bring peace to the Ivory Coast, even postponing his departure for the World Economic Forum. As the week ends, however, it is clear that the future of the West African state still hangs in the balance.

POLITICS-U.S.: From Holocaust to Hyperpower

The importance of this week's recognition by the United Nations of the Nazi Holocaust lies as much in its relevance to today's international realities as it does to the historical significance of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp by Soviet forces 60 years ago Thursday.

TSUNAMI-IMPACT: India Shifts Regional Geopolitical Cards

Within a month of the tsunamis battering 12 countries across South and South-east Asia together with East Africa, India has gained a new political foothold in the Indian Ocean region.

MIDEAST: Could It Be Good News, Then

The signs have been so surprisingly positive that they elicited upbeat assessments even from some of Israel's more circumspect leaders. "We are witness to the beginning of positive developments on the Palestinian side," Israel's military chief, Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon, said over the weekend.

TSUNAMI IMPACT: Goodbye World, We Can Do It Alone – Indonesia’s Kalla

The world has come together to aid survivors of the Indian Ocean tsunami, and by large it has been welcomed in the tsunami-hit countries in South and South-east Asia. Yet in Indonesia's Aceh province, the welcome is proving awkward and signs are emerging that there is paranoia about the presence of foreigners on Indonesian soil.

POLITICS: Bush Plugs the Window-Dressing, Cheney the Nitty-Gritty

Two very different messages about the future of U.S. foreign policy were broadcast to the world on Inaugural Day Thursday, and listeners everywhere could be forgiven for feeling confused about their import.

POLITICS: New Moves to Improve EU-U.S. Relations

European Union officials watched with interest, and some with dismay, as U.S. President George W. Bush was inaugurated for a second four-year term at a lavish ceremony Thursday (Jan. 20).

POLITICS-U.S.: New Military Links to Indonesia Debated

Besides improving Washington's image in South and Southeast Asia, the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush is hoping to achieve something more concrete from its aid efforts in the aftermath of the Dec. 26 tsunami that killed over 175,000 people along the coasts of the Indian Ocean.

POLITICS-THAILAND: When Democracy Gives Way to One-Party Rule

As a parliamentary election looms, Thailand's incumbent prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, appears set to place his country firmly within the ambit of a political tradition that marks out South-east Asia - namely the triumph of one-party states.

POLITICS-U.S.: Neo-Conservatives At Sea

Jubilant over President George W. Bush's re-election victory just two months ago, neo-conservatives who played a leading role in shaping the radical trajectory of U.S. foreign policy after the Sep. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks appear increasingly divided on key issues and uncertain of their position in Bush's second term.

MIDEAST: Gaza Killings Cast a Long Shadow

The Palestinian militant groups who carried out the attack Thursday night in the Gaza Strip that killed six Israeli civilians said they had been planning the assault for weeks. But the timing is not coincidental: it is the first major challenge by armed groups to the newly elected Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

TRADE-CHINA: Tariffs on Textile Exports, Too Little Too Late?

While China's voluntary imposition of export duties on garments might have averted the first global trade war in 2005 over textiles, it is unlikely to halt its rapid domination of the world clothing market.

TRADE-CHINA: Tariffs on Textile Exports, Too Little Too Late?

While China's voluntary imposition of export duties on garments might have averted the first global trade war in 2005 over textiles, it is unlikely to halt its rapid domination of the world clothing market.

TSUNAMI IMPACT: Are Oil-Rich States Giving Enough Aid?

The new-rich, oil-blessed nations of the Middle East and North Africa, whose national revenues have skyrocketed in the aftermath of rising oil prices last year, have come under fire for their relatively tightfisted response to the tsunami tragedy in south and southeast Asia.

AFRICA: Marshalling Aid Will Not Be Easy

Will the world do for Africa now what the United States did for Europe after World War II? One continent had been devastated by a dramatic war, the other has been laid low by grinding poverty. There are new signals for change, but whether change will follow is another matter.

POLITICS: Apparently, Death Squads Neither Quaint Nor Obsolete

On Sunday, the U.S. periodical Newsweek revealed that the Pentagon is actively considering an effort in Iraq that human rights groups say more closely resembles a dark and desperate homage to D'Aubissonism than an actual policy initiative.

MIDEAST: For Abbas, the Hard Bit Comes Now

Mahmoud Abbas must have unleashed a great sigh of relief when the results of the Palestinian election were announced Monday and it became clear he had won over 60 percent of the vote - a result he can present as a broad, popular mandate. But the electioneering was the easy part.

TSUNAMI IMPACT: In Sri Lanka, Disaster May Yet Aid Unity

These are surreal times for Sri Lanka’s political leaders. Never before have they been sought after, sympathised with and offered promises of assistance from an impressive list of international figures as has happened since the tsunamis ravaged the coast of this island nation.

TSUNAMI IMPACT: Narrow Minded Nationalism in Aceh Aid

It began quite mysteriously through mobile phone text messages just days after the Dec. 26 undersea quake and resultant killer waves flattened the province of Aceh in northern Sumatra; the messages were short and clear: they warned that Christians were adopting Acehnese orphans.

TSUNAMI IMPACT: Narrow Minded Nationalism in Aceh Aid

It began quite mysteriously through mobile phone text messages just days after the Dec. 26 undersea quake and resultant killer waves flattened the province of Aceh in northern Sumatra, killing over 100,000 people.

ARGENTINA: Lessons from the Tragedy

The nightclub fire that recently claimed 190 lives in the Argentine capital exposed huge shortcomings and flaws in inspections and enforcement of safety standards. However, there were also a number of public institutions that did their job, and functioned well, both before and during the disaster.