POLITICS: U.S. Passivity on Liberia Carnage Labelled ‘Hypocrisy’

You lead the greatest military superpower in history. Your armed forces have conquered two fair-sized nations half a world away in just the last 18 months. You boast that you will not hesitate to use force against "evil-doers".

POLITICS-SRI LANKA: Tamil Tigers Reveal Chinks in Their Armour

By setting new conditions for resurrecting the stalled peace talks, the Tamil Tigers have conceded that the world beyond the patch of land they control in northern Sri Lanka is an inhospitable place.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: Being in Opposition, the Most Dangerous Job Today

A key characteristic of the political terrain in Zimbabwe, dating back to pre-independence, has been the systematic suppression of political competition and use of violence as a tool of sustaining political hegemony.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: Being in Opposition, the Most Dangerous Job Today

A key characteristic of the political terrain in Zimbabwe, dating back to pre-independence, has been the systematic suppression of political competition and use of violence as a tool of sustaining political hegemony.

POLITICS: Conflicts, Poverty at the Bottom of the African Union Agenda

The second summit of the African Union is likely to be marked by political wrangling as the continent's leaders try to reach agreement on the functioning and final structures of the pan-African body.

BURMA: Pressure Rises on ASEAN, West to Work on Political Change

International outrage continues to mount over the continued detention of Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, with Rangoon's neighbours in South-east Asia fidgeting at the political - and perhaps economic - price of the country's intrasigence.

HEALTH: Three Months Later, More Questions than Answers on SARS

After all the speeches at this week's first global conference on SARS, the diagnosis has to be that although three months of unprecedented international cooperation has stemmed its spread this time around, much more remains unknown about the deadly virus.

POLITICS-ASIA: Moscow Looking East to Counter U.S. Power

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov's extended trip across Asia - including India, Pakistan and Cambodia - is part of Moscow's 'Look East' policy to counter Washington's push for global dominance.

POLITICS-ASIA: Moscow Looking East to Counter U.S. Power

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov's extended trip across Asia - including India, Pakistan and Cambodia - is part of Moscow's 'Look East' policy to counter Washington's push for global dominance.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Band-aid Solution to ‘Save’ Country Fuels Debate

Australia's expected intervention in the Solomon Islands to 'save' the country from collapse is a necessary evil for some, but for others it addresses the symptoms rather than the causes of lawlessness, corruption and ethnic conflict in the Pacific state.

IRAQ: From Liberation to Counter-Insurgency in Less Than 80 Days

It was just 45 days ago that President George W Bush, in a campaign-perfect photo-op, landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of California, swaggered across the deck in full flight gear, and declared that ''Operation Iraqi Freedom'' had liberated that nation from the evil clutches of former President Saddam Hussein.

POLITICS: African Union Seeks to Shed the Image of Mere ‘Talk Shop’

A year into its mandate to replace the old Organisation of African Unity, the African Union is seeking substantive acts to counter criticism that it is a mere "talk shop" for travel-loving ministers.

POLITICS-ASIA: India Blunders in Dealing with China

China's deliberate delay in announcing Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Beijing, until barely a week before his departure on Jun. 22, appears to be a shrewd tactical move by a 'dormant enemy' to weaken Delhi's negotiating position on a range of outstanding territorial, security and diplomatic issues.

POLITICS-U.S.-MIDEAST: Deja Vu as Bush Pushed Aside

As beloved New York Yankee catcher and phrase-maker Yogi Berra once said, it seems like ''deja vu all over again''.

BURMA: U.S. Move May Finally Give Junta Real Taste of Sanctions

By moving to impose the toughest sanctions on Burma so far of any Western country, the U.S. Congress may finally give the junta an overdue lesson on the economic pain such punitive measures can bring.

POLITICS-SRI LANKA: Tamil Tigers Are No Easy Pushovers

While the Sri Lankan government views the financial pledges made at this week's aid meeting in Tokyo as a windfall, this sentiment may be short-lived if the Tamil Tigers live up to their mark as rebels who are not easy pushovers.

POLITICS-US: Pentagon Moving Swiftly to Become ‘GloboCop’

Much like its successful military campaign in Iraq, the Pentagon is moving at seemingly breakneck speed to re-deploy U.S. forces and equipment around the world in ways that will permit Washington to play ''GloboCop'', according to a number of statements by top officials and defence planners.

POLITICS-U.S.: Pentagon Moving Swiftly to Become ‘GloboCop’

Much like its successful military campaign in Iraq, the Pentagon is moving at seemingly breakneck speed to re-deploy U.S. forces and equipment around the world in ways that will permit Washington to play ''GloboCop'', according to a number of statements by top officials and defence planners.

POLITICS-MIDEAST: Is Bush Seriously Committed?

The question is, is U.S. President George W. Bush really serious - serious enough to put real pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon - about implementing the much-heralded ''road map'' to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians?

POLITICS-MIDEAST: Road Map Raises Tough Questions for Palestinians

These are tough days for Palestinians and their supporters in the Middle East, who face the question of whether the time has come for the 'intifadah' or armed uprising to end given the current negotiations with Israel.

POLITICS-U.S.: Why Do More of Them Hate Us More?

After the Sep. 11, 2001 al-Qaeda attacks on New York and the Pentagon, the big question here was, ''Why Do They Hate Us?''