Labor, Trade, & Finance Archives - Page 124 of 235

Rogue Nations and WMD: Hiroshima and Nagasaki Remembered

by Madhavee Inamdar | Dec 1, 2002

The Bush administration has finally laid out a formal strategy document on combating weapons of mass destruction. It has recently issued a reminder of its policy that warns any nation using weapons of mass destruction against the United States or its allies that it will face massive retaliation, perhaps with nuclear weapons. An official says the policy statement is part of President Bush’s effort to deal with threats from “rogue nations” and terrorists alike. By rehabilitating the term rogue to describe states Washington considers beyond the pale of the “civilized” political community, President Bush has brought the “Rogue Nations” phrase back into global fashion.

House of Cards

by Michael Dahan | Nov 1, 2002

The recent dissolution of the National Unity Government in Israel should not come as a surprise to anyone closely following the Israeli political scene. The reason the unity government lasted so long was that it was comfortable for all parties involved. By keeping his opposing political party under his government umbrella Prime Minister Sharon was granted a much-needed degree of legitimacy in both internal and external politics. On the other hand, Labor party cabinet members found political relevance in their participation in Sharon’s government where, otherwise, their lack of ability to provide Israelis with an alternate national strategy would have consumed their few remaining political credits among Israeli voters. Israeli democracy will be sorely tested in the weeks to come, and to pass this test a bold, peace-oriented leadership must step forward.

Afghanistan: It Is Time for a Change in the Nation-Building Strategy

by Mark Sedra | Nov 1, 2002

Events of recent months demonstrate that a shift in the nation-building strategy adopted by the international community in Afghanistan is needed. Reconstruction and development have been alarmingly slow and the security situation across the country is gradually deteriorating. Spoiler groups, most notably former Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s Hizb-e-Islami party and the remnants of the Taliban and Al Qaeda have proven to be more resilient than earlier anticipated and are regrouping. Recalcitrant warlords, many receiving the support of the U.S. government, have also proven to be a monumental obstacle to security and development. The historical parallels between the present security situation and that which existed immediately prior to the Taliban’s ascent to power are striking and should not be overlooked. Security conditions in certain regional centers appear to have reverted to the status quo ante of 1992.

Afghanistan: Donor Inaction and Ineffectiveness

by Mark Sedra | Oct 1, 2002

The fall of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in November 2001 presented the international community with an unprecedented opportunity to restore peace and security to a perennial trouble spot. Almost one year later it appears that it has failed.

After Bali, The Need to Understand

by Paul Rogers | Oct 1, 2002

The massacre in Bali was the most terrible in a series of recent incidents that reveal Al Qaeda’s continuing activity. From Yemen to Kuwait and Pakistan, is the entanglement of the U.S. in the Islamic world actually serving the group’s long-term strategy? If so, the vital need at this critical moment in the war on terror is not more rhetoric, but deeper understanding.

Forced Labor of Public Employees in the United States: A Note from the 2002 International Labor Conference

by Paul Germanotta | Oct 1, 2002

Something unusual occurred in Geneva at the 90th session of the annual Conference of the International Labor Organization (ILO), in June 2002. For the first time ever, the case of a violation of an ILO convention by the Government of the United States was taken up by the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards.

Wake Up and Smell the Occupation

by Sam Bahour | Oct 1, 2002

As Israel jumps from one self-made crisis to the next, the State of Israel itself is in an alarming condition.

Roadmap To Nowhere

by Sam Bahour, Michael Dahan | Oct 1, 2002

The new U.S. “road map” for peace in the Middle East presented by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William J. Burns is no more than a placebo for consumption by both Palestinians and the world community in response to their pressuring Israel for positive movement toward immediately ending the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. It is also perhaps an attempt to somehow justify Bush’s planned road trip to/through Iraq.

A New Development Paradigm Domestic Demand-Led Growth

by Thomas I. Palley | Sep 1, 2002

The Washington consensus, with its emphasis on export-led growth, has failed. It is time for a new development policy agenda that focuses on domestic demand-led growth. Achieving such an outcome will require a new constellation of policies. Domestic demand-led growth rests on four pillars: (1) improved income distribution, (2) good governance, (3) financial stability and space for counter-cyclical stabilization policy, and (4) an adequate, fairly priced supply of development finance. The policies needed to put these pillars in place are (1) labor and democratic rights, (2) appropriate reform and regulation of the financial architecture, and (3) a combination of debt relief, increased foreign aid, and increased development assistance provided through expanded SDRs.

No Thank You, Mr. President

by Lev Grinberg | Sep 1, 2002

Following the end of the 1967 Yom Kippur War, the Israeli government decided to knock down the barriers separating Eastern Jerusalem and annex the eastern Palestinian neighborhoods. Expecting immediate American pressure to withdraw from the conquered territories, the government rushed in and took control. The pressure never came. That expectation was based on past experience: In 1956 the U.S. forced Israel to withdraw from the Sinai Desert back to the international border, in three months. In 1967, though, surprisingly, no such demand was made. On the contrary–the Americans allowed Israel to start a construction lunge, building neighborhoods in Eastern Jerusalem, settlements in the West Bank, in Sinai, and in the Golan Heights. Not only was there no pressure to withdraw, but Israel received a generous three billion dollars of funding annually, which went mainly to subsidize the American weapons industry.