Security Archives - Page 5 of 13 - Foreign Policy In Focus

Blaming the Victim in Argentina

by David Felix | Aug 1, 2002

As is its wont, the IMF justifies its hard line on Argentina by placing full responsibility for the disaster on government mismanagement and corruption. It insists that Argentina must balance its fiscal budget, claiming that chronic deficits have been at the root of the excessive run-up of hard currency debt that produced the defaults. Indeed, to resume servicing that debt so as to regain access to the global financial markets, primary fiscal surpluses were essential. Without the fiscal turnaround, the IMF argues, additional credits would be throwing good money after bad.

The Return of Betancourt: Hostage-taking in Focus

by Lynn Holland | Aug 1, 2002

After five months of waiting, Colombians received news last week that former presidential candidate, Ingrid Betancourt, was indeed alive, at least as of May 15. The news came through a televised video apparently recorded on that date at an undisclosed jungle location. The video featured an exhausted Betancourt still at the hands of the FARC, the largest rebel group in the country. Betancourt’s abduction and that of her campaign manager, Clara Rojas, took place on February 23 as they traveled by car to San Vicente de Caguan. Her purpose in San Vicente, newly returned to government control, was to meet with the mayor, a member of her reform-oriented “Oxygen” party, and hold a human rights rally to reassure frightened villagers in the region.

Treaty for the Rights of Women Deserves Full U.S. Support

by Nora O'Connell, Ritu Sharma | Aug 1, 2002

In a recent address, President Bush declared, “A thriving nation will respect the rights of women, because no society can prosper while denying the opportunity to half its citizens.” The Arab Human Development Report, released in July, cited the lack of empowerment of women as one of the primary causes of the development gap between Arab countries and the rest of the world. Never before has the international community so strongly embraced the connection between the status of women’s human rights and the stability of a society as a whole.

Where Is The Outrage?

by Conn Hallinan | Jul 30, 2002

Let’s suppose you knew someone trying to get a leg up in life by getting his young family out of the mean streets of someplace like Detroit, East Los Angeles, or Philadelphia. Not only was the school his three daughters attended substandard, it was contaminated with asbestos and the city itself was strewn with garbage. But when he tried to move into a tree-lined suburb with manicured lawns, he couldn’t because he was (take your pick) black, brown, Asian, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, disabled, whatever.

The Empty Promise of Global Missile Defense

by Frida Berrigan, William D. Hartung | Jul 29, 2002

The Bush administration has been widely criticized worldwide for its go-it-alone foreign policy. But in one area the administration is enthusiastically embracing multilateralism, along with the Pentagon and U.S. defense corporations. All are working hard to get other countries to buy into their internationally unpopular missile defense program by giving their corporations a piece of the Star Wars action.

Northrop Grumman and TRW Merger: Sealing the Deal

by Michelle Ciarrocca | Jul 29, 2002

Northrop Grumman’s takeover of TRW will make it one of the world’s largest defense contractors, rivaling global conglomerates like Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems. After many offers for TRW over the past six months, negotiators agreed to Northrop Grumman’s offer of $60 a share or $7.8 billion, up 27% from their initial offer of $47 a share. Other companies bidding included BAE Systems, Raytheon, and General Dynamics–all of which were eager to grab TRW’s space and electronics business.

Bush Raises the Stakes in Iraq

by Charles Knight | Jul 3, 2002

The Bush administration’s enthusiasm for toppling Saddam Hussein is so single-minded that American officials are failing to recognize the effect of broadcasting publicly their intent to seek “regime change.” The Pentagon’s joint staff, which has the enormous task of planning any military campaign against Iraq, is forced to deal with the strategic blunder inherent in the administration’s policy.

Sudan: Growing Pressure for Harder Line Against Khartoum

by Jim Lobe | Jul 1, 2002

A settlement to the 19-year-old war between the predominantly Arab and Islamist government in Khartoum and the mostly African, non-Islamist rebels of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) is unlikely to be achieved any time soon unless the United States and Europe exert much stronger pressure urgently, according to a new report by an international think tank that specializes in conflict resolution.

Slouching Toward Johannesburg: U.S. is a Long Way from Sustainability

by John Dernbach | Jul 1, 2002

by John C. Dernbach

View Abroad: Bush’s War on Terrorism Is Floundering

by Daniel Plesch | Jul 1, 2002

But the Bush administration’s policy of “strike first” is more like “Talk loudly and get in everyone’s face.” For America’s allies, the new Bush Doctrine of attacking people before they attack us, known as “first strike,” is another example of a bull-in-a-china shop approach to world affairs.