Current Analysis Irrelevance Lost As the United States and its small band of supporters begin a war against Iraq without Security Council authorization or even a majority show of support, questions about the future of the United Nations seem ever more urgent. For the last several months, Bush administration officials have issued dire warnings Marc Lynch • 8 min read
Current Analysis "Free People Will Set the Course of History" As the Bush administration struggled to find a justification for launching an attack on Iraq, churning out sketchy intelligence reports about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and links with al-Qaeda, Washington wordsmiths produced their own grist for the war mill: the prospect of a democratic pax Robert Blecher • 22 min read
Current Analysis Targeting Muslims, at Ashcroft's Discretion On September 11, 2002, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), then part of the Department of Justice, began implementing a broad program of "special registration" for certain "non-immigrant aliens" resident in the United States to facilitate the "monitoring" of people so registered " Louise Cainkar • 10 min read
Current Analysis Sanctions and the "Moral Case" for War Economic sanctions have suddenly resurfaced in the international debate about Iraq, after months of near silence on the issue. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in particular, has advanced the notion that one of the benefits of a war with Iraq would be the prospect of lifting the punitive economic sanctions Per Oskar Klevnas • 10 min read
Current Analysis A Saudi Dissident's Agenda for Democratic Reform From Washington to the Arab summit, there has been much discussion lately of reformism in Saudi Arabia, but few have heard from grassroots voices within the pro-democracy movement itself. The United States has acted as though it were introducing reform notions where they previously did not exist. B Mohammed AlMohaissen • 2 min read
Current Analysis Anti-War Thinking: Acknowledge Despair, Highlight Progress on Moral Preemption It is difficult not to feel despair and powerlessness at this awful juncture. Millions in the world fought with all their hearts and minds to avoid violence in Iraq. Inevitably, when bombs fall, there is a deep and emotional void that is opened. Many will pray. Others will simply reflect. Countless Desmond Tutu, Ian Urbina • 2 min read
Current Analysis Israel, the US and "Targeted Killings" Six Hamas militants killed in a car explosion on February 16 were assassinated by Israel, Hamas claims. While Israel denies involvement in the deaths, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported on February 17 that Israel will assassinate other members of the military wing of Hamas as part of its planned len Ian Urbina, Chris Toensing • 12 min read
Current Analysis Israel's Clampdown Masks System of Control Citing "many intelligence reports" of possible attacks on civilians inside Israel, on February 10 Israel imposed "complete closure" upon Palestinian towns and villages in the Occupied Territories for the duration of the Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha, which ends on February 14. This measure, last taken Adam Hanieh • 8 min read
Current Analysis Litmus Test Hours before chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix briefed the UN Security Council on January 27, Turkey's deputy prime minister protested that the Bush administration would proceed toward military confrontation regardless of Blix's findings. "You'll declare war against an Iraq...that has taken Yuksel Taskin, Koray Caliskan • 9 min read
Current Analysis A Case for Concern, Not a Case for War On January 27, UNMOVIC Executive Chairman Hans Blix and IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei presented to the UN Security Council their required updates on the progress of weapons inspections inside Iraq. The updates arrive as the differences between the overt strategies of Security Council members reach a new level of Nathaniel Hurd, Alistair Millar, Glen Rangwala • 9 min read
Current Analysis The Palestinian Elections That Never Were January 20, 2003—the scheduled date of elections that existed on Palestinian Authority letterhead alone—passed with the incumbent presidential candidate nearly imprisoned in his offices in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Several weeks earlier, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat candidly told reporters Charmaine Seitz • 11 min read
Current Analysis The Israeli Election Campaign Avoids the Issues In the early stages of the campaign for the Israeli Knesset elections due to be held on January 28, there were no armed attacks by Palestinians on Israelis. During the same six weeks, Israeli forces shot dead some 75 Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This is what passes for a period Joel Beinin • 8 min read
