The World Today

June 2003: June 2003

How will the tide of ideas turn in the Arab world after the fall of Saddam Hussein? It is assumed Iraq will become a beacon of democracy in the region and set an example for all. But what if the opposite happens and the region turns more radical? Wars and their aftermath generate a basic re-evaluation of values and principles. The United States is now in conflict with most of the tendencies in the Middle East, from the secular Ba’athists to the fundamentalists and nationalists. Battlefield victory does not guarantee triumph in the battle of ideas. After Iraq, it could go either way.

Articles

The United States does have a counter-terrorism strategy, and regime change in Iraq was integral to it.

The European Convention is about to present its ideas on the future shape of Europe. Can it successfully deal with issues as diverse as organisation, representation and defence for a union of twenty five states?

The British debate on joining the euro sails on – amidst tempests at home but on a rising tide of disinterest beyond. Is it possible that the latest decision on June 9 will be just a marker along the course to final disengagement from the European Union?

President Vladimir Putin’s engagement with the west continues this month when he stays at Buckingham Palace as part of a state visit. State building is a preoccupation for Britain and America, especially in Iraq. It’s something that has been at the heart of Putin’s success.

Hong Kong’s economy has taken a beating from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) comparable to that inflicted by the Asian economic crisis in the late 1990s. But there is another similarity between the two: both are related in complex ways to the economic transformation process termed ‘globalisation’. Like the economic crisis, SARS compels us to recognise that global markets need to be managed and regulated. Public services such as health systems are indispensible. This involves concerted public action and intervention, but here is the conundrum: globalisation creates new constraints on the supply of these collective goods.

For five years the threat of nuclear war has hung over South Asia. Just ahead of the anniversary of the first nuclear tests by India and Pakistan, there were hopeful signs of reconciliation and possibly the elimination of weapons few can see a use for.

Also in this issue

After six months of ceasefire, Aceh is once more at war. The independence movement overplayed its hand on the ground, while Jakarta’s decisions have become hostage to a growing Indonesian nationalism. Despite renewed hostilities, the Aceh conflict is ultimately a political one with no military solution - and both sides know it.

West Africa risks being sucked into a devastating regional war, similar to that in central Africa. Liberia’s festering conflict, already almost a decade old, has continued to spread and consume its neighbours. The war has recently encompassed the Mano River Union countries of Guinea and Sierra Leone, it has now expanded east to Côte d’Ivoire and its impact has been felt as far away as Gambia and Ghana. Action is needed, especially from Washington, which has always had special links.