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Taipei Times (Taiwan)

82 articles

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“Will Russia control Europe thanks to oil?”

by Alexander Etkind

2 February 2006
Taking into account the kind of car you have is not important, because every time you fill up the tank you’re paying for the equivalent of what a Russian teacher makes a month. You’re also contributing to finance an archaic, inefficient and evil regimen. Russia began its G8 presidency by unleashing a gas-related war with Ukraine. By practically having the monopoly of supplies to Ukraine, Russia believed it could set prices to benefit itself. But, on its part, Ukraine virtually owns other (...)

“Ukraine’s gas settlement: the wrong solution”

by Yuliya Tymoshenko

2 February 2006
Europe’s sigh of relief when the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine was supposedly over could even be heard in Kiev. But this settlement, which leaves Ukraine’s energy requirements to the mercy of a nonexistent company linked to a gang of international criminals, brings about more problems than solutions. This is the reason why I have presented a legal action.
The settlement between Ukraine and Gazprom, the Russian state-owned company, leaves Ukraine’s energy-related future to the mercy (...)

“Fanatical: one percent in Islam”

by Mohammad Habash

19 January 2006
In the Middle East, conservative Islam reflects a fundamental reality of Muslim society, but it should not be mistaken for violent radicalism as the United States does, unfortunately. Violence and terrorism abound in the region but not because conservatism is quite common. The Centre for Islamic Studies did a survey that showed that 80% of the Islamic population is conservative, whereas the other 20% is mainly formed by reformists. Radicals are not more than 1% of the population. I believe (...)

“Latin America at a crossroads”

by Raùl Alfonsin

17 January 2006
Last year marked a change in Latin America. An increasing number of countries of the region seem to be determined to defend their interests despite the United States’ plans. José Miguel Insulza’s election as the head of the Organization of American States (OAS) against the candidate supported by the Bush Administration has clearly showed the decline of the American leadership in the continent. The United States has not only lost the control of the OAS, which usually backs its interests. It (...)

“Sharon’s centrism the likely winner in Israel’s shake-up”

by Barry Rubin

1 December 2005
Due to the realignment of Israeli politicians and parties, Israel’s political life will suffer the most extraordinary change in the last 30 years. To understand what the consequences for the future of Israel, the region and the Israeli-Arab relations will be, is important.
The Israeli political system is living the end of its second era. The first one was the 1948-1977 period with the hegemony of the Labour Party. Gradually, a sort of free space emerged between the right and the centre (...)

“The promises of the Iraqi Constitution”

by Feisal Amin al-Istrabadi

14 November 2005
The constitutional process implemented in Iraq has brought hope to the Iraqis for this is the first text whose draft has been supervised by an elected assembly and, and whatever the result of the referendum, what matters is this occurrence of democratic debate.
The efforts made by the Assembly before the referendum took place, turned out to be a real success. The creation of a Drafting Committee, larger than the Assembly, aimed at mitigating the lack of participation of a denominational (...)

“Redeeming the United Nations”

by Shashi Tharoo

23 September 2005
The Heads of State and Government meet today in New York to discuss the reform of the institutions. Ambassadors work hard to give the finishing touches to the proposals for reforms.
In 27 years at the service of the UN, I’ve seen many transformations. When I joined the organization, no one would have believed that the UN would organize elections in sovereign countries, would conduct weapon inspections, would impose commercial sanctions to its member states and would set up international (...)

“Who Really Bombed Paris?”

by Naima Bouteldja

19 September 2005
After the 1995 attacks in Paris, it has been often said that France was the first western country to be hit by Islamist terrorist attacks. Politicians and experts would not stop then alerting Great Britain to keep from admitting radical preachers and Islamists. After the London attacks, commentators hurried to suggest that Great Britain should adopt the French model of zero-tolerance and integration in the name of the republican values. The model would have protected France from attacks and (...)

“The odds are stacked unevenly in Egypt’s upcoming poll”

by Saad Eddin Ibrahim

13 September 2005
The Egyptians are voting today to elect a president among ten candidates. It is likely that Hosni Mubarak be reelected, who has been in power for 24 years. In fact, despite the appearances, the conditions of such activity are far from being fair, since Mubarak has the recognition of his name, practically the monopoly of the electronic media controlled by the States and 85% of the written media. In addition, all members of the Election Commission were appointed by himself.
Since the year (...)

“Ukraine Deserves EU Membership”

by Yuliya Tymoshenko

29 June 2005
EU long-standing members seem to doubt now the future of the Union, but we, in Ukraine, continue to see it in hope and admiration. Entering the EU is the central project of our foreign policy.
Europe is an indivisible whole. If a European nation is not free, the rest isn’t completely. We would never like to see a split Europe. A Europe of peace and prosperity need be spread all over its territories. Some say that Ukraine is not a part of Europe, but you only have to go to Kiev and talk (...)

“Now It’s The Time To Turn Despair Into Opportunity”

by Peter Mandelson

17 June 2005
The peoples of France and The Netherlands already demonstrated, and the European politicians should think about it. There were several reasons for a “No”, but the corroboration is clear: there is disappointment regarding the European Union. Europe is too much exposed to criticism. This has created a vicious circle where politicians who, despite their calling themselves pro-Europeans, launch populist attacks against Brussels. Jacques Chirac also made the mistake of putting the blame of his (...)

"The Iraqi Revolt Differs From Previous Ones"

by Steven Metz

16 June 2005
As Sun Tzu taught us, victory in battle demands that one know their opponent. This is the knowledge which we lack about Iraq to confront the insurrection.
In some respects, the Iraqi insurrection is identical to those that preceded it in the twentieth century. As all insurrections, its failure or success will depend on people’s capacity to mobilize the population’s support. And there’s an even more important element - history reminds us that once an insurrection has reached critical (...)

“Islam Can Vote, if We Let It”

by Saad Eddin Ibrahim

6 June 2005
During the last municipal elections in Saudi Arabia - the first democratic experience of the nation - some were concerned about the figures reached by the Islamists vs. their secular opponents. In fact, we witnessed a similar tendency in Turkey, Morocco, Iraq and an identical episode is to be expected in Lebanon, Palestine or Egypt. This trend cannot be ignored but let’s leave panic aside. Actually, the evolution of this movement has been watched for 30 years now and I see a significant (...)

"France Says ’No’ to Chirac, Not to Europe"

by Melvyn Krauss

9 May 2005
Voting «no» for the European Constitution does not mean for France to say «no» to Europe, but to say «no» to Jacques Chirac. However, all that weakens Chirac is good news for Europe and for European integration. Those who want a more integrated Europe should be happy about that.
Even before the May referendum, there are indicators that show that the capacity of France to shape the European Union is weakening. Just recently, Rumanian President, Traian Basescu signed the Treaty concerning the (...)