To the Point
Coalition with the Middle-East and Russia
President Bush has described the war on terrorism as a conflict between good and evil, but for the Middle East and South Asia, it's more complex. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan are taking heavy risks in supporting the US because of Anti-Americanism and support for Osama bin Laden within their own borders. Russia, the gateway to countries surrounding Afghanistan, is fighting its own war against Muslims in Chechnya. We weigh the risks and returns for America's new allies, with political scientists, a former assistant secretary of defense and experts on Islam. Newsmaker: Israel Creates Buffer Zone Prior to Arafat Meeting- Since the attacks on New York and Washington, there's been hope of de-escalating the explosive conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Now Israel has created a buffer zone between itself and the West Bank, which UN Secretary General Kofi Anan calls "a provocative act." Dani ben-Simon is political analyst at Israel's Ha-aretz newspaper. Reporter's Notebook: Guns in the Cockpit - The Air Line Pilots Association says the attack on September 11 rewrote the rules for airline safety. They're asking Congress to screen and train some of their members to carry weapons. Craig Schmidtman, editor of AerospaceNews.com, would prefer to focus on keeping intruders out of the cockpit.
President Bush has described the war on terrorism as a conflict between good and evil, but for the Middle East and South Asia, it's more complex. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan are taking heavy risks in supporting the US because of Anti-Americanism and support for Osama bin Laden within their own borders. Russia, the gateway to countries surrounding Afghanistan, is fighting its own war against Muslims in Chechnya. We weigh the risks and returns for America's new allies, with political scientists, a former assistant secretary of defense and experts on Islam.
Israel Creates Buffer Zone Prior to Arafat Meeting- Since the attacks on New York and Washington, there's been hope of de-escalating the explosive conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Now Israel has created a buffer zone between itself and the West Bank, which UN Secretary General Kofi Anan calls "a provocative act." Dani ben-Simon is political analyst at Israel's
Ha-aretz newspaper.
Guns in the Cockpit - The Air Line Pilots Association says the attack on September 11 rewrote the rules for airline safety. They're asking Congress to screen and train some of their members to carry weapons. Craig Schmidtman, editor of
AerospaceNews.com, would prefer to focus on keeping intruders out of the cockpit.
Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy