Issues of Global Import

6 October 2003


Pyongyang is Bluffing
Two stories in the media last week merit joint consideration: the fact that many Iraqi soldiers and scientists lied to their superiors about having weapons of mass destruction and the announcement by North Korea that it has reprocessed 8,000 nuclear fuel rods to produce six to twelve atomic weapons. The former foreshadows the latter because, in bluntest terms, the North Koreans are probably lying to the world. Click here for more.

Israel's Security Wall is a Waste
The Israeli cabinet voted last week to extend the wall currently under construction to keep out suicide bombers by quarantining the Palestinian-held territories. The supporters of the idea believe that it will make it harder for militants to attack civilian populations in Israel. Detractors say it precludes any peace negotiations by unilaterally creating a de facto border before negotiations. In simple truth, it is just a waste of money. Click here to read Kensington's Opinion.

Too Many Searches, Not Enough Security
"There has been an overuse of terrorism laws to the disadvantage of ordinary citizens and travelers." This is the sort of thing one hears from the ACLU and other human rights groups, and most people tune out when they hear it. But the man who said those words is Ronald K. Noble, secretary general of Interpol. Time to reconsider the false trade-off between security and freedom. Click here to read why.