News

Bush Says N. Korea Must Do More, Human Rights Under Scrutiny

SEOUL, South Korea -- Following talks here this week with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, U.S. President Bush said North Korea must do more if it wants to retire its membership in the "axis of evil." Despite Pyongyang's declaration of its plutonium-based nuclear weapons program and the recent destruction of the cooling tower at its Yongbyon reactor, Bush said North Korea has a long way to go. For the first time during the six-party talks, U.S. diplomacy appears focused on human rights.

Commentary

The Games: Political Manipulation of Olympic Proportions

When the Olympic Games begin in Beijing on Friday, it will be just about impossible to avoid getting caught up in the excitement. The world's collective eyes will become fixed on television screens beaming images from China's meticulously organized games. Behind the human drama and dazzling athleticism, however, loom troubling truths about the Olympics: truths not just about these games, but about the organization that runs them, and the way the event has been manipulated over decades for political purposes.

Also in News

• Ahead of the Olympic Games, Excitement and Fear in Beijing Iason Athanasiadis  |  Culture
• Rights & Wrongs: the Olympics, Australia, South Asia and Uganda Juliette Terzieff  |  Human Rights
• Fighting in Lebanon's Tripoli Could Play into Syrian Hands Simon Roughneen  |  War and Conflict
• Iran's Inflation Woes Leave Ahmadinejad Vulnerable in 2009 Elections Erica Alini  |  Domestic Politics
• Philippine Immigrants to the Middle East Weigh Safety, the Law and the Lure of Work Dorian Merina  |  Economics and Business

Also in Commentary

• Computer Codes and Nuclear Nightmares: Swiss Case Shines Light on Khan Ring Richard Weitz  |  WMD
• Non-Interference, U.S. Election Law and Germany's Obama Contribution John Rosenthal  |  Domestic Politics
• Institutionalizing Adaptation: U.S. Counterinsurgency Capabilities Must Improve John A. Nagl and Brian M. Burton  |  U.S. Foreign Policy
• In Turkey, a Democratic Disaster Narrowly Averted Jonas Clark  |  Domestic Politics
• Russia, China End Decades-Long Border Dispute Richard Weitz  |  Diplomacy and Strategy