Asia Times

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</strong></font></font> </div> </td> </tr> </table> <div align="center"><strong></strong> <img height="10" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"><br> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/ED12Dj01.html" target="_blank"> <img hspace="0" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/images/tech-2.gif" border="0"></a><br> <img height="10" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"><br> <a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/others/Osama.html"><img hspace="0" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/Osama-logo-small-4.gif" border="0"></a><br> <img height="10" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"><br> <a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/others/Mekong.html"><img hspace="0" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/Mekong-small.gif" border="0"></a><br> <img height="10" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></div> <p align="center"> <table class="" id="table1" style="WIDTH: 112px; HEIGHT: 160px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" width="112" border="2"> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="midnightblue" align="left" bgcolor="gainsboro" height="0"><font color="#000080" size="2"><strong><font color="black">THE AMERICAN EMPIRE</font><br> </strong></font><font size="1">By Francesco Sisci<br> (Oct '02)</font><font size="1"><font color="#999999"><br> <img hspace="0" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif" border="0"></font></font><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/DJ16Ak01.html"><font size="1">Part 1: Reluctant hegemon</font></a><br> <img hspace="0" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif" border="0"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/DJ17Ak04.html"><font size="1">Part 2: Righteous king</font></a><br> <img hspace="0" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif" border="0"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/DJ18Ak02.html"><font size="1">Part 3: The fear within</font></a></td> </tr> </table> </p> </td> <td valign="top"> <table width="100%" height="31" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="top" background="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/top_bg.gif"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr align="middle" valign="top"> <td width="25%"> <div align="center"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/archive.asp"><img height="18" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/archive.gif" width="110" border="0"></a></div> </td> <td width="25%"> <div align="center"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/about.html"><img height="18" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/about.gif" width="110" border="0"></a></div> </td> <td width="25%"> <div align="center"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/contact.html"><img height="18" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/contact.gif" width="110" border="0"></a></div> </td> <td width="25%"> <div align="center"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/advertise.html"><img height="18" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/advertise.gif" width="110" border="0"></a></div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="10"> </td> <td align="left" valign="top" width="510"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <img height="5" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"> <tr> <td width="368" valign="top"> <p><font class="subhead"><strong class="head"> <table id="Table11" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="505" border="0" height="67"> <tr> <td valign="top" width="311"> <p><font class="subhead"><strong class="head">Front Page</strong></font></p> </td> <td width="36%"> <table id="Table12" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"> <tr> <td valign="center" align="middle" height="51"> <div align="right"><font class="time"><strong> <script language="javascript"> function showDate(){ var monthArray=["Jan", "Feb", "Mar", "Apr", "May", "Jun", "Jul", "Aug", "Sep", "Oct", "Nov", "Dec"] var days=["Sunday", "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday"] var d=new Date(); var month=d.getMonth() var day=d.getDate() var year=d.getYear() document.write(monthArray[month]) document.write(" ") document.write(day) document.write(", ") if(d.getYear()<2000){document.write(year+1900)} if(d.getYear()>2000){document.write(year)} } </script> <script language="javascript">showDate()</script> </strong></font> </div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <table id="Table8" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> <table id="Table3" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="509" align="left" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="body" valign="top" width="300"> <table id="Table4" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="287" border="0" style="WIDTH: 287px"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="286"><font color="#000000"><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"> <p><font color="blue"><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"><font size="2"><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000" size="2"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EF03Ak03.html"><strong>One fewer reformist voice in Saudi Arabia</strong></a><br>In sacking the editor of an anti-extremist newspaper, Saudi officials have plainly shown that when it comes to the voices of reform, their ears are closed. And will remain so, no matter how loud the cries become, if anyone else dares, that is. - <b>Ian Urbina<br></b> <br><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/EF03Df03.html "><strong>US support emboldens Musharraf</strong></a><br>Pakistan, as a key piece in the South Asia security puzzle, has been fully welcomed into the United States camp despite its less than spotless record on the democracy front. This tolerance could be significantly tested as President General Pervez Musharraf moves to avert a domestic crisis. - <b>Syed Saleem Shahzad</b> <br><br>   <img hspace="0" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif" border="0"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/EF03Df02.html ">Peace momentum slows</a> <br><br><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EF03Ak01.html "><strong>Running circles around Iran</strong></a><br>Although the reports have been officially denied, news that Azerbaijan and Georgia could be used as launch pads for a United States military strike against Iran have not gone down very well in Tehran. Nor in Moscow, for that matter. - <b>Hooman Peimani</b><br><br><strong><font color="red">COMMENTARY</font><br></strong><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EF03Ak02.html "><strong>A threadbare emperor tours the world</strong></a><br>Despite the smiles and sycophancy that will greet President George W Bush as he swings around the world, all is not well within the empire, especially in Afghanistan and Iraq. And there's trouble on the home front, too. - <b>Jim Lobe<br></b><br> <a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/EF03Ad03.html "> <strong> New SARS disaster looms in Beijing</strong></a> <br> <img hspace="3" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/beijing1-small.gif" align="left" vspace="3" border="0"> Before March, few people knew of Hong Kong's Amoy Gardens. That all changed once the residential complex experienced the largest localized outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome to date. Beiyuan Gardens, a residential complex on the outskirts of Beijing, is on the brink of becoming the Chinese capital's very own Amoy Gardens.<br><br><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/EF03Ae05.html "><strong>Myanmar problem needs Asian solution</strong></a><br>Yangon's latest crackdown against political reform, including the detention of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has provoked predictable howls of protest from the world's democracies. But Myanmar's generals don't care about the world's democracies. Pressure for reform, then, must come in a different, made-in-Asia package. <b>- David Simmons</b> <br><br><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/EF03Ae02.html "><strong>Cambodia meets Islam head on</strong></a><br>Among those targeted for destruction by Cambodia's murderous Khmer Rouge regime were the country's Muslims, who are now regrouping and rebuilding, with the help of foreigners. Arrests last week show how worried Phnom Penh is about the connection of some of these outsiders to extremist organizations, including al-Qaeda. <b>- B Raman<br></b> <br> <img hspace="0" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/bestofbe4[2].gif" border="0"><br> <br> <a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EE31Ak01.html "><strong>Why Moscow won't back down</strong></a><br> Russia has a perfectly legitimate right to pursue its nuclear collaboration with Iran, which is why Moscow is standing firm in the face of US protestations to the contrary. It is also in the Kremlin's interests to retain Tehran as a strategic ally, for should it "fall", who knows who will be next? - <strong>Hooman Peimani</strong> <font color="#999999" size="1">(May 30, '03)</font> <br> <br> <font color="#000000"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EE31Ak02.html"><strong>An Osirak in the offing</strong></a><br> Over the years, the United States has taken issue with Iran for a number of reasons, but in recent weeks it has taken specific aim at alleged al-Qaeda survivors seeking sanctuary in Iranian territory, and Tehran's non-military nuclear program. In this regard, it is worth remembering what happened to Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor in the 1980s. - <b>B Raman</b></font> <font color="#999999" size="1"> (May 30, '03)</font> <br> <br> <a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/EE31Dg01.html"><strong>Shady business: N Korea and crime</strong></a><br> Pyongyang has predictably denied any involvement in recent shipments of heroin to Australia. But the Australians are by no means the first to link North Korea's cash-strapped regime with criminal activities such as trafficking, and of maintaining ties with crooks all over East Asia. <strong>- Phar Kim Beng </strong> <font color="#999999" size="1">(May 30, '03)</font> <br> <br> <strong><font color="#ff0000">BANKING BUNKUM<br> </font></strong><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Asian_Economy/EE31Dk01.html "><font size="2"><strong>Part 4b: Japan's experience</strong></font></a><br> <font color="#000000" size="2">The rapid change in global economics to a system driven by US dollar hegemony caught Japan, with its long-standing policy of a high-export regime and large trade surpluses, wrong-footed. The result has been a long period of economic stagnation. But, <b>Henry C K Liu</b> notes in this installment of his case against central banking, a new factor has entered the equation: a growing symbiosis between the Japanese and Chinese economies. <font color="#999999" size="1"> (May 30, '03)</font></font> </font></font></font></font> </font></font> </font> </p></font></font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td valign="top" width="210"> <table id="Table5" style="WIDTH: 212px; HEIGHT: 600px" height="600" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="212" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td><font color="#000000" size="2"></font> <table id="Table6" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> </tr> <tr> <td> <table id="Table7" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"> <tr> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/search.asp" target="_blank"><img hspace="0" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/search-1.gif" border="0"></a><br> <img height="5" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="5"></td> </tr> </table> <table id="Table9" style="WIDTH: 211px; HEIGHT: 502px" bordercolor="#ff9900" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="211" border="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" align="middle" width="206" bgcolor="#fdf0c6"> <div align="center"><font size="2"></font></div> <table id="Table10" style="WIDTH: 201px; HEIGHT: 652px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="201" align="center" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" align="middle"><font color="#000000"><img height="5" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"><img height="1" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/images/1pix.gif" width="1"><br> <img alt="" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/asia_businessN.gif"></font> <p></p> <font color="#000000"> <p align="left"><font color="darkorange"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Asian_Economy/EF03Dk01.html "><strong><font size="2">Future hazy for success<br>of tobacco pact</font></strong></a><br><font size="2"><font color="#000000">Asian medical chiefs helped sponsor a World Health Organization anti-smoking treaty - the most sweeping in history - so they could keep multinationals out of the world's prime market for tobacco products. But there are fears for the treaty's demise unless there is a tradeoff on home-grown commercial interests. </font><font color="#000000"><strong>- Alan Boyd<br></strong></font></font><br><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/EF03Df08.html"><strong><font size="2">India aims high for<br>arms exports</font></strong></a><br><font size="2">If India is to achieve its target of US$20 million in arms exports this year, it must almost double the previous year's sales. But it does have a few fancy new weapons in its arsenal. - <b>David Isenberg<br></b></font><br><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/EF03Ae03.html "><strong><font size="2">Thailand: Dual track<br>to recovery</font></strong></a><br><font size="2">When Thaksin Shinawatra came into power in Thailand, which was still struggling after the 1997-98 financial crisis, his government launched an innovative economic program that shifted from the classic export-led Asian model to a strategy to support small and medium enterprises. The continued success of this program now faces a tough challenge: Chinese competition. This article is presented as a collaboration with <strong>Heartland</strong>.<br><br></font><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/EF03Ae04.html "><strong><font size="2">GM corn: Harvest in, jury out </font></strong></a><br><font size="2">Harvesting of genetically modified corn began last month in the Philippines, and good results appeared to corroborate the test findings of the giant US seed company Monsanto, which markets the corn-borer-fighting variety. Opponents of the program, however, warn of cross-pollination contaminating non-genetically engineered crops.<br><br></font> <a href="javascript:openWindow('https://web.archive.org/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/request.asp','list','resizable=no,width=495,height=585');"> <font><font size="2"><strong>Market Indices</strong> </font> </font></a><strong><font size="2"> <br> </font></strong><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/others/stock_market_report.html"><font><font size="2"><strong> Stock Market Report</strong> </font> </font></a> <br> <br> </font><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Business_in_Brief.html"><strong><font size="2">Business in Brief</font></strong></a><br> <table class="" id="Table13" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><img height="14" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/arrow.gif" width="14"></td> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Business_in_Brief.html#H1"><font size="2">Economics</font></a></td> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><img height="14" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/arrow.gif" width="14"></td> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Business_in_Brief.html#H5"><font size="2">Infrastructure</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><img height="14" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/arrow.gif" width="14"></td> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Business_in_Brief.html#H2"><font size="2">Banking</font></a></td> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><img height="14" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/arrow.gif" width="14"></td> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Business_in_Brief.html#H6"><font size="2">Energy</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><img height="14" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/arrow.gif" width="14"></td> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Business_in_Brief.html#H3"><font size="2">IT</font> </a> </td> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><img height="14" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/arrow.gif" width="14"></td> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Business_in_Brief.html#H7"><font size="2">Autos</font></a></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><img height="14" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/arrow.gif" width="14"></td> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Business_in_Brief.html#H4"><font size="2">Telecoms</font></a></td> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><img height="14" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/arrow.gif" width="14"></td> <td class="" valign="top" align="left" height="0"><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Business_in_Brief.html#H8"><font size="2">Aviation</font></a></td> </tr> </table> </p> <p align="left"> </font></font><font face="Times New Roman" color="darkorange"><font face="Arial" color="#000000" size="2"> <a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/others/Company_in_brief.html"><strong>Company Briefs</strong></a> </font></font></p></font> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <br> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <font color="#000000" size="2"><strong> <hr> </strong>(Advertorial)<br> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/front_page/EB21Aa01.html"><strong><font color="#cc0099"> <strong>WSI Internet's Asian franchise expansion soars</strong> </font></strong> </a> <br> <font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.5pt">WSI Internet continues its rapid Asian franchise expansion - amidst record levels of Internet use in Asia-Pacific.</span></font></font> <hr> </font><font color="#000000" size="2"> <p> </font><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030602190031/http://www.heartland.limesonline.com/" target="_blank"><strong><img hspace="24" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes//images/heartland-logo-link.gif" border="0"></strong></a><br> <br> <table class="" id="table1" style="WIDTH: 212px; HEIGHT: 148px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" width="212" border="3"> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="darkorange" align="left" bgcolor="gainsboro" height="0"> <p align="left"><font color="darkorange" size="3"><strong><font color="red" size="2">FROM OUR MAILBOX</font><br> </strong></font><font color="#999999" size="1"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"> <font> <br><font><font size="2">In reply to Rob's letter castigating Asia Times Online for being "anti-American", I would rather say, not as a French person, not as an Arab, but as an ordinary Asian, that the West should accept that more than half the world's population, which lives in Asia, sees the world from a different angle.<br></font><font size="2"><strong>Ahmad R Shahid<br></strong>Islamabad <br><strong>  </strong> <br> Go to</font> </font></font></font><a href="/web/20030602190031/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Letters.html"><font size="2"> Letters to the Editor</font></a></font></font></p> </td> </tr> </table> <img height="5" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="5"><br> <table class="" id="Table2" style="WIDTH: 212px; HEIGHT: 126px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" width="212" border="3"> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="fuchsia" align="left" height="0"><font size="2"></font><font size="2"><strong><font color="#ff00ff"><a href="javascript:openWindow('/atimes/others/cartoon.html','list','resizable=yes,scrollbars,width=580,height=450');"><img hspace="3" src="/web/20030602190031im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/images/coates-30.5.03-thumb.gif" align="left" vspace="3" border="0"></a>WEEKEND  CARTOON</font></strong></font><strong><font color="#ff00ff"> <font size="2"></font> <br> </font></strong><font size="2">by<br> </font><font size="2"><strong><font color="magenta">Gavin Coates</font> <br> </strong></font> <br> <a href="javascript:openWindow('/atimes/others/cartoon.html','list','resizable=yes,scrollbars,width=580,height=450');"> <font 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