Jim Lobe

The number of journalists thrown in prison around the world rose sharply in 2002, in contrast to a fall in the number of those killed in connection with their work, according to press watchdog, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Tonga, with no army or navy, can at best sent her hula girls to entertain the troops now fighting in Iraq. Still, it is o­n the list of the "coalition of the willing", as its 49th member.

The campaign in Iraq is proving to be tougher than expected. Events over the past week, including the capture of American service personnel, has shown that the war is going to be anything but a cake walk.

The idea of instant democratic transformation in the Middle East is a mirage and if a tidal wave of political change actually came to pass, the US would not be even remotely prepared to cope with the resulting instability.

Authors of a secret 1966 Pentagon study o­n the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Vietnam say their conclusion that these could be "catastrophic" to US global interests are at least as compelling today as they were almost 40 years ago.

President Bush claims many countries are eagerly responding to his clarion call but a new report states otherwise. It accuses the US of employing pressure - in the form of carrots and sticks- to garner support.

''Aggressive fighting for the right is the noblest sport the world affords,'' reads a bronze plaque o­n Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld's desk. It encapsulates much of the spirit that animates the hawks in the Bush administration.

Despite major negative trends, people who care about the global environment and human welfare should not despair, according to the State of the World 2003 report released last Thursday by WorldWatch Institute.

As the US prepares to oust Saddam Hussein and for war against Iraq, it continues to face obstacles to building a convincing argument for the move. War is inevitable but why must war be inevitable?

The Foreign Policy magazine names Singapore and Malaysia the most 'globalised' developing nations. The survey, which included 62 countries, found Iran to be the least globalised country while Ireland clinched the top spot.

As the US persuades countries to support its intended strike against Iraq, few will come under as much pressure as Turkey. US officials have launched a charm offensive to win Turkish support, but will have to contend with a hostile public.

A year after Bush began his ''war against terrorism", the balance sheet looks decidedly mixed. Now there is that growing sense that the war risks become a ''clash of civilizations''. Al Gore remains one of Bush's strongest critics.

Though the US police acted promptly to protect Muslims from the Sept 11 backlash, a human rights group's report says the department should have been better prepared.

Americans, according to a critic, are 'uniquely' afflicted with a habit of policy-making by analogy. Americans have utterly failed to rid themselves of this affliction, if the ongoing debate over what to do in Iraq, and now North Korea as well, is any indication.

US President George W Bush's war against terrorism does not appear to be going as well as planned. Western targets have been rocked by a series of attacks that are being blamed on al-Qaeda's influence.

Former US president Jimmy Carter has been selected for this year's Nobel Peace Prize for his quiet but effective diplomacy outside the United States. At home, though, he is anything but silent on the Bush administration's foreign policy.