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A review essay on a book by James H. Critchfield, Partners at the Creation: The Men Behind Postwar Germany's Defense and Intelligence Establishments (Annapolis: Naval Instit Press, 2003). Washington wants to hire ex-Baathists to help rebuild Iraq. The CIA's experience using ex-Nazis to run West Germany's intelligence service should give it pause. Adapted from the source document.

Argues that the Bush administration's rhetoric about a multilateral approach to North Korea has been a diplomatic ploy rather than a sincere effort to deal with substantive issues. The US position is opposed by the other participants in the Six-Party Talks & has failed to make any progress toward North Korea's nuclear disarmament. There is a critical need for the US to "get serious about working out a strong, united strategy with its friends & allies." The need for the North to be involved in future multilateral discussions is emphasized. The first priority should be freezing & shutting down the plutonium-based program at Yongbyong, followed by efforts to substantiate & end any uranium-based programs. It is maintained that the nuclear problem cannot be settled in isolation from other issues that are important to North Korea, including conventional military forces, trade, investment, energy, humanitarian aid, & political recognition. The risks involved in the Bush administration's failure to develop a comprehensive approach are examined, along with the respective roles played by the People's Republic of China, South Korea, Russia, Japan, & the European Union. J. Lindroth

The Forum sits down with Ambassador Barbara Bodine, the first senior US diplomat deployed to Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, to discuss prospects for Iraq, life as a hostage in Kuwait, the joint investigation into the USS Cole attack in Yemen, & the 9/11 commission. Adapted from the source document.

It is possible to construct a template that can be used to assess the extent to which there is a culture of peace in different societies. The template could contain (a) a brief introduction to the unique situation facing a society, (b) a listing of those aspects of a society most relevant to a culture of peace, (c) a subjective discussion as well as a listing of objective indicators of each of these aspects, & (d) a concluding section suggesting what needs to be done to achieve a more peaceful culture in the particular society. Such a format could provide a thought-provoking overall organization that allows comparison of societies although leaving sufficient room for particularities. This article discusses the concept of a culture of peace & then proposes such a format, together with a set of objective measures. The template is illustrated by its application to an assessment of the US. 3 Tables, 40 References. Adapted from the source document.

Hellmann attributes the tension in the transatlantic relationship to a crisis in German foreign policy that has been experiencing a power political resocialization since the beginning of the 1990s, & proposes an "offensive idealism." Yet the current pragmatism in German foreign policy has its roots in Hellmann's positively evaluated "Bonner Republic." The driving force in German foreign policy has been recognition & equality of rights & that continues in the current framework of the EU. Germany has increasingly become less a piece of the US in the middle of Europe & more an independent global participant. The responsibility of this cannot be avoided & requires proponents for German pragmatism based less on daily political considerations & more on values & goals. Over the midterm, German foreign policy visions can be melded with the other EU members, although it remains to be seen whether European self-determination is won in relation to the US or if it can be more broadly formulated. L. Kehl

The question of whether current globalization processes will result in the "globalization of the human imagination" is considered. Although the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the US are interpreted as a crime against humanity, it is asserted that the attacks themselves were a response to certain people's belief that human imagination had become globalized. It is contended that the unavailability of Internet access & the increasing infiltration of American media into foreign markets have effectively silenced the voices & imaginations of sundry cultures & societies. It is claimed that developing nations must reassert their cultural independence in order to regain imaginative freedom but must remain open to cultural pluralism. Indeed, it is suggested that several present international conflicts have resulted from the lack of international mechanisms for promoting true cultural pluralism. It is concluded that the cultivation of cultural imagination & freedom on a global level is needed to prevent future terrorist attacks. J. W. Parker

There are several paths of terror at seaports, terminals, inland waterways, & pipelines for entry of persons, materials, & weapons & for access to destroy seaport infrastructure, ships, equipment, & people so as to disrupt economic activity. This research seeks to do the following: (1) Examine the probability of terror events via these paths & to determine a strategy to create barriers to entry & access, & to ensure the likelihood of these events is near zero. (2) Identify specific actions taken, & by whom, to accomplish the above objective, considering interacting government levels & public-private partnerships. (3) Suggest apparent inaction where a probability of terror remains, albeit judged more qualitatively than quantitatively. The need for secrecy & the reality of erroneous public information complicates the task of researcher & terrorist alike. 1 Table, 2 Figures, 31 References. Adapted from the source document.