World Watch

TERROR
Targeting Asia's Weakness
Islamic terrorists routinely say they hate the West — so why are they taking it out on the East? Bombings in Manila, Zamboanga and Karachi, in the wake of a particularly horrific blast in Bali, provided the answer: Asia offers the softest targets, often because its governments and police forces lack either the will or the way to crack down on extremist groups. In Bali last week, tourists and locals alike were outraged by revelations the Indonesian government ignored warnings from the U.S. that groups linked to al-Qaeda were active in the country. (The British and Australian governments denied allegations they had been told about a possible attack in Bali.) President Megawati Sukarnoputri's administration had also repeatedly snubbed requests from Malaysia and Singapore to arrest and extradite Abubakar Ba'asyir, a radical cleric who is said to lead the extremist Jemaah Islamiah (JI) — the group the U.S. suspects of being behind the Bali bombing. The day before he was due for interrogation, Ba'asyir fainted at a press conference and checked into a hospital. He was arrested anyway. Indonesian officials then said they did not think he was behind the blast. But JI remained on the list of suspects behind deadly bombs in the Philippines, on Thursday in the southern city of Zamboanga, and a day later in a Manila suburb. Ten people were killed and scores of others injured. Philippine police, already stretched by a war against Muslim separatists, said the terror outfit Abu Sayyaf was probably aided by outside groups — like JI. Meanwhile six parcel bombs exploded in Kara-chi, injuring eight people at the city's police offices. The intended targets: five cops who played important roles in the arrest of 12 members of an extremist Islamic group accused of the June car bombing of the U.S. consulate.

KOREA
If it isn't one rogue state, it's another
When George W. Bush said in January that North Korea was part of an "Axis of Evil," much of the world was dubious. Now Bush may have been vindicated, though he can't be happy about how. As the U.S. was demanding that Iraq

WEAPONS INSPECTION BOSS MOHAMED ELBARADEI ronald zak/AP ?We have the legal authority now? Mohamed ElBaradei is head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Eighteen of his inspectors are waiting to return to Iraq to hunt for nuclear weapons. He spoke to Time's Andrew Purvis in Vienna. Excerpts: TIME: When will inspectors be going back to Iraq? ElBaradei: I hope in the next few weeks. We have the legal authority now. But we thought it would be a good idea to see whether a new Security Council resolution will strengthen our hand. TIME: What do you need from the Council? ElBaradei: A firm resolve to act if the Iraqis do not cooperate. TIME: If the Security Council fails to agree, will you go anyway? ElBaradei: The worst is to go with a divided Council behind you. TIME: How cooperative are the Iraqis so far? ElBaradei: They are aware of the implications of not cooperating and are very keen that we go back. But we need to test these commitments. TIME: How long will it take to determine if there is a real nuclear threat? ElBaradei: Within four months we will have at least a plan of what needs to be done. But we don't know how long it will take to carry out that plan. TIME: Do you think Washington is prepared to wait? ElBaradei: If we are reporting progress, if we are not seeing violations, yes. TIME: Can inspections ever give Iraq a totally clean bill of health? ElBaradei: There is always some uncertainty in any inspection regime. They are the best mechanism available. TIME: But not the only one. ElBaradei: Even after you use force, you need inspections to see what is going on. TIME: Some former inspectors doubt their usefulness. ElBaradei: With due respect, a lot of these people do not understand what they are talking about. If inspections offer 90% chance of protection, why throw this out the window?