Description
The new millennium brings with it a whole package of questions, paradoxes, and opportunities. We hear promises of a new generation of drugs that will pro- long our lives. The advent of cloning hints that it will not be long before we can duplicate ourselves. And the advances in space travel offer possibilities that we may be able to carry on our lives in different worlds. As enticing as it is to focus attention on the future, it is equally important that we not lose sight of the present. For, as we stand on the brink of a new beginning. the condition of our present lives suggests that we must still address issues that have confronted hu- mankind during the previous millennium.
In the last years of the twentieth century within the United States, the impeachment of President Clinton raised issues that were as old as human politics and the search for justice. Although few people disputed the "facts" of the case that were laid open to the world, there was great disagreement over the interpretation of these "facts." Debate swirled over whether Clinton intended to mislead the grand jury. Basic questions were asked about the character of President Clinton. The air was filled with accusations that members of Congress were casting their votes to conform to a party line rather than to the information that was presented. Many commentators took time to change their focus from politics to personal relationships as they openly marveled at the support Hillary Clinton continued to give her husband. While this drama played out in the United States, Canadians in Quebec held another election on whether or not Canada should be split into separate groups along ethnic and cultural lines. In the Middle East, rockets filled the air as simmering conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians turned violent and the United States and its allies grew tired of Saddam Hussein's reneging on promises of open arms inspections.
ISBN: 9780830414703
