Features
Snapshots
Snapshot,
November 15, 2009
In Afghanistan, legitimacy comes more from the just use of power than it does from transparent elections. With that in mind, the United States should move beyond the country's disputed election and send the soldiers and resources that the war's U.S. generals are asking for.
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Snapshot,
November 4, 2009
With the cancellation of Afghanistan's runoff election, Washington is left with Hamid Karzai as its partner in Kabul. How did Karzai come to power in the first place, and what might that say about his ability to rule?
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Snapshot,
November 2, 2009
Beyond the current debate about U.S. strategy in Afghanistan lie more fundamental questions of who the Taliban are, how they are organized, what they want, and whether they can be separated from al Qaeda.
ReadLetters From
Letter From,
October 8, 2009
The BJP's Hindu nationalism may have won it votes in the past, but the party now faces an identity crisis that is imperiling its future.
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Letter From,
September 30, 2009
Iran's disputed election marked the rise of a new power elite. Now, with more protests looming and a nuclear program facing international pressure, can the Revolutionary Guard and its allies sustain their tightening grip on the Islamic Republic?
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Letter From,
September 18, 2009
Since Yukio Hatoyama became prime minister of Japan, Washington has grown worried that the U.S.-Japanese alliance may be weakening. Can the two countries still find common interests?
ReadPostscripts
Postscript,
November 19, 2009
As the International Year of Biodiversity approaches in 2010, the loss of wildlife, genetic material, ecosystems, and evolutionary processes is as marked as ever. Climate change, meanwhile, is becoming an even greater threat to the biosphere.
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Postscript,
November 10, 2009
Senior officers who resign over policy disagreements with civilian leaders undermine the principle of civilian control over the military and damage the professionalism of the U.S. armed forces.
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Postscript,
October 27, 2009
General Stanley McChrystal had the right to offer President Obama advice about his Afghanistan strategy. But by offering it so publicly, he undermined the president's authority over the military.
ReadReading Lists
Comments
Comment,
Nov/Dec
2009
Strict export restrictions are making U.S. businesses less competitive and the country less secure. Policymakers must craft new regulations to help, rather than harm, U.S. interests.
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Comment,
Nov/Dec
2009
Cyberwarfare is not an abstract future threat. The United States’ electronic defenses are vulnerable and Washington must act quickly to secure computer networks, software, and hardware before it is too late.
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Comment,
May/June
2009
The threat of nuclear armageddon is overblown. Instead of stoking fear, policymakers should focus on securing existing nuclear materials and keeping them out of the hands of potential proliferators.
ReadEssays
Essay,
Nov/Dec
2009
By exposing them to the truth about their impoverishment and about the prosperity of their South Korean cousins, the United States can encourage North Koreans to change the regime in Pyongyang.
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Essay,
Nov/Dec
2009
U.S. policymakers can no longer afford to ignore Southeast Asia. The United States should use trade, aid, and education to alleviate poverty and prevent terrorism in the region.
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Essay,
Nov/Dec
2009
Washington's repeated attempts to bring peace to Somalia with state-building initiatives have failed, even backfired. It should renounce political intervention and encourage local development without trying to improve governance.
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