Features
Snapshots
Snapshot,
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September 9, 2010
The January 2011 elections could tear Nigeria apart. Is there anything the Obama administration can do to help the country avoid North-South conflict or a military coup?
Snapshot,
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September 7, 2010
Guided by President Dmitry Medvedev, Russia appears to be slowly refashioning its foreign policy to favor better relations with the West. Moscow would like to exchange closer ties for investment and technology -- a trade that Washington would be wise to support.
Snapshot,
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August 31, 2010
There is much talk about a nuclear domino effect in the Middle East, but where is the supporting evidence?
Letters From
Letter From,
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September 3, 2010
This summer, Kashmir has been rocked by a fresh outbreak of protests and violence. As long as Indian security forces continue to respond with indiscriminate aggression, a lasting peace remains unlikely.
Letter From,
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July 22, 2010
A recent election in Trinidad and Tobago was a hopeful sign that the country is willing to take on its powerful drug gangs. But corruption and gang violence are entrenched forces that the new government may not be able to overcome. Is the country on the verge of unraveling?
Letter From,
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July 1, 2010
Georgia's leaders are caught between a Kremlin bureaucracy that views their country as a lost province and a West that needs Russian cooperation on issues from energy to Iran.
Postscripts
Postscript,
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May 6, 2010
Recent incidents of international adoptions gone awry are another sign that the world's governments -- most especially, the United States -- must redouble their efforts to regulate and enforce the movement of children across the globe.
Postscript,
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March 26, 2010
The return of Mohamed El Baradei to Egypt has raised questions about the country's political system and the rule of President Hosni Mubarak. Is reform possible, and if so, is El Baradei the man to lead it?
Postscript,
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March 24, 2010
Conventional wars are won by capturing territory, but counterinsurgencies are won by holding it. Rather than rushing to open new fronts against the Taliban, Pakistan must now focus on keeping the territory it has already cleared.
Reading Lists
Comments
Comment,
Sep/Oct
2010
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The ouster of General Stanley McChrystal does not suggest that U.S. political-military relations are in crisis. But the episode should remind the military's highest officers of the need for, and the requirements of, appropriate professional behavior.
Comment,
Sep/Oct
2010
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The proposed nuclear arms reductions in the New START treaty are sensible, but the United States and Russia can and should go much further.
Comment,
Jul/Aug
2010
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Zimbabwe has been ruled by a unity government since 2008, but President Robert Mugabe and his party continue to usurp power and pillage the country's wealth.
Essays
Essay,
Sep/Oct
2010
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Hamas is central to Israeli security and Palestinian politics, yet the international community refuses to work with it. This is a mistake. Hamas might possibly be convinced not to undermine progress on a peace deal. Israel and the international community should exploit Hamas' vulnerabilities with a mix of coercion and concessions -- including a further easing of the siege of Gaza.
Essay,
Sep/Oct
2010
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The world’s leading international institutions may be outmoded, but Brazil, China, India, and South Africa are not ready to join the helm. Their shaky commitment to democracy, human rights, nuclear nonproliferation, and environmental protection would only weaken the international system’s core values.
Essay,
Sep/Oct
2010
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For decades, Israel has maintained an "opaque" nuclear posture -- neither confirming nor denying that it possesses nuclear weapons. The time has come for Israel to reconsider the policy of nuclear ambiguity. It can do so without jeopardizing the nation's security.
Responses
Response,
Sep/Oct
2010
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Do contemporary Islamist movements trace their roots to Nazi Germany? Paul Berman and Jeffrey Herf argue that to say no is to ignore reality. Marc Lynch responds, and suggests that focusing on such links ignores the real fault lines in political Islam today.
Response,
Jul/Aug
2010
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Can Louis XIV's consolidation of power in seventeenth-century France guide the way for state builders in Afghanistan today? Sheri Berman defends her case.
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