Essays
Essay,
Sep/Oct
2009
Most initiatives to slow global warming involve reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Little attention has been given to reducing emissions of the light-absorbing particles known as "black carbon" or the gases that form ozone--even though doing so would be easier and cheaper and have a more immediate effect.
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Essay,
Sep/Oct
2009
In the course of its 60 years, NATO has united the West, secured Europe, and ended the Cold War. What next?
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Essay,
Sep/Oct
2009
The economic crisis is hurting the world's top currency. But the pound, the yen, the euro, the renminbi, and the IMF's accounting currency are no match for the dollar. At least for now.
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Essay,
Sep/Oct
2009
Despite common assumptions, oil prices are likely to remain low for a while: key producers, especially Saudi Arabia, have been boosting their production, and demand growth in top consumers like the United States and China will be more modest than expected.
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Essay,
Sep/Oct
2009
The Copenhagen conference won't solve the problem of climate change once and for all. Rather than aiming for a broad international treaty, negotiators should strengthen existing national policies and seek targeted emissions cuts in both rich nations and the developing world.
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Essay,
Sep/Oct
2009
In deciding whether to impose preconditions before negotiating with an enemy, governments should make sure two criteria are satisfied: that the opponent is capable of meeting the demands and that its doing so will not weaken its future leverage.
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Essay,
Sep/Oct
2009
Since the United States first became a global superpower, it has been fashionable to speak of its decline. But in today's world, the United States' economic and military strength, along with the attractiveness of its ideals, will ensure its power for a long time to come.
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Essay,
Sep/Oct
2009
Bosnia was once a poster child for successful postwar reconstruction; today, it is on the verge of collapse. The 1995 Dayton accord ended a war, but it also created a fractured polity ripe for exploitation by ethnic chauvinists.
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Essay,
JUL/AUG
2009
Iran’s foreign policy is often portrayed in sensationalistic terms, but in reality it is a rational strategy meant to ensure the survival of the Islamic Republic against what Tehran thinks is an existential threat posed by the United States.
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Essay,
JUL/AUG
2009
The military foundations of U.S. dominance are eroding. In response, Washington should pursue new sources of military advantage and a more modest grand strategy.
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