October 12, 2005
The Last Pandemic — and the Next One
 |
Last week's announcement that the 1918 influenza pandemic was caused by a virus that jumped from birds to humans has increased fears that another avian flu crisis might be looming. The odds that the H5N1 virus that has already killed countless birds and several humans in Southeast Asia recently will mutate into a global destroyer are unknown. What is known — as Michael Osterholm pointed out in Foreign Affairs a few months ago — is how unprepared the world actually is for handling such a disaster, and what governments need to do now to improve their populations' chances for survival.
|
|
In the Current Issue of Foreign Affairs
The complete text of selected essays and of all the book reviews from the September/October issue can be found on the Foreign Affairs Web site. Currently the following essays are available in their full text:
|
| |
How to Win in Iraq
Andrew F. Krepinevich, Jr.
|
Read the essay that's been hailed by New York Times columnist David Brooks and appraised on blogs by:
|
Because they lack a coherent strategy, U.S. forces in Iraq have failed to defeat the insurgency or improve security. Winning will require a new approach to counterinsurgency, one that focuses on providing security to Iraqis rather than hunting down insurgents. And it will take at least a decade.
|
| |
China's Search for Stability with America
Wang Jisi
No country can affect China's fortunes more directly than the United States. Many potential flashpoints — such as Taiwan, Japan, and North Korea — remain, and true friendship between Washington and Beijing is unlikely. But their interests have grown so intertwined that cooperation is the best way to serve both countries.
|
| |
Can Democracy Stop Terrorism?
F. Gregory Gause III
The Bush administration contends that the push for democracy in the Muslim world will improve U.S. security. But this premise is faulty: there is no evidence that democracy reduces terrorism. Indeed, a democratic Middle East would probably result in Islamist governments unwilling to cooperate with Washington.
|
| |
In China's Own Eyes
Bruce Gilley
The Man Who Changed China, a state-sanctioned portrait of Jiang Zemin, reflects the image that China's new leaders want their people to see: pragmatic, moderate, and above politics. The vision, however, does not often match reality.
|
| |
Advertisement
Understanding the War on Terror
From Foreign Affairs Books
 On the morning of September 11, 2001, the United States awoke to find itself at war. If that much was clear, many other things were not — including the identity and nature of the enemy, the location of the battleground, and the strategy and tactics necessary for victory. This collection brings today's most authoritative thinking to bear on these and other matters at the heart of the nation's paramount security challenge.
Read more
|
|
Previously in Background on the News
|
| |
Thermidor in Ukraine?
September 28, 2005
The recent dissolution of the government in Ukraine has prompted fears that President Viktor Yushchenko might be straying from the precepts of the Orange Revolution he helped lead last year. . . . Read more
|
 |
| |
Last Responders
September 14, 2005
Hurricane Katrina's ravages in the Gulf Coast earlier this month have left many foreign policy experts questioning the Department of Homeland Security's capacity to prevent or limit the damages of a large-scale terrorist attack on the United States. . . . Read more
|
|
| |
Constituting Iraq
August 31, 2005
If Iraq's elections last January were inspiring, the wrangling over the drafting of its constitution has been disquieting. After months of negotiations, Sunni leaders rejected the charter last week and are now calling on their followers throughout the country to vote against it in a planned mid-October referendum. . . . Read more
|
|
| |
|
|
Stay on Top of International Affairs with the Council's "The World This Week" Weekly Email Newsletter
To sign up for the newsletter, visit http://www.cfr.org/media and input your email address into "The World This Week" box.
Visit cfr.org.
|
| |
 Back to top.
|
|
|
|
- Instant access to the current issue and an entire year of back issues online
- 50% discount on article purchases in our digital archive
- Improved account management
SIGN UP TODAY!
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You've received this email because you subscribed to the HTML version of the biweekly Foreign Affairs email newsletter.
Use the following links to manage your subscription:
|
|
Foreign Affairs and the Council on Foreign Relations are located at:
58 East 68th Street
New York, NY 10065
|
|
|
