Background on the News - 2006-05-17

On Monday, President George W. Bush announced that in an effort to address illegal immigration into the United States he has proposed deploying thousands of National Guard troops along the Mexican border while initiating a guest worker program and a path toward legalization for some undocumented workers already in the country. The White House's plan could pit the Bush administration against Mexico and is also divisive at home, where activists on both extremes criticize its attempt to chart a middle course. Alan Wolfe and Samuel Huntington have debated some of the broader issues of immigration and American identity in Foreign Affairs, revealing the deep currents of feeling surrounding these questions.

• Read Alan Wolfe's review of Samuel Huntington's book "Who Are We?" (May/June 2004)
• Read Huntington's reply (September/October 2004)

In the Current Issue of Foreign Affairs

The complete text of selected essays and of all the book reviews from the May/June issue can be found on the Foreign Affairs Web site. Currently the following essays are available in their full text:

Left vs. Left in Latin America

by Jorge Castañeda

Latin America leftists come in two varieties: progressive reformers, such as Chile's Michelle Bachelet, and irresponsible populists, such as Venezuela's Hugo Chávez. Unless the international community supports the former, the latter will drag the region backward.

The End of Israel's Dream   or Nightmare?

by Tom Segev

Israel occupied and settled the West Bank, Gaza, and Golan Heights because of a combination of nationalism and religious agitation. Ariel Sharon's dismantling of the Gaza settlements last year broke a political taboo, and could herald a return to "Zionist realism."

Saddam's Delusions

by Kevin Woods, James Lacey, and Williamson Murray

This distillation of the Pentagon's secret study of Saddam Hussein's regime, based on analysis of captured documents and prisoner interviews, has already rewritten the history of the war. See for yourself what made Saddam tick, why he was shocked by the American invasion, and what he was actually doing with WMD.

Previously in Background on the News

My Kingdom for Some Peace
May 3, 2006
After a month of daring demonstrations, Nepalese protesters, with the help of Maoist rebels, have brought King Gyanendra to his knees. Since just last week, Gyanendra has already abdicated much of his authority, agreeing to restore parliament, which has not met in four years. And the insurgents, who have been fighting a savage resistance for a decade, have declared a unilateral ceasefire, offering Nepal its first opportunity for peace and serious political reform in a long while. . . . Read more

Allons Enfants de la Patrie
April 5, 2006
A proposed change to French law that would make it easier for employers to fire (and thus hire) young employees has brought students into the streets and onto the barricades while causing political trouble for Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. . . . Read more

Rights and Wrongs
March 22, 2006
Last week, the UN General Assembly voted to replace the controversial Human Rights Commission with a smaller Human Rights Council. Among the myriad criticisms of the now-defunct commission was that many member states, such as Libya and Sudan, served on the panel only in order to stifle debate about their own atrocious human-rights records. . . . Read more

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