Educator -

Dear Educator,

What should top the foreign-policy agenda of President-elect Barack Obama? In the November/December issue of Foreign Affairs, several leading experts write about topics dominating the international discussion, offering strategy advice for Obama and his advisory team. From Russia and the Middle East to the food crisis and U.S. foreign aid, this issue is a road map to some of today's most pressing international crises.

Also make sure to check out "After the Crash" by financial expert James Grant. In it, he looks beyond the causes of the current economic meltdown to suggest solutions that will help bring relief to the economy and the millions suffering from its collapse.

Also in this edition:

• Inside ForeignAffairs.org
• Faculty Spotlight — Ronald Bee, San Diego State University

Best,
James F. Hoge, Jr.
Editor

Inside ForeignAffairs.org

Renewing American Leadership

By Barack Obama (Jul/Aug 2007)

"The American moment is not over, but it must be seized anew. America cannot meet this century's challenges alone; the world cannot meet them without America."

The Five-Day War

By Charles King (Nov/Dec 2008)

The August war over South Ossetia has rekindled a superpower rivalry and showed the West that Moscow no longer heeds multilateral institutions.

What Has Moscow Done?

By Stephen Sestanovich (Nov/Dec 2008)

The next president will have to reassess the U.S.-Russian relationship and find the right balance between pushing back and cooperating.

From Great Game to Grand Bargain

By Barnett R. Rubin and Ahmed Rashid (Nov/Dec 2008)

The crisis in Afghanistan and Pakistan are beyond the point where more troops will help. U.S. strategy must be to seek compromise with insurgents while addressing regional rivalries and insecurities.

The Latter-Day Sultan

By Akbar Ganji (Nov/Dec 2008)

The real decision-maker in Iran is Supreme Leader Khamenei not President Ahmadinejad. Blaming Iran's problems on President Ahmadinejad inaccurately suggests that Iran's problems will go away when Ahmadinejad does.

The Politics of Hunger

By Paul Collier (Nov/Dec 2008)

Politicians have it in their power to solve the food crisis, but they must be willing to end the biases against big commercial farms and genetically modified crops and do away with farm subsidies.

Arrested Development

By J. Brian Atwood, M. Peter McPherson, and Andrew Natsios (Nov/Dec 2008)

USAID has become ineffective because it is underfunded, understaffed, and losing influence. The next president should revive it by either making it autonomous or elevating it to a cabinet-level department.

After the Crash

By James Grant (Nov/Dec 2008)

The next president must bring back a sound dollar, rein in Wall Street, and resist the urge to manipulate prices.

Faculty Spotlight — Ronald J. Bee

Since 2005, Ronald J. Bee has served as the Director of the Charles A. Hostler Institute on World Affairs (IWA) at San Diego State University (SDSU). IWA's spring 2009 lecture series will focus on the theme, "Foreign Policy Challenges Facing the Next Administration."

This fall, Professor Bee is teaching "The Conduct of American Foreign Relations." He encourages his students to read Foreign Affairs to become familiar with key contemporary policy issues, and he frequently assigns articles from the historical archives like George Kennan's seminal "The Sources of Soviet Conduct" (July 1947) as the primary document for teaching containment.

Foreign Affairs Events Open to the Public

NYU's Center for Global Affairs:
In Print Series with James F. Hoge, Jr.

This NYU series, co-sponsored by Foreign Affairs, features conversations between Foreign Affairs editors and leading journalists, authors, and filmmakers. On December 9, James F. Hoge, Jr. will interview renowned British historian Niall Ferguson. The event is titled "The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World."

Foreign Affairs Books frame current debates over crucial issues in world politics. Our books present a wide range of perspectives created solely with professors and students in mind. Our best-selling The Clash of Civilizations? — The Debate remains a centerpiece in the international relations curriculum. Our latest book Understanding the War on Terror undertakes a comprehensive examination of the nation's critical security challenge.

Click here to learn more and request your free exam copy!

Foreign Affairs: Background on the News

Updates on classic Foreign Affairs articles

Friedman or Keynes?
The leaders of the G-20 countries recently met in Washington, D.C., to discuss how to revive the struggling global economy. The group set out guidelines for greater market controls, including international coordination on supervision of banks and other financial institutions. But they deferred consideration of an even larger question, the future of global financial regulation, to the group's next meeting in April. As the crisis continues to unfold, it has opened up an old fissure in economic policy, between those who worship free markets and those who argue for more government intervention. In a 2005 Foreign Affairs article, then-Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin explained why the G-20 was likely to become a crucial organization for resolving global problems. In a 1995 piece, meanwhile, Michael Lewis, the author of Liar's Poker and Moneyball, looked at the battle between disciples of Milton Friedman and John Maynard Keynes and what it meant for the future of the Bretton Woods system.

• Full text of Martin's essay (May/Jun 2005)
• Full text of Lewis' essay (Mar/Apr 1995)

CFR.org Launches Web's Most Authoritative, Interactive Guide on the Climate Crisis

Explore the known effects of the changing climate, the diplomatic dilemmas, the relevant technologies and policy options, and the diverse perspectives on the problem.

Among Nations: 2008 Catalogue Now Available!

Among Nations: Readings in International Relations gives you access to thousands of articles from journals such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The American Political Science Review, and more. Build your free examination copy today! Prices for readers start at $19.95.

• Click here to learn more about Among Nations
• Send an email to receive our 2008 catalogue

Council on Foreign Relations: Academic Conference Call

On December 4, 2008, Council on Foreign Relations will host an academic conference call with Edward Alden, the Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow at CFR and author of The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration, and Security Since 9/11.

Please email educators@cfr.org to register.