Educator -

Dear Educator,

"To combine experience with fresh thinking," was President-elect Barack Obama's declared goal in selecting his Cabinet. Learn more about the policy views of his appointees by reading their recent contributions to Foreign Affairs.

Robert M. Gates, who has agreed to stay on as Secretary of Defense, takes a critical look at the Pentagon in "A Balanced Strategy," the lead essay in the January/February 2009 Foreign Affairs. In this special web preview, you can read about his initiative to complement the Pentagon's strength in conventional warfare with stronger counterinsurgency capabilities.

Other key Cabinet appointees include Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State and Bill Richardson as Secretary of Commerce; both contributed to our Campaign 2008 series. We will soon see how closely these articles, along with Obama's "Renewing American Leadership," track with the next four years of foreign policy.

Also in this edition:

• Inside ForeignAffairs.org
• Faculty Spotlight — Maria Victoria Murillo, Columbia University

Best,
James F. Hoge, Jr.
Editor

P.S. Attending the International Studies Association Convention in February? Save February 17th for a special event at Council on Foreign Relations headquarters. Invitations are forthcoming.

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Inside ForeignAffairs.org

A Balanced Strategy

By Robert M. Gates (Jan/Feb 2009)

The Pentagon has to do more than modernize its conventional forces; it must also focus on today's unconventional conflicts — and tomorrow's.

Security and Opportunity for the Twenty-first Century

By Hillary Rodham Clinton (Nov/Dec 2007)

"We must get out of Iraq, rediscover the value of statesmanship, and live up to the democratic values that are the deepest source of our strength."

A New Realism

By Bill Richardson (Jan/Feb 2008)

"The next president needs to signal that America will once again be a leader rather than a unilateralist loner."

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."

Faculty Spotlight — Maria Victoria Murillo

Maria Victoria Murillo is an Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at Columbia University. Her research focuses on labor politics, political parties, the political economy of policymaking, regulatory politics, and institutional weakness in Latin America.

In her "Latin American Political Economy" class, Professor Murillo asks students to read "An Empty Revolution: The Unfulfilled Promises of Hugo Chávez" (Mar/Apr 2008) by Francisco Rodríguez. She had also included "Latin America's Left Turn" (May/Jun 2006) by Jorge G. Castañeda in her classes.

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

India's 9/11
Terrorists recently struck in a series of coordinated attacks across Mumbai, leaving nearly 200 dead. In a 2002 article in Foreign Affairs, former U.S. ambassador Dennis Kux examined India's response to the growing threat of sectarian terror, among other challenges. In a 2006 article, meanwhile, Sumit Ganguly analyzed the standoff between India and Pakistan and suggested a role for the United States in resolving it.

• Full text of Kux's essay (May/June 2002)
• Full text of Ganguly's essay (July/August 2006)

CFR Interactive: Global Economy in Crisis

The fabric of the U.S. financial sector began to fray in early 2007 with a spate of bankruptcies at companies specializing in risky subprime lending. That spark set off a conflagration, spreading first to the broader financial sector, then to the global economy.

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

CFR Academic Module: America Between the Wars

This module features teaching notes by Derek H. Chollet and James M. Goldgeier, coauthors of America Between the Wars, along with other resources to supplement the text. In this CFR book, Mr. Chollet and Dr. Goldgeier explore how the decisions and debates of the years between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Twin Towers shaped the world we live in today.