Topics

Economics

Essay, Mar/Apr 2010
Niall Ferguson

Imperial collapse may come much more suddenly than many historians imagine. A combination of fiscal deficits and military overstretch suggests that the United States may be the next empire on the precipice.

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Snapshot,
N. Kashani and M. Sadra

The U.S. government is relaxing its limits on the export of Internet technology to Iran. Unless Washington takes further action, though, Tehran's filters might still stop Iranians from accessing critical digital tools.

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Snapshot,
Yang Yao

Beijing's ongoing efforts to promote growth are infringing on people's economic and political rights. In order to survive, the Chinese government will have to start allowing ordinary citizens to take part in the political process.

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Environment

Postscript,
Michael Levi

For many climate-change experts, the Copenhagen summit was something of a failure. In order to make real progress on pressing climate issues, policymakers must give up on a binding deal and begin to look outside the UN process.

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Comment, Jan/Feb 2010
Carlisle Ford Runge and Carlisle Piehl Runge

The "green revolution" dramatically boosted crop yields throughout the world, but it also bred overconfidence and complacency. Now, global food stocks are too low, and food prices are too high. Malthus is back.

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Essay, Jan/Feb 2010
David G. Victor and Linda Yueh

Growing demand for energy in developing countries and calls for greener energy worldwide are putting unprecedented pressure on the global energy system. Existing energy institutions are struggling to remain relevant. A new mechanism for cooperation is needed.

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Security

Author Interview,
Reidar Visser

This week, Reidar Visser answers reader questions about the upcoming Iraqi elections and the political future of the country. 

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Essay, Mar/Apr 2010
Charles A. Kupchan

During his first year in office, U.S. President Barack Obama made engagement with U.S. adversaries one of his administration's priorities. The historical record makes clear that Obama is on the right track: reaching out to adversaries is an essential start to rapprochement.

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Response, Mar/Apr 2010
Jan Lodal; James M. Acton; Hans M. Kristensen, Matthew McKinzie, and Ivan Oelrich; and Keir A. Lieber and Daryl G. Press

Does the United States need to update its nuclear arsenal so that it can destroy an enemy's nuclear weapons? Or should Washington instead work to eliminate nuclear weapons altogether? Keir Lieber and Daryl Press take on their critics.

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Law & Institutions

Comment, Mar/Apr 2010
Kenneth Roth

U.S. President Barack Obama has vocally promoted a human rights agenda. Now, his administration must translate his rhetoric into practice.

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Essay, Mar/Apr 2010
Christof Rühl

The economic crisis did not alter the deep structural changes already in global energy markets -- rising energy demand in the developing world and growing concerns about carbon emissions -- and it revealed how the oil, coal, and natural gas markets could help address the major energy challenges ahead.

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Essay, Mar/Apr 2010
Anthony Luzzatto Gardner and Stuart E. Eizenstat

With the Lisbon Treaty now in effect, the European Union has more power to implement foreign policy decisions -- on paper, at least. The reformed EU's effectiveness will ultimately depend on whether its member states focus on continued integration rather than on retaining their national perspectives.

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Politics & Society

Author Interview,
Reidar Visser

This week, Reidar Visser answers reader questions about the upcoming Iraqi elections and the political future of the country. 

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Essay, Mar/Apr 2010
Ehud Yaari

Rather than pursuing a final-status deal now, Israel and the Palestinian Authority should agree to establish a Palestinian state within temporary armistice boundaries. Without it, the Palestinians may abandon the idea of a two-state solution altogether.

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Response, Mar/Apr 2010
Jan Lodal; James M. Acton; Hans M. Kristensen, Matthew McKinzie, and Ivan Oelrich; and Keir A. Lieber and Daryl G. Press

Does the United States need to update its nuclear arsenal so that it can destroy an enemy's nuclear weapons? Or should Washington instead work to eliminate nuclear weapons altogether? Keir Lieber and Daryl Press take on their critics.

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U.S. Policy

Comment, Mar/Apr 2010
Kenneth Roth

U.S. President Barack Obama has vocally promoted a human rights agenda. Now, his administration must translate his rhetoric into practice.

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Essay, Mar/Apr 2010
George R. Packard

The treaty that forms the backbone of postwar relations between Washington and Tokyo is one of the most enduring treaties since the Peace of Westphalia. But with the election of the Democratic Party of Japan last summer, the deal is now being called into question.

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Essay, Mar/Apr 2010
Evan A. Feigenbaum

The future of the U.S.-Indian relationship will depend on whether India chooses to align with the United States and whether it sustains its own economic and social changes -- and on what policies Washington pursues in those areas that bear heavily on Indian interests.

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