Politics & Society
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Snapshot,
May 22, 2013
In his scholarship, Waltz asked the tough questions about the difficult and important issues. He was motivated by both theoretical and policy questions, the latter often setting the agenda for the former. He was intellectually courageous, usually staking out iconoclastic positions -- some of which were initially derided, many of which ended up becoming mainstream thinking. No matter what one’s theoretical persuasion, he was an intellectual force that had to be reckoned with.
Snapshot,
May 22, 2013
With the Iranian government having disqualified two of the country's boldest presidential candidates, it is unlikely the election will address any major ideological questions. But Iranians know that there is a lot more at stake than ideology.
Snapshot,
May 13, 2013
The debate about what to do in Syria has been sidetracked by discussions of credibility and reputation. But both logic and evidence prove that reputations are mostly imaginary. Obama should not let fears that others might think him irresolute drive him to disaster. Instead, he should refocus on what U.S. interests really are in Syria, and how he can best obtain them.
Snapshot,
May 13, 2013
The high turnout for the recent general election indicates that the Pakistani public is warming up to democracy. But participation is a double-edged sword: by virtue of having had its voice heard, the public now has heightened expectations of government performance. If Sharif fails to deliver, public disaffection could set in rather quickly and powerfully.
Snapshot,
April 30, 2013
After an inconclusive vote and months of gridlock, Enrico Letta was sworn in this week as Italy's prime minister. But his center-left party is weak and bereft of ideas -- a problem facing the left Europe-wide.
Snapshot,
April 30, 2013
Ahead of Iran's presidential election in June, President Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Khamenei are squabbling over the succession. Ahmadinejad wants Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, his chief of staff, to run but Khamenei disapproves. Regardless of who wins, the real loser will be Iranian democracy.
Postscript,
April 25, 2013
After months of negotiations, Kosovo and Serbia have finally agreed to normalize relations. The deal pushes some questions aside and requires both parties to accept certain fictions. Nevertheless, it could as a template for melting the region's other frozen conflicts.
Snapshot,
April 24, 2013
For the second time in less than six months, polio vaccine workers in Pakistan have come under fire. For the gunmen, killing health care workers has been seen as a legitimate response to a nefarious extension of Western power. And, for the CIA, faux vaccine campaigns have sometimes been justified as part of the war on terror. Both sides are wrong: denying or providing health care should never be an instrument of statecraft.
Comment,
May/June
2013
The world may expect great things from India, but as extensive reporting reveals, Indians themselves turn out to be deeply skeptical about their country’s potential. That attitude, plus New Delhi’s dysfunctional foreign-policy bureaucracy, prevent long-term planning of the sort China has mastered -- and are holding India back.
Snapshot,
April 21, 2013
For technologies from the global South, worldwide success usually means shedding local ties and, should all go well, returning home triumphant. It is a treacherous road, and most of the benefits of such projects will never make it to the communities in which they started. But the alternative strategy of focusing on local problems and solutions is even less appealing.
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