Douglas Dillon Fellow Micah Zenko analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.
In this globalized world, countries will need to cooperate on policies that extend across borders to address issues that affect them all, including conflict prevention and peacemaking. The authors of this report assess the strengths and weaknesses of international institutions and provide a set of practical recommendations for how the United States can strengthen the global architecture for preventive action by partnering with those organizations.
Last August, the Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney performed what has become a quadrennial rite of passage in American presidential politics: he delivered a speech to the annual convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Micah Zenko asks, "What if Americans were the ones without nuclear weapons, and a well-stocked Iran was insisting that the United States couldn't have such weapons?"
President Obama's Nuclear Posture Review properly shifts the source of threats facing the United States to non-state actors and sets the stage for upcoming nonproliferation talks, writes CFR's Micah Zenko.
Author: Micah Zenko International Relations and Security Network
Micah Zenko states,"while limited military force can be one component of an overall strategy toward an adversary, it should never be a substitution for it."
The international community must understand that economic sanctions and diplomatic action alone will not prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, writes Micah Zenko.
Micah Zenko writes that although many are growing impatient waiting for President Obama to launch an Afghanistan strategy, it is prudent to let the deliberations play out so that he can get the strategy right.
The United States can ill afford the burden of additional foreign policy challenges, making it imperative that the U.S. government find ways to identify, delay, and avert international crises that could harm U.S. interests or even lead to military engagement. In this report, the authors provide an actionable road map for how the U.S. government should revamp its existing U.S. prevention architecture to make it more effective in dealing with potential crises abroad.
Micah Zenko makes the case, "Unless Tehran responds by late September to international proposals on its nuclear program, history strongly suggests the Israelis will act alone."
CFR Fellow Micah Zenko says U.S. air strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas are ineffective as a counterinsurgency tool. He recommends that Washington create oversight mechanisms for its covert operations in the tribal areas and develop a comprehensive national strategy toward Pakistan.
Micah Zenko argues that the adjustment of Predator operations in Pakistan is a "creative and unprecedented arrangement" that will benefit the battle against al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Micah Zenko argues that given the ineffectiveness of recent U.S. operations in Somalia, airstrikes against Somali pirates would be militarily and politically unsuccessful.
Micah Zenko argues that the agreement between the United States and Russia to negotiate an arms control treaty within three months will be a historic first step toward nuclear disarmament.
President Obama says he is free to use drones to attack senior members of al Qaeda who are planning to attack the United States. So far drones may have killed as many as 4,700 people, including American citizens. What, if any, limitations should be placed on the president in using drones to target and kill suspected terrorists? Council on Foreign Relations fellow Micah Zenko tells Jim Zirin that definitive standards are necessary to prevent drone attacks from spinning out of control.