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November 3, 2009
Op-Ed
Financial Times
"General Stanley McChrystal's plan to pursue counterinsurgency in the countryside is a bridge too far," write Steve Simon and Charles Kupchan, arguing, instead, that Afghanistan policy should be focused on establishing control in strategic locations.
See more in Afghanistan, Conflict Assessment, U.S. Strategy and Politics
November 2, 2009
Op-Ed
Commentary
Max Boot argues that success in Afghanistan depends on a cohesive counterinsurgency--rather than a counterterrorism--strategy.
See more in Afghanistan, Conflict Assessment, Terrorism
November 2, 2009
Article
Weekly Standard
Max Boot says the war effort is succeeding in parts of Afghanistan - with time and troops the gains can be consolidated.
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October 28, 2009
Op-Ed
Small Wars Journal
Lydia Khalil writes that in the face of uncertainty in Afghanistan, President Obama should not forget the lessons learned in Iraq.
See more in Afghanistan, Iraq
October 26, 2009
Audio
Listen to Senator John F. Kerry deliver a congressional perspective on U.S. policy and the current situation in Afghanistan as the administration continues to review its strategy in the region.
See more in Afghanistan, Congress
October 26, 2009
Video
At a CFR meeting, U.S. Senator John Kerry opposed a major troop increase in Afghanistan, stressing the need for developing the country's security forces and governing capacity.
See more in Afghanistan, Congress
October 25, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie H. Gelb warns President Obama against trying to "square the foreign policy and international security realities [in Afghanistan] with political imperatives [at home]."
See more in Afghanistan, U.S. Strategy and Politics
October 25, 2009
Op-Ed
Washington Post
Joshua Kurlantzick writes that, "if the U.S. relationship with Afghanistan eventually resembles the one we now have with Vietnam, we should be overjoyed."
See more in Afghanistan, Vietnam, International Peace and Security, U.S. Strategy and Politics
October 22, 2009
Op-Ed
New York Times
Max Boot writes that "only by sending more personnel, military and civilian, can President Obama improve the Afghan government's performance, reverse the Taliban's gains and prevent Al Qaeda's allies from regaining the ground they lost after 9/11."
See more in Afghanistan
October 20, 2009
Article
The New Republic
Stephen Biddle argues that "there is no magic middle way between the McChrystal recommendation and total withdrawal that offers comparable odds at lower cost" in Afghanistan.
See more in Afghanistan
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Nigeria (11/4): John Campbell writes that under the presidency of Umaru Yar'adu, Nigeria is moving away from its corrupt system, on the Huffington Post.
Israel (11/3): Amity Shlaes says that the Israeli military has played a role in Israel's record of innovation, on Bloomberg.com.
Afghanistan (11/2): Walter Russell Mead says it is no surprise the U.S. has made deals with warlords, on the Daily Beast.
Conflict Assessment (11/2): Leslie Gelb on stalled U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran, on the Daily Beast.
Terrorism (11/2): Max Boot argues that success in Afghanistan depends on a cohesive counterinsurgency--rather than a counterterrorism--strategy, in Commentary.
Pakistan (11/2): Walter Russell Mead says there’s no doubt that Pakistan is the most dangerous problem in U.S. foreign policy, in the American Interest.
Wars (11/2): Max Boot says the war effort is succeeding in parts of Afghanistan--with time and troops the gains can be consolidated, in the Weekly Standard.
U.S. Strategy (10/30): Micah Zenko says "don't rush the Afghan debate," in the Christian Science Monitor.
Identifying international threats and acting on them may be the most difficult job for U.S. policymakers. This report
provides an actionable road map for managing international threats before they erupt into crises and makes a strong case that preventive action is not a luxury but a necessity.
For more than a decade, the United States has mostly watched from the sidelines as Asian countries organize themselves into an alphabet soup of new multilateral groups. In this report, the authors review the relationship between pan-Asian and trans-Pacific institutions and suggest policy guidelines for a new U.S. approach to this new Asian landscape.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba's unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
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