Michael J. Hicks of Ball State University and Mark L. Burton of The University of Tennessee provide a preliminary estimate of damages, in monetary value, from the 2010 Pakistan floods.
International endorsement of a plan to hand security responsibilities to Afghan forces in 2014 indicates NATO's military commitment is not open-ended. But meeting the deadline amid ongoing Afghan governance issues could prove challenging.
Speaker: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presider: Mark Whitaker
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia, discusses the state of Democracy in Western Africa and the progress she has made as the head of the Liberian state.
Speaker: Christopher R. Hill Presider: Karen J. DeYoung
Listen to Ambassador Christopher Hill talk about Iraqi governance and the political and security implications of elections scheduled for early next month.
Authors: Steven N. Simon and Jonathan Stevenson International Institute for Strategic Studies
Steve Simon and Jonathan Stevenson argue that it is not in American interests to take on the "grand and onerous responsibility of rebuilding the Afghan state."
Author: Lydia Khalil Lowy Institute for International Policy
Lydia Khalil argues that domestic drivers in Iraq, rather than overhauled military or diplomatic strategy from without, will shape the nation's stability.
Speakers: Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Barnett Rubin and Ali A. Jalali
A discussion on NATO's role in current combat and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, as part of the Council on Foreign Relations' NATO At 60 Symposium.
This report provides a definition of Afghanistan reconstruction oversight and a summary of recent developments that have affected reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. It also includes an overview of significant initiatives underway to improve the recontruction strategy.
On paper Iraq's justice system appears sound, but Michael Wahid Hanna of The Century Foundation says "major systemic and structural problems" plague Iraq's legal framework.
Speaker: Jay M. Garner Presider: Michael R. Gordon
Listen to retired lieutenant general Jay M. Garner, former director of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq, discuss the situation on the ground in 2003.
Speaker: Jay M. Garner Presider: Michael R. Gordon
Watch retired lieutenant general Jay M. Garner, former director of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq, discuss the situation on the ground in 2003.
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
Gause posits that, though the Arab Awakening has caused tensions in Saudi-American relations, the two countries do not face a crisis and still have significant mutual interests that should be prioritized.
The authors 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.
A leading Middle East scholar pens this "good introduction to the Saudi paradox of social change and political stability and an invaluable guide to the challenges the country faces." More