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November 19, 2009
Audio
Listen to CFR's Paul B. Stares discuss how to enhance U.S. preventive action capabilities with students, as part of CFR's Academic Conference Call series.
See more in Conflict Prevention
November 16, 2009
Op-Ed
Weekly Standard
"Despite the headlines about bombings in Baghdad, the situation has improved immeasurably," writes Max Boot, referring to the better security in Iraq on his most recent trip. Nevertheless, he cautions that, "there is no room to be complacent," as there is much work yet to be done.
See more in Iraq, U.S. Strategy and Politics
November 16, 2009
Op-Ed
The New Republic
Steven Cook asks if Palestinian leadership is going to use violence against Israel as a means to strengthen domestic support and gain a political advantage.
See more in Israel, Palestinian Authority, Society and Culture
November 12, 2009
Op-Ed
The Boston Globe
Ray Takeyh argues that many critics of the Afghanistan war are wrong to compare it to Vietnam and that such comparisons are "absolutely toxic," in the way that they are limiting progress in Afghanistan.
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare, Foreign Policy History
November 9, 2009
Op-Ed
Weekly Standard
Prompted by the "complete failure" of the President's Israel strategy, Elliot Abrams asks, "can anything else possibly go wrong for the Obama administration's Middle East policy?"
See more in Israel, Palestinian Authority
November 9, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Leslie Gelb writes that the U.S. military's request to increase troops in Afghanistan by 44,000 ought to be closely scrutinized. He adds that, on this issue, "the military got a free ride from America’s pretend leaders and fake journalists."
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare
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, Wars and Warfare, 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, Wars and Warfare, Terrorism
November 2, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
Les Gelb points to stalled U.S. efforts in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and others as evidence that "Barack Obama has arrived at a terrible moment of truth in foreign policy."
See more in Afghanistan, Middle East, Presidency
October 20, 2009
Interview
Johnnie Carson, the top State department official on Africa, says new policy on Sudan stresses the need for progress on Darfur, the North-South peace agreement and anti-terror efforts.
See more in Africa, Sudan, Peacemaking
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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.
Complete list of CFR Books
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Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies
International Affairs Fellow, 2007-2008
Military Fellow, U.S. Army
Adjunct Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies
Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program
Senior Fellow and Director, Program on International Institutions and Global Governance
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