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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, 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
October 19, 2009
Must Read
John Prendergast explains why increased U.S. leadership is needed for an independence referendum in southern Sudan to succeed.
See more in Sudan, Peacemaking
October 19, 2009
Op-Ed
Weekly Standard
"We would all be well advised to handle Vietnam analogies with great care," writes Max Boot arguing against comparing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the Vietnam War.
See more in Afghanistan, Iraq, Wars and Warfare
October 11, 2009
Op-Ed
Washington Post
Richard Haass questions the degree to which success in Afghanistan is important to U.S. interests, writing that it is crucial to find a middle way between a troop surge and an immediate exit.
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare
October 6, 2009
Op-Ed
The Daily Beast
With debate raging on whether to increase troops in Afghanistan, Leslie H. Gelb writes that the United States can succeed there by empowering Afghans to take control of their own country.
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare
October 1, 2009
Op-Ed
Time Magazine
Peter Bergen and Leslie H. Gelb present two policy options for troop presence in Afghanistan.
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare
October-November 2009
Article
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."
See more in Wars and Warfare, Civil Reconstruction
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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.
Complete list of CFR Books
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International Affairs Fellow, 2007-2008
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Adjunct Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies
Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program
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