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November 12, 2009
Op-Ed
Washington Post
President Obama's trip to Asia offers an opportunity for the United States to reshape its relationship with Japan in the face of "historic" political change, writes Sheila Smith.
November 3, 2009
Interview
Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad says the Obama administration must determine how to use its leverage to help shape a competent government in Kabul.
See more in Afghanistan, Democracy and Human Rights, U.S. Strategy and Politics
November 2, 2009
Transcript
Max Boot, CFR senior fellow for national security studies, discusses U.S. strategy in Afghanistan online with Politico readers.
See more in United States, Afghanistan, Defense/Homeland Security, Defense Strategy
November 2, 2009
Must Read
Peter Galbraith reflects on the declaration of Karzai's victory as a "farce and failure," warns that Afghanistan has lost its legitimacy in the West, and grimly questions the purpose now of sending more troops.
See more in Afghanistan
November 2, 2009
Daily Analysis
The decision by the main Afghan presidential challenger to drop out of the runoff contest raises new doubts about incumbent Hamid Karzai's viability as partner in the U.S. effort to counter Taliban forces in increasingly shaky Afghanistan.
See more in Afghanistan, International Peace and Security
October 30, 2009
Interview
Christopher Sabatini, a Latin America expert, says the apparent resolution of the Honduran political crisis--triggered in part by concerns over Hugo Chavez's influence--marks a triumph for Obama administration diplomacy.
See more in Central America, Diplomacy
October 23, 2009
Interview
Afghanistan expert Thomas H. Johnson says Western efforts to force a runoff election will not produce a legitimate leader in the eyes of Afghan voters, and could further destabilize the country.
See more in Afghanistan, Democracy and Human Rights
October 20, 2009
Interview
Expert Peter M. Manikas says a fresh round of presidential voting may be the only way to enhance legitimacy in Kabul despite the monumental challenges involved in staging a secure runoff election.
See more in Afghanistan, Democracy and Human Rights
October 19, 2009
Interview
Middle East expert Joost Hiltermann says Iraq appears headed for an uncertain, and potentially violent, political season with no clear dominant faction emerging ahead of January parliamentary elections.
See more in Iraq
October 4, 2009
Must Read
Peter Galbraith exposes his side of the Afghan electoral fraud story, and comments on his perceptions of the real reasons behind his termination from the post of UN deputy special representative in Afghanistan last week.
See more in Afghanistan, International Organizations
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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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