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MUST READS
A sortable index of the best online analyses and inquiries on foreign policy.
November 18, 2009
Joseph Cirincione outlines five myths that must be dispelled before a strategy to contain Iran's nuclear program can move forward with success.
See more in Iran, Diplomacy, Proliferation, U.S. Strategy and Politics
October 27, 2009
Seth Roberts writes that Moscow's close economic ties with Tehran will make it hard to convince Putin to put pressure on Iran's nuclear program.
See more in Russian Fed., Iran, Arms Control and Disarmament
October 25, 2009
Gary Sick comments on the sentencing of his colleague, Iranian-American scholar Kian Tajbaksh, and calls accusations against Tajbaksh "deliberately false."
See more in Iran, Democracy and Human Rights
October 1, 2009
The issue at the heart of Iran's approach to negotiations, argues Alastair Crooke, is not the nuclear program itself, but whether the United States and Israel are ready to accept Iran as a preeminent power in the Middle East.
See more in Iran, Diplomacy, Proliferation
September 30, 2009
Robert Kagan explains why the Obama administration should forget about Iranian nuclear developments and focus rather on Iranian instability and the regime's fight for survival.
See more in Iran, U.S. Strategy and Politics
September 4, 2009
William Tobey argues that efforts aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons has reached a roadblock as Russia continues to play a diplomatic "double game."
See more in Russian Fed., Iran, Diplomacy, Proliferation
August 25, 2009
Laura Secor describes Iran's show trials for politicians, students, and activists accused of colluding with foreigners in the aftermath of the disputed presidential elections.
August 17, 2009
Using Germany as a case study, Benjamin Weinthal argues that strong business ties between Europe and Iran will pose a large obstacle if the Obama administration wishes to apply further pressure on Tehran.
See more in Germany, Iran, Business & Foreign Policy, U.S. Strategy and Politics
August 2, 2009
The Iranian protests unsettled not only the hard-liners in Tehran but also the Obama administration, which has to make policy for a situation that changes as frequently as a Twitter feed.
See more in Iran, Elections, U.S. Strategy and Politics
January 2008
This Middle East Institute Policy Brief examines Saudi strategy and response if Iran acquired nuclear weapons, concluding that the Saudis would much prefer an accommodation with Iran and progress toward its long-stated goal of making the entire region a zone free of nuclear weapons.
See more in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Proliferation
July 1, 2009
In reviewing three books about Iran, Rosemary Righter provides a thorough and comprehensive analysis of both the country's current political situation, and the historical events leading up to its recent controversial elections.
June 22, 2009
This CRS report details the Obama administration's approach in dealing with Iran's growing strategic capabilities and regional influence, noting the debate over whether or not a policy of engagement is politically feasible in the aftermath of the country's disputed presidential election.
See more in Iran, Diplomacy, U.S. Strategy and Politics
June 22, 2009
This article and interactive timeline highlights the events that made 1979 a seminal year in world history with reverberations still felt, from Iran's Islamic revolution to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan.
June 17, 2009
In this opinion piece Ramin Jahanbegloo, an Iranian dissident living in exile, characterizes the post-election dissent in Iran as a turning point in its history that highlights the generation gap evident in its society.
June 16, 2009
Barbara Slavin writes that the aftermath of Iran's controversial elections will tarnish the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's reputation and stature at home.
June 16, 2009
In this Op-Ed piece, Danielle Pletka and Ali Alfoneh characterize Iran's latest elections as the final step in a military coup d'état.
June 15, 2009
Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett write that dismissing Ahmadinejad's reelection as fraud ignores several salient facts, and point out evidence supporting the assertion that the election results are legitimate.
June 11, 2009
Karim Sadjadpour offers an analysis of the 2009 Iran presidential election in the context of recent U.S. presidential elections, "however incongruous the comparison."
June 10, 2009
Bolstered by the active campaigning of Mir-Hossein Mousavi's wife, Zhara Rahnavard, "women's issues [in Iran] are on the agenda as they've never been before."
See more in Iran, Elections, Women
May 20, 2009
This U.S.-Russia joint assessment of Iran's nuclear and missile potential, published by the East West Institute, finds that Iran could produce a simple nuclear device within one to three years and develop a nuclear warhead for ballistic missiles in six to eight years. It also reports that Tehran will not be able, for at least ten to fifteen years, to independently master the technologies necessary for advanced intermediate-range ballistic missiles or intercontinental ballistic missiles.
See more in Iran, Proliferation
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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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The report of this bipartisan Task Force of distinguished leaders and experts represents a strong consensus on the importance of repairing America's immigration policy. It makes the case that maintaining America's political and economic leadership depends on attracting talented and hard-working immigrants, and on securing the country's borders in a smart, effective, and humane way.
This report finds that nuclear weapons will remain a fundamental element of U.S. national security in the near term, and makes recommendations on how to ensure the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. deterrent nuclear force, prevent nuclear terrorism, and strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime.
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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
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