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September 1994
Essential Documents
Plan
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September 17, 2009
Podcast
CFR's Japan expert Sheila Smith says U.S.-Japan relations remain important for both governments, but the issue of realigning U.S. military forces in Japan will continue to be a difficult challenge.
September 6, 2009
Op-Ed
Honolulu Advertiser
Sheila A. Smith argues that Japan's foreign policy stance under the new Democratic Party of Japan leadership now tops the list of concerns in the United States and elsewhere.
See more in U.S. Strategy and Politics
September 14, 2009
Op-Ed
Newsweek
Sheila A. Smith says that arguments portraying the new, leading Democratic Party of Japan as inexperienced are overstatements.
August 30, 2009
Expert Brief
Electoral politics in Japan have been upended with the defeat of the long-governing Liberal Democratic Party. CFR's Sheila Smith says the rise of the Democratic Party of Japan could test the U.S.-Japan alliance and advises U.S. policymakers to focus on economic and energy-related cooperation.
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August 30, 2009
Must Read
Mary Kissel writes that the reform agenda of the opposition DPJ party and its leader, Yukio Hatoyama, should not be carried out at the expense of a strong alliance with the United States.
See more in Elections, U.S. Strategy and Politics
August 29, 2009
Must Read
Tobias Harris explains how Ichirio Ozawa, former Democratic Party of Japan president, is behind the rise of the recently victorious opposition party.
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August 27, 2009
Audio
Listen to Senior Fellow for Japan Studies Sheila Smith give a preview of the parliamentary election to take place in Japan on August 30, and discuss its potential outcomes for both Japan and the United States.
See more in United States, China, Elections
August 27, 2009, New York
Transcript
Sheila Smith previews Japan's August 30th parliamentary election and the prospect of an historical win by the opposition DPJ.
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Updated: August 31, 2009
Backgrounder
Opposition victory in Japan's 2009 parliamentary election served as a watershed moment in the country's electoral politics. Analysts say political change in Tokyo could result in a possible shift in its close relationship with the United States, especially in security matters.
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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
Adjunct Senior Fellow for International Economics
Adjunct Senior Fellow for Asia Studies
C.V. Starr Senior Fellow and Director for Asia Studies
Senior Fellow for East, Central, and South Asia
Senior Fellow for Japan Studies
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