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February 04, 2012
Browse by Regions and/or Topics

January 24, 2012

Counterinsurgency in the Post-COIN Era

The Obama administration's recently released Defense Strategic Guidance has officially brought the COIN era to a close. But debates over counterinsurgency's accomplishments in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as its role in America's future national security posture show no sign of letting up. Steven Metz, Bing West, Michael Mazarr, Crispin Burke and Andrew Exum examine lessons learned and the path ahead for COIN.

January 10, 2012

Rising Above Corruption: South Africa, Brazil and India

In addition to being rising powers and Southern democracies, South Africa, Brazil and India also share a less-desirable feature: the scourge of corruption. Efforts to address the problem face different obstacles in each country. In South Africa, the single-party dominance of the ANC has led to a culture of entitlement. In Brazil, anti-corruption measures and public impatience are often undermined by inefficient enforcement mechanisms. And in India, reducing the friction of government administration might require a technological approach.

December 20, 2011

Arab Spring, Global Repercussions

Soon after the first uprisings of the Arab Spring, observers wondered what impact the events in North Africa and the Middle East would have beyond the Arab world. Though sharing many of the demographic characteristics of the Arab Spring states, sub-Saharan Africa diverges in key ways that make an African Spring seem unlikely. China, too, faces little risk of contagion, but Beijing has been forced to adapt its outdated Middle East policy to rapidly changing circumstances. And across the Mediterranean, Europe risks missing an opportunity to more effectively engage the region due to an instinctive fear of political Islam.

December 06, 2011

The 21st-Century Naval Environment

The strategic landscape of the 21st century promises to be dominated by naval power. But political shifts and emerging technologies mean that old approaches must be reconsidered. In Asia, a submarine arms race has important implications for U.S. subsurface strategy. Meanwhile, political tensions have focused attention on the naval balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean. And after a slow start, the U.S. Navy has embraced the robotic revolution.

November 22, 2011

Human Rights: A Closer Look

After a decade of grand projects to remake regions of the world, the U.S. foreign policy debate has been increasingly dominated by more realist concerns. But even in a period characterized by restraint and austerity, the protection of human rights remains vital. Valerie Hudson, T. Jeremy Gunn, Sharon Shalev, Sandra Coliver and Pharis Harvey discuss the fundamental issues at stake in the global human rights agenda.

November 08, 2011

Coercive Diplomacy

If war is politics by other means, then coercion might be considered war by other means. Indeed, in the contemporary international arena, nonmilitary methods of coercion have gained in importance and effectiveness. But unlike war, coercion is sometimes directed at friends and allies, with mixed results. Meanwhile, an evolution in the use of economic coercion over the past two decades has resulted in a more targeted approach to sanctions.

October 25, 2011

The Other Drug Wars

For many in the U.S., the War on Drugs conjures images of Mexican narcotraffickers and Colombian cartels. But illicit drug production and trafficking have long been global phenomena. In Southeast Asia, a resurgent drug trade has underscored the limitations of regional counternarcotics approaches, while in West Africa, interdiction successes leave more questions than answers about what remains an opaque problem. And in Afghanistan, a decade of U.S. efforts has done little to advance either counternarcotics or counterinsurgency objectives.

October 11, 2011

South America: New Realities, Persistent Challenges

Over the past decade, South America has experienced dramatic changes, in terms of both the region's politics and its place in the global economy. But while progress has been made, it has been uneven, and many shared governance challenges remain stubbornly persistent. That has meant unexpected foreign policy defeats for Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who has seen his influence plummet in recent years. It has also highlighted the ways in which U.S. policy must be brought up to date to reflect the region's new realities.

September 27, 2011

Global Watchdogs: Adapting Roles to Realities

As conceptions of sovereignty have evolved, global watchdog institutions have assumed broader oversight roles in international affairs. But they still must operate in an environment constrained by states' prerogatives and political realities. For the IAEA, that means balancing competing agendas among member states. The ICC must find ways to pursue its mandate while remaining dependent on states' cooperation to carry it out. And NGOs, though increasingly an integral part of the global governance system, nevertheless struggle with questions of legitimacy and formal status.

September 13, 2011

Palestine, From the Ground Up

With the Palestinian Liberation Organization poised to seek U.N. recognition for a Palestinian state later this month, the political obstacles to such a move have been in the spotlight. Less attention has been paid to the concrete features of an eventual Palestinian state. Are Palestinian governmental institutions prepared for sovereignty? What are the possibilities for economic development in a state of Palestine? And beyond the conflicting myths and narratives of return, what are the prospects for reintegrating Palestinian refugees?