Iran Nuclear Program: Tehran’s Latest Fuel Swap Offer

If the fuel swap proposal designed to end the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program were a cat, it would be up to its sixth life by now. But Iran has just floated yet another counteroffer: a swap of all of its low-enriched uranium for the fuel cells — fabricated from 20 percent enriched uranium — needed to power its medical reactor. The hitch is that the exchange, as formulated by the head of Iran’s nuclear energy agency, would have to be conducted on Iranian territory and simultaneoulsy. That is, Iran would hold onto its LEU, under IAEA seal and oversight, […]

Tensions Rising? Clinton Says US-Israel Have “Unshakable Bond”

In the face of recent disagreements between Israeli and U.S. leadership over new settlements in East Jerusalem, Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton says the two countries are still as close as ever.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is at the center of the strain between the two historically linked countries and though he has apologized for poor timing of some of his comments, he has not backed down from his stance. NewsHour’s Jeffrey Brown reports on the oscillating relations.

Global Insights: China’s Military Buildup Stokes Regional Arms Race

China’s Southeast Asian neighbors are engaging in a sustained military buildup, with their imports of major conventional weapons systems almost doubling in volume in the five-year period from 2005 to 2009, compared to the 2000-2004 period. Although some of these imports may have replaced obsolete weapons or matched purchases by other Southeast Asian countries, China’s massive military buildup is an important factor driving the region’s defense modernization efforts. According to the latest data released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), imports of major conventional arms by Indonesia rose by 84 percent in the two five-year periods. For Singapore, […]

Most coverage of the outcome of Iraq’s March 7 elections has portrayed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s re-election as seriously in doubt, with former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, a secular Shiite, contending for the position. However, not only is another term for Maliki likely, his only real obstacle is securing Kurdish support. Allawi, on the other hand, does not represent a realistic threat. More generally, the election will result in a parliament that is more polarized between majority Shiite Islamists and opposition Sunni Arab nationalists, with secular Shiite and tribal parties almost entirely wiped out. Although definitive tallies have not yet […]

U.S. in Iraq: The New Israel

Just another quick afterthought to yesterday’s post about how the U.S. presence in Iraq has altered the strategic logic of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Setting aside all of the non-strategic aspects of the relationship, which is admittedly a huge component, Israel has historically functioned as a U.S. proxy in the region — the surest and most reliable ally in terms of the broad alignments on which U.S. interests depend, and a security firewall that has come close to resembling a forward outpost. Now notice what’s changed in the above equation. First, Israel’s current posture — obstructionist with regard to Israel-Palestine negotiations, […]

Ashton Visits the Middle East

The European Union’s new foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, is heading to the Middle East for the first time since her appointment in December. Ashton, who has been recently under for being unqualified for her post, will visit the region’s hot spots and assert the EU’s presence in an area where it is the single largest international donor. Al Jazeera’s Harry Smith reports.

The U.S. and Israel: From Allies to Neighbors

If you haven’t seen it yet, click through and take a look at Mark Perry’s Foreign Policy article on some recent shifts in the U.S. military’s strategic framing of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Although the story ran in the aftermath of Vice President Joe Biden’s disastrous trip to Israel, the events it reports took place beforehand, and give some background for where Biden’s alleged “This is getting serious for us” quote came from. Laura Rozen smartly places the “meta” narrative in the context of a pre-emptive White House defense against any Israeli efforts by way of congressional supporters to limit the […]

Containing a Nuclear Iran

It’s reassuring to see my biggest concern about a nuclear Iran — the dangers of a regional nuclear arms race — articulated by Brent Scowcroft at the very end of this NY Times article on the potential shift in CW on the issue. The Times piece pivots off a much longer Foreign Affairs article by Ray Tayekh and James Lindsay, which I haven’t had a chance to read in its entirety. Their three containment red lines, which the Times summarizes, seem well thought out: They urge Mr. Obama to prescribe three explicit no-go zones for the Iranians: “no initiation of […]

U.S. Power in an Age of Transitions

I just got through reading a few unrelated blog posts that combine to make for an interesting discussion of the U.S. response to shifting regional dynamics in Asia and the Middle East. Hugh White sketches how he thinks the U.S. should adapt its Asia strategy to accomodate China’s rise, while Tobias Harris exposes the limitations of the “losing Japan” narrative. Meanwhile, Elias Muhanna argues that the U.S. narrative of a moderate vs. militant divide in the Middle East fails to take into account how the landscape has shifted there, quoting this from a Washington Post op-ed by Rob Malley and […]

Gen. Odierno: A Coalition Government is the Only Way

Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, talks to NewsHour’s Jim Lehrer about the recent elections in Iraq and the possibilities for security and democracy in the immediate future. Odierno stresses that decision-making is solely with the Iraqi government and that U.S. forces are in the country in an advisory role. He also says that it looks as if the timetable for troop withdrawal is on schedule after the overall success of relatively non-violent elections.

As the United States steps up its campaign to impose economic sanctions on Iran, fears are growing in Washington and in the Middle East that Iran will try to trigger a new war in the region in order to shift attention from its nuclear activities, throw the U.S. and its allies off balance, and put Israel on the defensive. Few people, if any, envision Iran launching a direct attack. Rather, the concern is that Tehran will manage to stir up trouble in Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, or even Syria, in order to spark a new confrontation between Israel […]

Normalizing a Nuclear Middle East

“Israel makes provocatively timed inflammatory announcement” seems to be a headline with plenty of mileage these days. While the settlement announcement during Vice President Joe Biden’s visit is getting the spotlight, I’d say the news out of Paris — where Israel’s infrastructure minister announced its intentions to build a civilian nuclear reactor — is even more significant, for muddying the waters on so many different high-stakes fronts at once. To bullet-point them in no particular order: – It puts France and the U.S. on the spot regarding a potential non-NPT “India exception” for Israel, at the very moment when both […]

Iraq’s Elections Show Democracy’s Growing Strength

The run up to this weekend’s Iraqi election — the second general election held since the fall of Saddam’s regime — was marked by speculation, anticipation and no shortage of controversy. Since the last such election in 2005, the Iraqi people have witnessed continual changes to their country and political map, and the trajectory of Iraq as determined by this latest election could change accordingly. There is little doubt that, although the elections saw some violence, they were a marked improvement from 2005 and a testament that democracy is taking root in Iraq. There is much at stake in the […]

It could take over a month before the Iraqi Supreme Court confirms the results of Sunday’s legislative elections, but the process itself has already shown significant successes in several dimensions. Even so, important questions regarding Iraq’s future, and America’s role in it, remain unresolved. Most importantly, this latest election confirms Iraq’s status as a functioning democracy in which multiple candidates and political parties compete for office in essentially free and fair elections, whose outcome could not be predicted in advance. While such an achievement would not be remarkable in many parts of the world, it is a rarity in the […]

U.S.-Turkey Relations On Thin Ice After Genocide Resolution

A U.S. congressional panel voted in favor of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, a non-binding decision by U.S. lawmakers branding mass killings of Armenians by Turkey during World War One as genocide. The resolution comes at a time of renewed efforts toward normalization between Turkey and Armenia — a process that could be interrupted by Congress’ vote. Though President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have shied away from the term “genocide” for fear of disrupted relations with strategic partner Turkey, the Armenian-American diaspora is celebrating the vote.

WPR on France 24: The World Last Week

I again had the pleasure last Friday of appearing on France 24’s panel discussion week-in-review program, The World This Week. The other panelists were Tom Redubrun of the IHT, Stefan de Vries of RTL, and Laura Dagg of Toute l’Europe. Topics included the Iraqi elections, the Greek debt crisis, and U.S.-Turkey relations in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide bill. Part one can be found here. Part two can be found here.

National security types have long noted — and complained about — the relative lack of military veterans in Congress, which results in too few experienced votes being cast when the prospect of overseas interventions is raised. I have long noted — and complained about — the fact that Congress’ most prominent military vets hail from the Vietnam era, which has led many to instinctively reject the necessity and utility of conducting nation-building and counterinsurgency. Clearly, our lengthy interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan will alter this generational equation, but how will the experiences of today’s veterans impact their votes in tomorrow’s […]

Showing 18 - 34 of 47First 1 2 3 Last