WPR Blog Archive

I’ve mentioned before that one of the more alarming aspects ofgetting older is that I find myself agreeing from time to time withHenry Kissinger. So his inclusion in Leslie Gelb’s call for a broad coalition of foreign policy realiststo shape American policy isn’t a dealbreaker. It’s become an electoralcliche to talk about bipartisanship, but while that usually refers todomestic politics, I think it will be far more essential over thecourse of the next eight years in the conduct of foreign policy.American society is resilient enough to weather the tug-of-war ofpartisan politics. But the rapidly evolving global scene now more than […]

As I’ve suspected for a while, after doing the heavy lifting for clearing India’s return to the nuclear fold, America will watch France and Russia walk away with the lion’s share of the initial nuclear contracts handed out, expected to represent $100 billion over the next twenty years. In addition to an expected delay in Congressional ratification, American companies will have to wait for a liability convention to be drawn up before actively entering the Indian market. French and Russian nuclear producers, on the other hand, are nationalized, allowing them to use national sovereignty to shield themselves from liability in […]

Advocates for a more punitive line will probably find the EU’s declaration on the Russia-Georgia crisis (.pdf) unsatisfactory. But as Christophe Barbier of l’Express notes in this French-language video editorial, Europe isn’t really in a position to “punish” Russia. He likens the situation to a virile negotiation or an arm-wrestling match, and judging from the EU’s declaration, that seems to be the approach the Union is taking: The European Council considers that given the interdependence between the European Union and Russia, and the global problems they are facing, there is no desirable alternative to a strong relationship, based on cooperation, […]

Via MDC at Foreign Policy Watch, Fareed Zakaria argues that Russia’s invasion of Georgia will go down as a major strategic blunder, an overreach along the lines of Afghanistan in 1979. I’m not so sure. It’s true that Russia’s heavyhanded approach has validated many of Eastern Europe’s worst fears, triggering a reflex lurch to the West. But Poland’s decision to accept the American missile defense system, which Zakaria links directly to the invasion, is more an acceleration than an about face. And as MDC points out, the trans-Atlantic unity that Zakaria claims the Russian invasion fostered is not uniform. In […]

I did manage to get through one book while I was away, America at Arms, a study of American strategic culture written by Gen. Vincent Desportes. Desportes was until yesterday the commander of the French Army’s Force Employment Doctrine Center. Today he assumed his new duties as commander of the Inter-Army Defense College. On starting the book, my first thought was that it should be required reading in France. Upon finishing it, my final thought was that it should be required reading in America. While not his primary concern, Desportes’ analysis helps put the strategic debates of the immediate post-9/11 […]

I just got back Saturday from two weeks of internet-free vacation.With the exception of a quick glance at the news stand headlines everythree or four days, I also managed to remain largely oblivious to thecountry’s and the world’s goings on. I’d like to say that the resultingdetachment from the news cycle allowed for reflections of a broader andmore profound nature, but the truth is that I mainly just relaxed andenjoyed the time off. So, I’ll be using today to get back up to speed.Hopefully the blog rust will be gone by the time your back from LaborDay barbecues. Am I […]