The recent Flotilla Affair has sparked a round of reflection regarding Turkey’s role in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world. The questions being raised suggest that the U.S.-Turkey relationship is in a state of transition as the logic that cemented the alliance during the Cold War gives way to a variety of changing […]
Multilateralism has been a key feature of Barack Obama’s foreign policy vision since he first entered the political arena. The recent National Security Strategy correctly characterizes NATO as “the pre-eminent security alliance in the world today”, and in order to maintain this designation, the Obama Administration states its intention to use NATO’s Strategic Concept Review […]
I’ve often wondered if the pace of modem life, the 24/7 new cycle, and the need for governments to respond in real-time to what is happening have had a negative impact on the conduct of diplomacy. Take, for example, the odd incident last week in which two American allies made great progress in a matter […]
_______________________________________________________________________________ Federal Times.com has a story this week about USAID’s moves to do more of their work in house instead of farming it out to contractors. The U.S. Agency for International Development plans to bring in-house more work related to program design and monitoring and evaluation, Administrator Rajiv Shah said May 5. Shah made the […]
Someone wished me a “happy Memorial Day” in passing and I wondered if they understood what the holiday was really all about. What is it really all about? The above photo was taken the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial in France. According to Wikipedia, “the cemetery contains the largest number of American military dead in […]
Ben Wildavsky, Senior Fellow in Research and Policy at the Kauffman Foundation and a Guest Scholar at the Brookings Institution, recently published an interesting book – The Great Brain Race: How Global Universities are Reshaping the World. The book details just how globalization is making for better universities around the world and a competition among […]
Egypt is the land of pyramids and pharaohs, a magical and mystical place living in the minds of dreamers and tourists the world over. A constant stream of headlines fuels the mystique and allure of Egypt: MSNBC reports divers are exploring the sunken remains of Cleopatra’s palaces and USA Today reports on ancient mummies discovered […]
Last week I wrote broadly about the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico and how it has caused an ugly collision of private companies, politicians, regulators and lobbyists. One week later, as the oil gushes on, little has improved both in the water and in Washington. To date, over 6 million gallons of […]
This past weekend, President Obama delivered the commencement address to West Point’s graduating class of 2010. In it, he stressed to the cadets the importance of diplomatic engagement in addition to military might as part of U.S. national security, saying, “America’s armed forces are adapting to changing times, but your efforts have to be complemented. […]
Last Monday, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon named Costa Rica’s Christiana Figueres to be the organization’s top official on climate change. The appointment comes after the resignation of UN climate chief Yvo de Boer, last February, considered to be a severe blow to the UN and ongoing climate negotiations. Figueres will succeed Yvo de […]
The Center for a New American Security has released a report by Kristin Lord of CNAS and Marc Lynch of George Washington University. “America’s Extended Hand: Assessing the Obama Administration’s Global Engagement Strategy,” is well worth a thorough read. The executive summary includes: The purpose of this report is to assess rather than recommend […]
Interesting commentary by the Atlantic Council’s James Joyner on what the UK election results will mean for the Anglo-American “Special Relationship” here. Joyner believes the abundance of common interests in the U.S.-UK relationship will ultimately prevent it from fraying too much, and history suggests that he is right. In addition to those interests, the “Special […]
As someone who follows global climate issues for a living, the past month has been a whirlwind of incremental progress, speculation and literal explosions. Following the daily – make that hourly – ticker has been valuable in understanding the current climate position of the U.S. and the direction things are heading in 2010. The Issues […]
Since part of the mission of the FPA is to make foreign policy accessible to the American public, I like to recommend public sources and links to popular media. I don’t normally recommend academic articles, more often than not, they are hidden behind journal pay walls and not accessible to the public. I’m making an […]
President Karzai of Aghanistan is in Washington visiting President Obama this week and is being extended a very warm welcome. This marks a remarkable turnaround in American strategy towards a leader many saw as recalcitrant and unhelpful in the U.S. war against the Taliban and al-Qaida. The U.S. had taken to scolding, prodding and criticizing […]