An international poll released last week shows that there is no consensus outside the United States about who was behind the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. From the press release: “A new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll of 17 nations finds that majorities in only nine of them believe that al Qaeda was behind the 9/11 terrorist […]
Catching Osama bin Laden has become an issue on the campaign trail, with both Barack Obama and John McCain using the fate of the elusive terrorist mastermind to attack each other (CBS News – McCain And Bin Laden). Osama bin Laden is widely believed to be hiding somewhere in the mountainous tribal areas of […]
While most of the media's attention was turned to the speeches given at the recent Republican and Democratic national conventions, meanwhile, many of the nation's think tanks and non-profit organizations organized sidebar discussions about critical policy issues facing the country. Two excellent examples of such events were both sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, […]
Having recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russia has now decided to keep troops in those disputed regions (The New York Times – Moscow Will Keep Troops in Georgia Enclaves): Defense Minister Anatoly E. Serdyukov told Mr. Medvedev during a televised meeting on Tuesday that about 3,800 troops would remain in each […]
It's Friday and I’ve developed a tradition of closing the week with a recommendation to a blog or other internet resource that will help my readers gain insight into world affairs. Today I’d like to recommend the blog of the Asia Policy Debate 2008. According to their about statement: The purpose of this site is […]
A poll released yesterday by the German Marshall Fund basically echos one released the previous day, and, for that matter, echoes most other polls conducted on the subject of world views on the Presidential candidates. From the press release: “A survey released today shows that nearly half of Europeans (47%) believe that relations between the […]
The United States paused today to note the anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. This is an opportunity for reflection and resolve. We look back on those attacks (the archive of The New York Times report can be found here) from this safe distance seven years later and marvel at the national unity that arose […]
This week saw new developments in the U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation accord. In case you’re unfamiliar, this deal would allow the US to ship atomic fuel to India, for use in its civil nuclear energy program, in return for international inspections of India's civilian reactors, to make sure they don't use this technology to make nuclear weapons. As […]
President Bush has announced that he will send additional military forces to Afghanistan (The New York Times – 8,000 Troops to Leave Iraq Next Year): President Bush has accepted the recommendation of his senior civilian and military advisers to reduce the number of American troops in Iraq by 8,000 in the early months of next […]
A new poll published yesterday by the BBC World Service, GlobeScan and the Program on International Policy Attitudes asked publics in 22 countries three key questions about the US Presidential election. First, who do you prefer be the next US President, McCain or Obama? Second, what effect do you think each candidate's eventual Presidency have […]
Perhaps reflecting on her impressive career and the historic candidacy of Barack Obama, Secretary Rice is questioning why the State Department isn't more representative of the U.S. population (AFP – Rice laments lack of black diplomats): “I want to see a Foreign Service that looks as if black Americans are part of this great […]
I’m having a busy Monday, so I’m reaching deep into the archives for this article (Business Week – Who Will Rule The 21st Century?) about why the U.S. need not fear an ascendant China or India in the 21st Century. The report is from July ’07, so it will be interesting to read your thoughts […]
Following up on my recent post investigating Sarah Palin's foreign policy experience, the Washington Post reports the Republican vice presidential candidate is getting some training from her fellow GOP, and Independent colleagues: “Lieberman, who was the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee but is now an independent, has helped introduce Palin to officials of the American […]
When the Democratic party released their party platform two weeks ago I sifted through it to see where and how the word “diplomacy” was used. Now it's the Republican Party's turn. There's good news and bad news with the the GOP report. The good news is that the platform's drafters dedicated a section to both Public […]
Now that the two major national political parties have completed their conventions, we know beyond a doubt that John McCain or Barack Obama will be the next president. And since our focus is on foreign policy, it's time to speculate about the challenges facing the next president. Richard Holbrooke helps us narrow our focus […]