The Korean ProblemNo, not North Korea, I mean South Korea. Even in the face of
bellicose threats from North Korea, the alliance between South Korea and the U.S. is far from stable. For insight on why this is so, I recommend this report (
U.S. and South Korea try to save old alliance) from the
International Herald Tribune.
U.S. & Africa, cont.This is a follow-up to the previous post, the Foreign Policy Association has an In Focus essay on the topic of aid to Africa (
Aiding Africa), this is a great resource for more analysis on the subject. FPA is also conducting a
poll on the question, "Should the U.S. increase foreign aid to Africa in addition to providing debt relief?" Right now, "Yes" is in the lead with 81.1% of votes cast, "No" has 16.2%, and the "Not Sure" camp has 2.7%. Cast your vote today.
U.S. & Africa
Ahead of the G8 Summit, Tony Blair is seeking U.S. support for an ambitious aid program for Africa, what some have called a "Marshall Plan" to lift the continent out of poverty. President Bush has not signed on to the goal of doubling aid for Africa (
New York Times -
Bush Maintains Opposition to Doubling Aid for Africa) but has agreed to spend $674 million in emergency aid to Africa from funds already allocated by Congress (
Washington Post -
Bush, Blair Agree on Aid For African Famine Relief). The official White House transcript of the Bush/Blair news conference can be found
here. Do you support increased aid to Africa?
U.S. Role & IndiaShyam Saran, foreign secretary of India, says the U.S.-Indian dynamic has changed dramatically from the Cold War divergence between the two countries. India, he says, can be a vital partner in the U.S. effort to foster democracy around the world because India has developed strong institutions, including a vigorous election commission, an independent judiciary, multiple human rights commissions and a free press. Saran spoke at Center for Strategic and International Studies on May 19 and his remarks (India: Partner in Democracy, Target for Nonproliferation) are linked
here in a downloadable PDF file.
North Korea: The War Game Following Condoleezza Rice's visit to Command Post Tango in South Korea,
The Atlantic Monthly convened a war game featuring the country's most prominent foreign-policy strategists. The Carnegie Endowment provides an overview of how the war went at the above link.
