U.S. Role

2006-08-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

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2006-08-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

U.S. & Mideast Diplomacy
There seems to be an emerging consensus that Israel will disarm or at least severely weaken Hezbollah over the next few weeks at which point an international force made up of either UN or NATO forces will be inserted as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel. What happens after that? Former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft looks back to Clinton era diplomacy to suggest a way forward in this Washington Post op-ed, Beyond Lebanon. Scowcroft suggests that the basic framework Clinton offered in 2000 (addressing the borders of a Palestinian state, the refugees, settlements, and the status of Jerusalem) can still be embraced by the powers in the region, but only if the U.S. is serious about brokering a comprehensive settlement. Given the challenges of brokering such an agreement, Scowcroft is quick to point out the many benefits:

The benefits of reaching a comprehensive settlement of the root cause of today's turmoil would likely ripple well beyond the Israelis and the Palestinians. A comprehensive peace settlement would not only defang the radicals in Lebanon and Palestine (and their supporters in other countries), it would also reduce the influence of Iran -- the country that, under its current ideology, poses the greatest potential threat to stability in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt and Jordan.

2006-07-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

U.S. & Mideast
I was away last week, an untimely vacation if ever there was one, so I'm rather late in offering some web resources relating to the recent crisis in the Middle East. To make up for that, I'd like to recommend the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace website where they have assembled a PDF file of commentaries by opinion leaders positioned to address the issues in this conflict. From the Carnegie e-alert:

As the current conflict in Lebanon, Israel, and Gaza has escalated and has involved the broader region, a rapid cessation of violence may be more difficult to achieve. In light of the current state of affairs, Carnegie experts Marina S. Ottaway, Nathan Brown, Julia Choucair, Michele Dunne, Amr Hamzawy, George Perkovich, and Paul Salem have collectively written several short commentaries addressing the crisis in the Middle East. Hamas, Hizbollah, Iran, Syria and others are explored in detail.

2006-07-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

U.S. & North Korea
How should the U.S. respond to North Korea's missile tests? Should the U.S. stage a preemptive attack on North Korea? It's time for some pro-con on this complex issue from The Washington Post:

Attack North Korea: William Perry & Ash Carter

Don't Attack: Jack Pritchard

2006-07-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

U.S. & North Korea
The Foreign Policy Association's web editor Robert Nolan takes a look (North Korea's Fireworks) at the recent provocative missile launches by North Korea and examines possible responses.

2006-05-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

Web Resource: New CFR
Check out the new and improved Council on Foreign Relations website, edited by journalist Michael Moran. Founded in 1921, the Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, national membership organization and a nonpartisan center for scholars dedicated to producing and disseminating ideas so that individual and corporate members, as well as policymakers, journalists, students, and interested citizens in the United States and other countries, can better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other governments.

2006-05-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

U.S. & Development
Robert Calderisi offers a report card (New Statesman - The worst man in the world?) on the first year of the Wolfowitz era at the World Bank.

2006-05-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

U.S. Immigration Debate
This is the White House approved transcript of President Bush's address the nation on immigration reform.

2006-05-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

U.S. & Iran
If the U.S. did use military force against Iran, what would we face exactly? The editors of Foreign Policy analyze (The List: Sizing up Iran's Military) the Iranian military and asses the strengths of their army, navy, air force, missile forces, and paramilitary forces.

2006-04-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

FP Blog
I'm always on the lookout for interesting links and online resources related to U.S. foreign policy and I've found a new one I think you will like. FP Passport is a new blog from the editors of Foreign Policy offering daily analysis, commentary and insight on world affairs. I've added it to the blogroll and will a regular reader.

2006-04-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

Preventive War
Historian and former presidential advisor Arthur Schlesinger Jr. has some thoughts on a U.S. foreign policy based on presidential preventive war in this (Bush's Thousand Days) op-ed in The Washington Post.

2006-04-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

U.S. & China
As the Hu visit dominates the headlines the U.S. media is focusing on the issue of U.S. trade with China. In a Financial Times op-ed (China Is Stagnating in Its "Trapped Transition"), Minxin Pei, Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, looks at the anomalies in China's economic and political transitions. Although China was an initial pioneer in embracing market reforms, Pei suggests that China has now fallen behind in terms of privatization, regulation, and the rule of law.

2006-04-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

U.S. & China

Here is the White House transcript of the arrival of President Hu at the White House, the arrival ceremony took place on the South Lawn and was followed by lunch. A news conference in the Oval Office was held later. The White House transcript of the event can be found here.

U.S. & China
Joseph S. Nye Jr. seeks middle ground between Washington’s "panda huggers" and "China hawks" in this Boston Globe article (Assessing China's power).

2006-04-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

U.S. & China
"Taiwan, bilateral trade, international security and human rights are expected to dominate this week's historic talks in Washington D.C. between U.S. President George W. Bush and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao," CNN reports (Taiwan, trade to top Hu-Bush talks). In "The Trouble with Taiwan," Ted Galen Carpenter, The Cato Institute's vice president for defense and foreign policy studies, and Justin Logan, a Cato policy analyst, write: "It is possible that the United States could decide to involve itself in a conflict between Taiwan and China. That decision would be ill-advised in its own right, given the potential dangers, but it certainly should not be left to Taiwan's government to force such a momentous decision." Should the media focus more on trade issues between the U.S. and China at the expense of security issues? In the coverage of this weeks visit by Hu, what issues are you most interested in learning more about?

2006-04-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

U.S. & Iran
Carnegie's Joseph Cirincione writes in Foreign Policy (Fool Me Twice) that all the talk of attacking Iran (found most recently in the The New Yorker and The Washington Post) sounds a bit too similar to the talk before the Iraq war. Has the U.S. already decided to attack Iran?

2006-04-05T16:41:00.000-07:00

U.S. & Iran
In an L.A. Times oped, David Bosco examines why the Bush administration has decided that the U.N. Security Council is the place to make a stand against Iran's nuclear ambitions (Carnegie Endowment - Who Will Challenge Iran). He considers where the Security Council has been effective and where they have lacked of authority, particularly when the U.S. and Britain bypassed it to invade Iraq in 2003.

2006-03-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

U.S. & Democracy
A growing number of countries, from Russia to Ethiopia, are closing a once-open door to Western democracy promotion programs. In a new Foreign Affairs article (The Backlash Against Democracy Promotion), the Carnegie Endowment's Thomas Carothers analyzes this backlash against democracy building, tracing its roots in the Western role in the recent "color revolutions" as well as to President Bush's "Freedom Agenda."

2006-03-06T13:53:00.000-08:00

U.S. & Iran
"The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Sunday told an influential pro-Israel lobbying group there is an urgent need to confront Iran's 'clear and unrelenting drive' for a nuclear weapons program," according to the Associated Press (Newsday - Bolton: World Must Confront Iran). In "Dubious Assumptions about Iran," Ted Galen Carpenter, Cato Institute's vice president for defense and foreign policy studies, writes:

A consensus is gradually emerging in the United States that Washington and its allies must take whatever action is necessary to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. Various options are advocated, from U.N.-mandated economic sanctions to air strikes on suspected nuclear installations to active subversion of the mullah-controlled regime in Tehran.

I wonder why the old MAD doctrine of nuclear deterrence is no longer an option?

2006-02-28T09:10:00.000-08:00

U.S. & India
As President Bush embarks on a two-day trip to India, the number one item on the agenda is nuclear technology. Should the U.S. sell nuclear technology to India? The Carnegie Endowment's Senior Associate Ashley Tellis testified before the House Committee on International Relations to examine the implications of U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation, his testimony is presented on the Carnegie website in an article entitled The U.S.-India ''Global Partnership'': How Significant for American Interests?

Also see: The New York Times - Assertive India Girds for Negotiations With Bush: When President Bush lands in India on Wednesday, he will find a nation ready to assert its views, some of which align with Mr. Bush's agenda and some of which do not.

2006-02-20T15:29:00.000-08:00

Evolving Foreign Policy
Francis Fukuyama gives some thought (The New York Times - After Neoconservatism) to democratization, isolationism, Wilsonian idealism, benevolent hegemony, and the ever evolving foreign policy of the United States.

2006-02-14T08:49:00.000-08:00

Support for the U.S.
Will the U.S. be receiving many Valentines this year? Foreign Policy (Red, White, and Booed) takes a look at poll data to find the answer: The United States’ standing dropped sharply as a result of the Iraq war, and it hasn’t hit bottom yet. Australians, French, Italians, and even the British grew even more hostile to the United States in 2005. The notable exception was Poland, which grew even more pro-American, perhaps because of U.S. support for Ukraine’s Orange Revolution, with which Poles can identify, and renewed authoritarianism in Russia.

2006-02-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

State of the Union 2006
President Bush delivered his State of the Union address last night, the White House transcript can be found here. In this New York Times analysis (Bold Visions Have Given Way to New Reality) David Sanger argues that Bush "emphasized the familiar and the modest" over the grand themes he used in previous addresses. Did you watch the speech and if so, what did you think of it?

2006-01-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

U.S. & Democracy
The Washington Post takes a look at the Bush record in promoting democracy (The Realities of Exporting Democracy) and finds that it is still very much a work in progress.

2006-01-25T11:56:00.000-08:00

U.S. Diplomacy
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave an important speech last week in which she set forth her vision for the future of U.S. diplomacy. Her "Remarks at Georgetown University" are now available on the American Diplomacy website. Rice would like to overhaul the State Department to face the challenges of the 21st Century.

2006-01-25T11:51:00.000-08:00

U.S. & World Opinion
Carnegie Endowment's Robert Kagan argues (Still the Colossus) that despite global opinion polls registering broad hostility toward the U.S., the behavior of governments and political leaders suggests America's position in the world is not all that different from what it was before Sept. 11 and the Iraq war.

2006-01-11T14:08:00.000-08:00

U.S. & Democracy
In a New York Times op-ed (IHT - Three Tyrants, One Test), Carnegie Endowment Senior Associate Thomas Carothers examines President Bush's "freedom agenda," the basis of which is the idea that promoting democracy abroad is crucial to fighting terrorism. He asks how serious the Administration is about this agenda and points to the convergence in recent months of political events in three countries — Azerbaijan, Egypt and Kazakhstan — as a crucial triple test.

2006-01-05T14:50:00.000-08:00

U.S. & World Opinion
What are international bloggers saying about the U.S.? Global Voices Online, a Web site run by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, tracks the world's most interesting blogs and helps us keep abreast of what international bloggers are writing about. Hat Tip: Foreign Policy

2005-12-21T08:42:00.000-08:00

U.S. Foreign Policy Attitudes
In a recent New Republic online article (World Weary), Carnegie Visiting Scholar John Judis uses a hybrid of history and recent poll findings to explain why Americans have changed their foreign policy outlook from liberal internationalism and neoconservatism after 9/11, to the current tendency of isolationism.

2005-12-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

U.S. Immigration Policy
Stephen Johnson, Senior Policy Analyst for Latin America at Heritage, argues that U.S. immigration policy should focus less on Mexico and more on Latin America. In his analysis (Heritage.org - Immigration Plans Need a Foreign Policy Component), Mexico is merely a transit point, not the true source of the problem.

2005-12-19T09:04:00.000-08:00

U.S. & Iraq
President Bush gave a televised address to the nation last night, again defending the war in Iraq and his strategy for winning that conflict. The White House transcript of the address can be found here. The New York Times report on the event can be found here. The Washington Post report can be found here. What did you think of the speech?

2005-12-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

U.S. & Iraq
FPA's Marco Vicenzino offers some commentary and analysis on the Iraq vote (FPA - Iraq: Emerging from the Storm?). Will Iraq's elections for the first fully sovereign government since the 2003 U.S. invasion usher in a new era of stability?

2005-12-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

U.S. Foreign Policy: Idealism or Realism?
Former U.N. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke offered his thoughts on American foreign policy in a lecture at Yeshiva University (Yeshiva University News - Richard Holbrooke Addresses Foreign Policy Shift in Bush Administration). Is the Bush Administration really a new variation on Wilsonian idealism?

2005-12-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

U.S. & Iraq

President Bush gave another major speech in defense of the war in Iraq yesterday. The White House transcript of the event can be found here. The Washington Post coverage of the event can be found here (Bush: Iraq Invasion My Responsibility). If you were initially against the war, has this series of speeches changed your mind?

2005-12-14T15:14:00.000-08:00

U.S. & Asia
The Democracy Arsenal blog is discussing American relations with Asia (Odd Man Out in Asia). Is America investing in stronger alliances or abandoning Asia and creating a power vacuum? Will the question of the future be: Who lost Asia?

2005-12-13T13:04:00.000-08:00

U.S. & Iraq

President Bush gave his third major speech in recent months defending the war in Iraq yesterday to an audience at the World Affairs Council. The White House transcript of the speech can be found here. The New York Times coverage of the event can be found here. The next major speech will be tomorrow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington.

2005-12-08T15:54:00.000-08:00

U.S. Strategy & Tactics, cont.
Blogger Marty Lederman of Balkinization takes a look (Condi Rice's "No Torture" Pledge: Don't Believe the Hype!) at how the press is covering the Secretary of State's trip and the torture debate. The New York Times editorial on the torture issue can be found here.

2005-12-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

U.S. Strategy & Tactics
Here (Rice Says United States Does Not Torture Terrorists) is some background and the text of remarks Monday by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice before leaving for Europe, as transcribed by the State Department, in which she defends American interrogation practices. How aggressive should the U.S. be in interrogating prisoners? If prisoners have to be transported out of the U.S. in order to be interrogated, is this evidence that U.S. laws are being circumvented? The New York Times report on the Rice trip can be found here.

2005-12-05T13:31:00.000-08:00

U.S. & The U.N.
This New York Times op-ed (Give the United Nations a Little Competition) takes up the question of the U.S. role in promoting reform at the United Nations. Ruth Wedgwood, a professor of international law and organizations at Johns Hopkins University, argues that if the United Nations can't reform on its own, America needs to support other multilateral venues.

2005-11-30T13:15:00.000-08:00

U.S. & Iraq

In a speech today at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., President Bush outlined his strategy for winning the war in Iraq and gradually withdrawing U.S. forces. The complete transcript of the speech can be found on the White House website here, and the PDF of the National Strategy for Victory in Iraq can be found here. Has President Bush successfully answered critics who said that he did not have a strategy to win the war in Iraq?

2005-11-29T09:28:00.000-08:00

U.S. & Iraq
Should the U.S. withdraw from Iraq? James Abrahamson, a retired senior U.S. Army officer argues (American Diplomacy - Facing the Islamist Challenge) that reform and modernization of the authoritarian regimes of the Mideast are necessary to thwart the goal of radical Islamists to subjugate the region and, strengthened by control of the Mideast's oil, eventually the West. In his view, an American withdrawal from Iraq would be "neither sound strategy nor intelligent patriotism."

2005-11-22T15:47:00.000-08:00

U.S. & Iraq
As the grand debate continues about the war in Iraq and when and if to withdraw American forces (CBS News - Still A War of Words Over Iraq), the Foreign Affairs website offers a creative approach to the subject. They feature several archived articles taking us back in time to similar debates about the American withdrawal from Vietnam. Organized on the theme "Iraq: Learning the Lessons of Vietnam," these articles prompt us to consider the question: Are there any lessons to be learned from our national experience in Vietnam that we can apply today in Iraq?

2005-11-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

U.S. Isolationism?
CNN (Poll: More Americans want off world stage) reports that according to a new Pew poll, "The public's belief that the United States should mind its own business internationally has reached levels not seen since after the Cold War ended more than a decade ago.." Are we seeing a new spirit of isolationism?

2005-11-17T08:57:00.000-08:00

U.S. & The Internet
Should the United States give up control of the Internet? That’s the subject of a heated debate taking place this week at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis. The European Union is pressing for a U.N. role in governing the Internet, which is currently in the hands of a U.S. nonprofit. In the "Seven Questions: Battling for Control of the Internet," published in Foreign Policy, Professor Lawrence Lessig breaks down the debate and argues the Internet is already in good hands.

2005-11-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

U.S. & Japan

President Bush has embarked on an Asian tour, stopping first in Japan to confer with that important American ally (Japan Today - Bush calls Japan bedrock of Asia freedom, Koizumi one of his best friends). In "America's New Strategic Relationship with Japan," Christopher Preble, director of foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, writes:

With the U.S. facing numerous other military commitments abroad, and with Japan increasingly asserting military autonomy, the Bush administration is to be commended for shaping a new policy that will more equitably distribute security burdens between the two countries. A new strategic relationship should provide a more durable and credible foundation for addressing the most pressing security challenges facing both countries in East Asia and beyond.

Should the U.S. ask Japan to assume greater responsibility for defense and regional security? Is there a danger that an increased regional role for Japan, supported by the U.S., would not be welcomed by other regional powers?

2005-11-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

U.S. Image

Carnegie's Husain Haqqani analyzes (An American on Muslim Street) the efforts of the newly appointed Under-Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Karen Hughes, in communicating with the Muslim world. How is she doing so far? If you are interested in learning more about public diplomacy, Voice of America has put together this guide with links to recent news, a bio on Karen Hughes, and related links.

For Discussion: How should we seek to improve the image of the U.S. abroad? Does imagery even matter in foreign affairs?

2005-11-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

U.S. Role & Religious Freedom
The U.S. Department of State released the seventh annual International Religious Freedom Report this week, it examines the status of religious freedom around the world. The 2005 report redesignates Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Vietnam as "Countries of Particular Concern" for severe violations of religious freedom. As Secretary Rice heads back to the Middle East later this week, she will have an opportunity to gauge for herself how well this report is being received in the region. The full text of the 2005 report and previous reports are available on the State Department Web site.

For Discussion: The U.S. values religious freedom and tolerance. Is promoting U.S. values abroad a proper role and goal of American foreign policy? Should the U.S. establish itself as the judge of other countries religious freedom?

2005-11-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

U.S. & Iran
Iran recently commemorated the 26th anniversary of the seizure of the American Embassy (BBC News - Iran remembers US embassy siege) with the usual demonstrations and chants of "death to America." How should the U.S. respond to a newly assertive Iran? In this opinion piece in the New York Times (Our Allies in Iran), Afshin Molavi, a fellow at the New America Foundation, suggests that the U.S. should avoid further isolating Iran and instead actively support the Iranian middle class.

2005-10-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

Snapshot of U.S. Role
Is there a danger that official Washington will become preoccupied with domestic scandal and neglect the real work of the U.S. in the world? Martin Walker of UPI offers the following snapshot (Chewing gum and walking) of the American foreign policy agenda in a time of scandal. Walker suggests that while the major media in the U.S. are indeed preoccupied with a high level scandal the work of diplomatic and military engagement with the rest of the world does go on. His commentary seems to have a definite political slant to it, but I think his summary of recent initiatives in instructive.

2005-10-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

Rice Testifies

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today, the State Department transcript of her scripted opening remarks can be found here.

2005-10-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

U.S. & China
The American Diplomacy website has posted "China's Grand Strategy and U.S. Foreign Policy," an analytical article by Avery Goldstein, a professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania. In it he describes "the combination of political, economic, and military means Beijing has adopted over the past decade to ensure the country's vital interests in a possibly dangerous world," and offers advice on how the United States should respond.

2005-09-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

U.S. Foreign Aid, Cont.
A few posts ago I mentioned the remarkable generosity the world was showing the U.S. in sending aid after Hurricane Katrina. If you were wondering who was contributing, and what they were sending to us, Foreign Policy has a full list (Ante Up For America): Panama offered bananas. Tsunami-ravaged Sri Lanka pledged $25,000. Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates each pledged $100 million. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, these are just a few examples of the overwhelming and sometimes surprising generosity of more than 90 countries around the world.

2005-09-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

U.S. Diplomacy
The American Diplomacy website features a book review of The Opportunity, a new book on American foreign policy authored by Richard N. Haass, until recently the director of policy planning in the U.S. Department of State. The reviewer, William Harrop, is a retired American ambassador with a long and distinguished career in the Foreign Service. According to Harrop:

Haass develops the multilateral, consultative, essentially liberal American leadership approach many commentators have urged as required to address the challenges of the this century, challenges which simply do not lend themselves to unilateral or military solutions.

I have not read this book yet, but certainly plan to put it on my reading list. If any of you have already read it, please feel free to comment.

2005-09-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

U.S. & Middle East
The Carnegie Endowment has launched a new content-rich Middle East page on its website, www.CarnegieEndowment.org. This new section gives visitors easier access to Carnegie's extensive research and writing on the state of political change in the Middle East and the effects of U.S. and European efforts to promote democracy there. Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Lebanon are all major areas of focus.

2005-09-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

U.S. & North Korea
The U.S. has played an instrumental role in shaping the latest six-party agreement with North Korea. According to the New York Times (Diplomacy At Work):

The agreement signed yesterday, if all the details can be satisfactorily filled in and then carried out, is a huge win for the United States as well as a fair deal for North Korea. Its achievement became possible when Washington abandoned the confrontational tactics and name-calling associated with its former top antiproliferation official, John Bolton, and gave serious negotiation a chance. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice deserves most of the credit for that switch, which was made with exceptional skill by America's top negotiator at the talks, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill.

Will this deal unravel as past deals have? Already there are indications that this may happen. North Korea said yesterday (CBS - Demands Follow Korea Nuke Accord) they won't dismantle any weapons program until it's provided with a light water reactor for generating electricity. For more info on the agreement, see the full New York Times report here.

2005-09-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

The U.S. & The U.N.
President Bush addressed the assembly of more than 170 world leaders gathering in New York today to mark the United Nations' 60th birthday, urging them to fight terrorism, the spread of WMD, and work to reduce barriers to international trade and development. The White House transcript of the address can be found here.

2005-09-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

U.S. Foreign Aid
International negotiators are trying to coordinate foreign aid to help diminish povery and promote economic development. "Diplomats at the United Nations worked late into the night to agree on a package of measures to be adopted at the World Summit, opening on Wednesday," BBC News reports. "They have reportedly reached agreement on fighting global poverty, condemning terrorism and preventing genocide, but UN reform is still a sticking point."

Students of international relations are usually taught that foreign aid represents less the one percent of the U.S. federal budget and yet provides important humanitarian assistance and helps increase national security by promoting development and economic security abroad. In "Time to Stop Fooling Ourselves about Foreign Aid: A Practitioner's View," Thomas Dichter, a career aid practitioner, writes for the Cato Institute that foreign aid is ineffective in reducing poverty and fails to encourage economic growth. Drawing upon his extensive field experience, he asserts that foreign aid "has not worked, is not likely to work in the future, and cannot work," as a means to reduce world poverty.

What is your view of foreign aid? Do you think the U.S. should increase or decrease the amount of foreign assistance it provides? Has foreign aid coming into the U.S. after Hurricane Katrina (US accepting foreign aid - Indianapolis Star) changed your view of foreign aid?

2005-08-18T14:53:00.000-07:00

Idealism vs. Realism
In this New York Times op-ed, Gideon Rose, the managing editor of Foreign Affairs, reminds us of the perpetual battle between realism and idealism in American foreign policy.

2005-08-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

U.S. Role & Africa
The famine in Africa has been in the news of late and so for a distinctly
American view, we turn to J.R. Bullington, the retired U.S. ambassador who directs the American Peace Corps in Niger, and his report,"Famine in Niger: a Look Behind the Headlines."

2005-08-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

Ranch Conference
President Bush met the press yesterday in an effort to address criticisms of the war in Iraq. With his top security advisors standing behind him, he discussed recent developments in Iraq as well as the latest development in the Iranian nuclear crisis. The White House transcript of the press conference can be found here.

2005-08-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

Rice Rules

How is Condoleezza Rice doing as the new Secretary of State? Here is an update from the Salt Lake Tribune (Rice puts fingerprints on US foreign policy) to help answer that question. The report contrasts her advocacy and travel pace with that of her predecessor and suggests that she has the potential to become a great secretary of state. For another perspective head over to Slate's commentary on "What the secretary of state has done right, and wrong, in her first six months."

2005-07-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

U.S. Role & India, cont.
"President Bush, bringing India a step closer to joining the club of nuclear-weapons states, reached an agreement with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to let India secure international help for its civilian nuclear reactors while retaining its nuclear arms," according to The New York Times. In this Cato Policy Analysis "India as a World Power: Changing Washington's Myopic Policy," Victor M. Gobarev, a security policy analyst, writes: "The fundamental mistake made by U.S. leaders has been to underestimate India and its economic and military potential. How India uses its growing power can either enhance or seriously undermine U.S. interests. Continued insistence by the United States that India liquidate its nuclear arsenal will only cause major problems in relations between Washington and New Delhi."

2005-07-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

U.S. Role & India
Shyam 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 the 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.

2005-07-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

U.S. & G8

Overshadowed by the London terrorist bombings, the G8 Summit has ended with a joint declaration on the major topics that we all expected. "President Bush and seven other world leaders pledged Friday to double African aid and spend $3 billion to facilitate peace talks between Israel and Palestine, wrapping up an economic summit in what British Prime Minister Tony Blair called the "shadow of terrorism," according to The Washington Post. If you are interested in what the G8 leaders actually agreed to, the final G8 communiqué can be found here in PDF format.

2005-07-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

U.S. & Great Britain
The White House has released a statement by President Bush in support of the people of London after today's terrorist attacks.

2005-07-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

U.S. Role & G8
President Bush is defending U.S. foreign policy as he heads to the G8 summit (NYT - G-8 Talks Begin With Bush Defending Foreign Policy), where it's all about global warming and aid for Africa. If you are looking for some background on the G8, the State Department has a short "About the G8" website here. During this year's summit, leaders of the eight member countries will discuss major issues and try to reach informal agreements on ways to reach goals more effectively. The summit held in Gleneagles, Scotland July 6-8 focuses on Africa and climate change.

2005-07-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

U.S. & Africa
"President Bush announced a $1.7 billion aid package for Africa devoted primarily to combating malaria, unveiling the initiatives yesterday in advance of an international summit next week dedicated to breaking the continent's perpetual cycle of poverty, disease and famine," The Washington Post reports. Expect to hear more about U.S. initiatives during the G8 summit next week in Scotland.

2005-06-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

U.S. Role & Iraq
The White House transcript of President Bush's addresses the nation last night can be found here. The President rejected setting a timetable for leaving Iraq and presented his strategy for defeating the insurgency. What did you think of the speech?

2005-06-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

Bush to Address Nation
President Bush will address the nation tonight to outline his strategy for winning the conflict in Iraq. The speech with be broadcast at 8:00 pm (EDT)/0000 UTC. The address comes on the first anniversary of the U.S. handover of sovereignty to Iraq. I will post a transcript of the speech as soon as it is made available.

2005-06-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

U.S. & Iraq
Ted Kennedy calls Iraq a quagmire (ABC - Iraq war an 'intractable quagmire': Ted Kennedy) and the media jumps on comparisons of Iraq with Vietnam. Is Iraq like Vietnam? For some thoughts on that question, head over to the Democratic Peace where Professor R.J. Rummel has some thoughts on the matter.

2005-06-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

U.S. Role & Public Opinion
Much has been made recently about efforts to improve American public diplomacy (Washington Times - Winning the war of ideas). This report in today's New York Times (Poll Shows Modest Changes in Levels of Anti-U.S. Mood) notes that, "The anti-Americanism that surged through much of the world over the war in Iraq shows modest signs of abating, an international opinion poll indicates." What steps would you recommend to improve the image of America abroad?

2005-06-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

The Evolution of American Foreign Policy
In "The Course of American Diplomacy: Theonomy, Autonomy, & Heteronomy" Jerry K. Sweeney, a historian at South Dakota State University, uses three philosophical frameworks to trace the course of American foreign policy toward the rest of the world and how it has changed over the past two centuries.

2005-06-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

The Korean Problem
No, 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.

2005-06-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

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.

2005-06-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

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?

2005-06-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

U.S. Role & India
Shyam 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.

2005-06-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

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.

2005-06-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

The U.S. and Rogue States
How should the U.S. deal with Iran and North Korea? Richard Haas, former director of policy planning at the State Department, argues against the U.S. adopting regime change as its policy towards North Korea and Iran (Foreign Affairs - Regime Change and Its Limits).

2005-05-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

U.S. & France
As you know, the people of France will have a chance to vote on the proposed EU constitution this weekend (Guardian Unlimited - Q&A: The French EU referendum). It is widely expected that they will reject the constitution and deal a blow to prospects for greater European integration. While many in this country might applaud a French rejection (TCS - A Hard Look at the European Constitution), some analysts are not so sure. Philip Gordon, Director of the Center on the United State and Europe, offers the following caution (Brookings - U.S. Has Big Stake in Europe's Constitution):

But Americans should hold their applause. In fact, a French rejection of the constitution would not only be a crisis for Europe, but a real setback for the US and beyond. At a time when the US desperately needs a strong, united and outward-looking European partner, a French No would produce the opposite. It would seriously undermine prospects for EU enlargement to include key American friends such as Turkey and Ukraine. It could lead to divisive, unworkable proposals for an EU "core group" that would exclude US allies in Britain and Eastern Europe. And it would be a major political victory for the anti-American, anti-capitalist, anti-globalisation activists who form a core part of the rejectionist camp.

All of this will take place over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, when you return from your holiday this will have been decided. No matter how the vote goes it will have an impact on the conduct of American foreign policy. Is a united Europe in America's best interest?

2005-05-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

U.S. Role & Mideast Peace
What role should the U.S. take in promoting peace in the Middle East? That question is on the agenda today as the new political leader of the Palestinian Authority meets with President Bush (Financial Times - Abbas to urge Bush to keep peace process on course). "Mahmoud Abbas arrives in Washington in an unenviable, if familiar predicament -- showered with rhetoric, neglected on policy. After only four months in office, his record is noteworthy by any standards, let alone those of the Middle East," reports The Boston Globe. In his article "Multilateral Peace in the Middle East," Cato Institute research fellow Leon T. Hadar states, "The election of Mahmoud Abbas to succeed the late Yasser Arafat as president of the Palestinian Authority (PA) coupled with the formation of a new centrist coalition in Israel has raised expectations about the revival of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The conventional wisdom in Washington is that the United States would have to play the dominant role in the process."

2005-05-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

U.S. Nuclear Policy
Robert McNamara argues (Foreign Policy - Apocalypse Soon) that American reliance on nuclear weapons as a foreign-policy tool is "immoral, illegal, and dreadfully dangerous." As major powers consider nuclear proliferation and disarmament, is it time for a closer examination of American nuclear policy?

2005-05-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

VE Day
The world is commemorating the Allied victory over Nazi Germany and President Bush has used to occasion to lament the Yalta Conference and the decisions made by the Big Three of Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. According to President Bush, the Yalta Conference resulted in, "one of the greatest wrongs of history." He faults them for effectively selling out Eastern Europe and allowing the Soviet occupation that followed. Historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. suggests that President Bush may be overlooking the facts on the ground as they existed at the time, which would have made any diplomatic effort to counter Soviet expansion rather futile. Is President Bush presenting an accurate view of the U.S. role in ending WWII or is he engaging in a bit of historical revisionism inspired by his own foreign policy?

2005-04-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

Speaking for the U.S.

During his news conference (White House transcript) last night President Bush made a statement supporting his nominee to be the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. As you know, the nomination of John Bolton has been stalled in the Senate. New York Times op-ed columnist Thomas Friedman has some thoughts (The Best Man for the U.N.) on alternatives to Bolton. As you peruse that, let me leave you with a question to discuss: Should the American ambassador the U.N. be an American unilateralist or a multilateralist?

2005-04-20T16:02:00.000-07:00

Tempering Mideast expectations
Robert Charles, a former assistant secretary of state, offers some thoughts on prospects for democratic change in the Middle East in this Washington Times op-ed. He suggests that the U.S. should have patience and expect a very gradual process rather than quick change.

2005-04-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

U.S. Promotes Democracy
In a speech to the American Society of Newspaper Editors on April 15th, Secretary of State Rice said the United States is working with democratic allies to promote democracy. She cited recent developments in Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Georgia, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan and the Palestinian territories as evidence of progress. Her comments (State transcript here) generated consternation in Arab media when she said, "I feel very strongly that if we do our work well over the next several years, we will at least have laid a very strong foundation for a very different kind of Middle East." In promoting democracy, should the U.S. seek to promote American style democracy, or strive to balance local traditions and cultures with those elements of democracy we most value? Is democracy (as we think of it) even possible in the Middle East? New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman considers this question in this op-ed Rooting for the Good Guys.

2005-04-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

Promoting Mideast Peace
If the question is, what role should the U.S. take in promoting Mideast peace, then part of the answer may be found in this White House transcript of a meeting on Monday between President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Sharon. In remarks to the press, President Bush said, "I remain strongly committed to the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. The Prime Minister and I reaffirmed our commitment to that vision and to the road map as the only way forward to realize it." The official role of the U.S. in promoting Mideast peace has been defined in the Roadmap to Solution of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

2005-04-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

The U.S. and the U.N.
This week, the independent commission investigating the United Nations-run oil-for-food program in Iraq said it had "no evidence" of "improper influence of the secretary-general in the bidding selection process" though it did find that an top assistant to Annan had shredded potentially important documents. While the oil-for-food scandal and subsequent investigation have been generating the most media attention, there is another story unfolding about who will become the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. "Fifty-nine former US diplomats have written to the chairman of a key Senate committee in protest at the nomination of John Bolton as ambassador to the UN.," the BBC News reports (Ex-US diplomats round on Bolton). In the 1997 book Delusions of Grandeur: The United Nations and Global Intervention, John Bolton's chapter, "The Creation, Fall, Rise, and Fall of the United Nations," strongly criticizes the U.N. and argues for reform: "The U.N. was an admirable concept when conceived; it has served our purposes from time to time; and it is worth keeping alive for future services. But it is not worth the sacrifice of American troops, American freedom of action, or American national interests." Can you see why his nomination might be a bit controversial?

2005-03-29T13:10:00.000-08:00

Europe Gets A Fresh View of America
According to this PRNewswire press release, "A European online publisher wants to widen European perceptions of America with the launch of a new website America-is.com that focuses only on America and American issues across all subjects. The first text 'America' is the latest work of Portuguese writer and poet Paulo Jose Miranda and is written in 99 points ranging from one liners to fuller explanations. Miranda says: "In Europe, no matter what kind of education you have, when the subject America is brought up, suddenly all intelligence vanishes from the discourse." It is as if we in Europe lack a US chromosome. The text America is completely different. It perceives the greatness of America all along in its 99 points." Will this site help to change European perceptions of America?

2005-03-28T13:40:00.000-08:00

Blogging Democracy
Those of you following events in Kyrgyzstan and the advance of the democratic wave (this may be the third wave or the fourth wave, I've lost count) may be interested in a blog devoted to blogging world democracy. Publius Pundit is closely following events in Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, and other centers of people power. Of course, you should also check in with such established online sources as Freedom House and Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

2005-02-24T12:26:00.000-08:00

Tie Game in US Foreign Policy - CSM
This brief commentary from the Christian Science Monitor examines the battle between realists and idealists for the heart of American foreign policy. Are you a realist or an idealist?

2005-02-22T15:47:00.000-08:00

Bush In Europe
President Bush has embarked on a five day trip to Europe in an attempt to mend a trans-Atlantic alliance frayed by the war in Iraq. Here are some assorted links:
White House - President Meets with E.U. Leaders
White House - President and Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer Discuss NATO Meeting
White House - President and Prime Minister Blair Discuss Iraq, NATO Meeting
White House - Joint Statement by the United States and the European Union
The Guardian - Mending Fences
New York Times - Bush Says Russia Must Make Good on Democracy

2005-02-16T15:09:00.000-08:00

U.S. Ambassador to Syria Recalled
In response to the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in occupied Lebanon, the American ambassador to Syria has been recalled. The above link is to the State Department transcript of the official statement by State Department spokesman Richard Boucher explaining the U.S. action.

2005-02-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

FSO Bloggers
Here is an interesting Internet resource for you. Apparently there is a blogger underground of foreign service officers (FSOs) who blog about, what else, U.S. foreign policy. The Daily Demarche describes itself as, "A blog by members of the State Department Republican Underground- conservative Foreign Service Officers serving overseas commenting on foreign policy and global reactions to America." In the interest of fair and balanced linking, I will let you know when I come across FSO blogs from the other side of the political perspective.

2005-02-14T10:23:00.000-08:00

Did North Korea Cheat? - Foreign Affairs
This article in the January - February issue of Foreign Affairs examines the evidence for a North Korean nuclear program. The article was written before the announcement last week by the North that they do indeed have nuclear weapons. This, as the New York Times reports today that the National Security Council has adopted a "tool kit" of techniques to meet the North Korean nuclear challenge.

2005-02-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

Back to the Future
This op-ed (The Weekly Standard - Will the Truman Democrats Please Stand Up) attempts to explain why a foreign policy promoting freedom and liberty is not being supported by traditional liberal idealists. It is an interesting question. I would actually pose their question differently: Is Bush a Wilsonian idealist?

2005-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

North Korean Nuclear Challenge
North Korea made it official today, declaring that they are a nuclear power (CNN - North Korea says it has nuclear weapons). How should the U.S. handle the North Korean nuclear challenge? Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times has some thoughts here on this vital question.

2005-02-09T13:57:00.000-08:00

Rice Abroad
As you know, Secretary of State Rice is finishing up her first trip to Europe and the Middle East as America's top diplomat. The above link is the State Department text of a press conference she held while in Rome in which she hails new opportunities for peace in the Middle East. The New York Times report on Rice's trip can be found here.

2005-02-04T09:34:00.000-08:00

Rice Says U.S. Won't Aid Europe on Plans for Incentives to Iran - NYT

The New York Times reports, "The Secretary of State said the U.S. would continue to rebuff requests to participate in offering incentives for Iran to drop its suspected nuclear arms program." In a related report, CNN leads with the much more sensational headline - Rice: Attack on Iran 'not on agenda'. For some background on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, see her official State Department website here.

2005-02-04T09:26:00.000-08:00

State of the Union 2005: Reality Check - Moving Ideas
President Bush made many statements in Wednesday night's annual State of the Union address that are open to interpretation. Moving Ideas cuts to the quick in its response, providing facts that refute many of the president's claims--from social security to education, the Iraq war, and more.

2005-02-03T11:48:00.000-08:00

State of the Union Address - White House

This is the official transcript of the State of the Union speech given last night. Here are some assorted links looking at the foreign policy side of the speech:

Bush Pushes Aggressive Foreign Policy of "Spreading Democracy" - Democracy Now

Spreading Freedom at Home & Abroad - New York Post

The State of the Union made Bush's Iraq strategy perfectly clear - Slate

In Speech, Bush Sketches a Bold Domestic and Foreign Agenda - NYT

Middle East tops foreign policy agenda - CNN

2005-02-02T10:03:00.000-08:00

Aides outline Bush State of Union address - CNN
You may have heard, the State of the Union address to Congress and the nation is tonight at 9 p.m. EST. Just a friendly reminder. You can expect several major foreign policy issues to be addressed. I'll post a link to the transcript when it becomes available. Here are some other links:

Maybe He'll Surprise Us - Washington Post

Bush's State of the Union in Historical Terms - ABC News