In The News

Obama Hones Iran Strategy

Leonard S. Spector March 16, 2009
Under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, signatory Iran has the right to pursue civilian applications of nuclear technology. But the Bush administration regarded Iran's nuclear research involving highly enriched uranium as a step to building a nuclear weapon and thus a threat to world peace. Policies now being developed by the Obama administration echo the goals of the...

Deals With Taliban Could Be Dangerous

Peter Bergen March 12, 2009
Military intervention alone cannot resolve the unrest and violence that stem from illiteracy, inequality and poverty. With that in mind, the US considers approaching more moderate members of the Taliban to join on a political solution for troubled Afghanistan. Reporting for CNN, analyst Peter Berg offers nine reasons why such negotiations might not work, including a weak central government in...

China Reluctant to Lead

Orville Schell March 11, 2009
As US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized during her first trip overseas, the US has great expectations for China's leadership and help on fixing the economy, and reducing climate change. Following the model of Richard Nixon in the 1970s, who sought to make common cause against the Soviet threat, Clinton emphasized common challenges for the two nations, playing down any differences...

The Multilateral Trading System: A Response to Its Challengers

Ernesto Zedillo March 9, 2009
Protectionism could derail all the efforts applied on the fiscal and monetary fronts to address the ongoing global crisis, suggests Ernesto Zedillo, director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization. In an essay for a new ebook published by VoxEU he writes, “Despite the multitude of statements against protectionism made by leaders and their finance and trade ministers in recent months,...

The Gordian Knot of Gaza

Tamara Cofman Wittes March 6, 2009
The internal politics for authoritarian Arab nations allied with the US complicate any resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and empower nations that resist Western influence, like Iran. The lack of power and miserable existence for Palestinians who seek their own state resonates with millions of Arabs, especially those who live in corrupt regimes allied with the US, Israel's major...

US and Global Security: An Interview with Admiral William J. Fallon

March 6, 2009
Admiral William J. Fallon, former commander of US Central Command, analyzes the ongoing US role in Iraq and Afghanistan, including criticisms about troop numbers, in this interview with Nayan Chanda, YaleGlobal editor. Fallon also describes security matters related to Pakistan, Iran, China and Japan. The consequences of any military action can extend far and wide, and Fallon notes: “I think one...

A Dangerous Void in Pakistan

Ahmed Rashid March 4, 2009
Many analysts had hoped that the democratic elections in 2008 and the resulting civilian government might stabilize Pakistan. Instead, a dithering and weak government which tried to buy off Islamic militants by a controversial ceasefire now face a breakdown of the ceasefire, in the midst of new terrorist attacks, political protests and economic meltdown. The result is that NATO and the US,...