In The News

Oil, Minerals and the Militarisation of Globalisation

Julius Barigaba March 30, 2010
A new study links conflicts in Africa to the foreign policy of the United States. The study says the American government is motivated by the desire to control natural resources – not a new allegation – and has set up military commands around the world to ensure that control. In particular, the creation in recent years of a command especially for Africa raises the suspicions of many Africans, who...

Xinjiang – Where China’s Worry Intersects the World

Christopher M. Clarke March 19, 2010
The recent killing of a Uighur terrorist in Afghanistan has brought new focus on the ethnic group in China’s western border region.of Xinjiang. The situation of the Uighurs – an ethnic Turkic, Muslim minority – reveals much about China’s internal conduct and external worries, according to China expert Christopher M. Clarke. Hailing from Xinjiang province, Uighurs have seen their majority in that...

Pakistan and the Afghanistan End Game – Part II

Ashley J. Tellis March 15, 2010
Pakistan’s policy of fomenting terrorism remains a major roadblock to peace with India and stability in Afghanistan, according to South Asia expert Ashley J. Tellis. Since its formation, Pakistan has employed a strategy of inciting insurrection in India. But that has failed many times over. However, the success of the jihadis in Afghanistan against the larger Soviet force in the 1980s provided...

Pakistan and the Afghanistan End Game – Part I

Ahmed Rashid March 12, 2010
As the US and NATO forces prepare for their gradual withdrawal from Afghanistan, a struggle for influence by Afghanistan’s neighbors has been intensifying and its impact may be felt in an increased terrorist threat from Pakistan-backed groups. In the first of a two-part series on the Afghanistan end game, author Ahmed Rashid discusses Pakistan’s two-pronged approach towards its neighbors on the...

With New Challenges, Should NATO Go Global?

Richard Weitz February 26, 2010
NATO’s top civilian leader, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen envisions an expanded, global role for NATO. Today, threats to NATO’s founding members, let alone the world, tend to be global in nature and frequently from non-state actors. Hence, overcoming such threats requires a globally connected security Alliance. Though Rasmussen’s vision is less ambitious than a 2006 Global NATO proposal...

Stop Slapping the Allies, Secretary Gates

Fred Kaplan February 26, 2010
NATO was formed as a defensive alliance: to protect Western Europe from the Soviet Union. Now, with the war in Afghanistan testing NATO’s ability to shift gears and become an offensive union, the organization seems to be failing. Participation has been lackluster, and efforts to coordinate NATO actions have consistently undermined efforts to fight the Taliban and insurgents. The threadbare state...

Google’s Lesson: Innovation Has to Be Accompanied by Reliability

Rob Knake and Adam Segal February 22, 2010
The most important lesson of the Google vs. China may not be about Internet censorship, but rather the importance of security and the reliability of products. As Council of Foreign Relations fellows Rob Knake and Adam Segal write, two tensions highlight the main obstacles in maintaining security and reliability amid the globalized model of innovation spanning geography and time. Shifting research...