In The News

A World Free of Nuclear Weapons

George P. Shultz January 8, 2007
The Cold War started and ended one era of Mutual Assured Nuclear Destruction. But today small states and non-state terrorist groups with nuclear ambitions pose an unprecedented threat to the world security. The process of denuclearization should start with current nuclear states destroying their arsenal and signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, urges a group of high-ranking US officials who...

Iraq War Fuels Global Jihad

Fawaz A. Gerges December 21, 2006
Muslims initially condemned Al Qaeda’s 2001 attacks on the US. But then the US invaded Iraq, triggering chaos that could overwhelm more than one country throughout the Middle East. As a result, even more moderate Muslims support anyone who defends Muslim lands and values against occupiers, particularly in Palestine and Iraq. Jihadists emerged during the early 1980s, opposed to Egypt and Israel...

White House, Joint Chiefs At Odds on Adding Troops

Robin Wright December 19, 2006
With violence and civil war escalating in Baghdad, the US Joint Chiefs of staff do not agree with a White House plan to send more troops into Iraq. Since the US invaded and overthrew tyrant Saddam Hussein in March 2003, Iraqi public services, political control and law enforcement have steadily deteriorated. Dedicated military troops can overthrow dictators, deliver bombs to pinpoint targets and...

Seeking Iran Intelligence, U.S. Tries Google

Dafna Linzer December 15, 2006
With the Central Intelligence Agency busy, the US State Department turned to Google to track individuals linked to Iran’s nuclear development program, collecting names that emerged most often when searching for “Iran” and “nuclear.” Critics question whether a Google search is the best way for tracking down targets for international sanctions that involve limiting their travel and freezing assets...

NATO after Riga

Joseph S. Nye December 14, 2006
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) survived the end of the Cold War by re-inventing itself and adapting to a changing world, writes Harvard Professor Joseph Nye. Yet even a transformed NATO faces many challenges, particularly as the military alliance undertakes action beyond Europe in Afghanistan. Success in Afghanistan requires more troops and greater flexibility, argues Nye. “One of...

Washington’s Iraq Dilemma: Dialogue with Syria Could Serve Bigger Purpose

Matthew Lee December 14, 2006
The Iraq Study Group report recommends diplomatic initiative to resolve the war in Iraq. If the US administration heeds the advice of the Iraq Study Group, by seeking containment of the Iraqi conflict through dialogue with regional powers, one promising candidate would be Damascus. In the second of this two-part series, Matthew Lee explores how, for a brief moment, the interests of the US and the...

Revisiting the Debate on America's Pro-Israel Lobby

Rami G. Khouri December 14, 2006
When it comes to issues of conflict and hatred, debate is best managed with a calm, evidence-based approach, according to analyst Rami Khouri. The comment comes amid world condemnation for Iran hosting a conference that questions the Nazi effort during the mid-20th century to kill all Jews. Khouri bemoans the lack of “rational middle ground between those who question or deny the Holocaust...