In The News

South Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Temptation

Lee Byong-Chul October 14, 2011
The warm welcome accorded to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in Washington this week reaffirmed the close alliance. Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, South Korea has relied on the US to deter threats from North Korea. But with the US in economic decline and China as a rising power in Northeast Asia, South Koreans, particularly conservatives, increasingly question the endurance of that...

Coptic Christians Rage Against Egypt’s Army

October 12, 2011
Egypt’s revolution demanding human rights and just representation could be high-jacked by special interests. Tensions between Muslims and Coptic Christians, the latter making up about 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 80 million, are on the rise. The military took brutal measures on Coptic Christians protesting the burning of a church by Muslim extremists, and at least 25 people died. The...

Pakistan Seeks Control of Its Afghanistan Endgame

Bruce Riedel September 30, 2011
Encouraging Taliban attacks on NATO, leaders of the Pakistan military and its intelligence service are impatient for the US to abandon the war in Afghanistan. The Pakistani goal is to prevent a pro-India government in Afghanistan and install instead a puppet Islamic regime. In testimony before the US Senate Armed Services Committee, the outgoing chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral...

The Arab Spring’s Unintended Consequences

Christopher Hill September 29, 2011
As the Arab Spring protests continue, the region endures repression and economic upheaval, to be exacerbated with impending US troop withdrawal from Iraq. Christopher Hill, former US assistant secretary of state for Asia during the Bush administration, links sectarian clashes with US withdrawal in Iraq in a Project Syndicate essay. A US-led international coalition deposed Iraq’s dictator, leading...

Unraveling China’s “String of Pearls”

Ashley S. Townshend September 16, 2011
Reports that Pakistan invited China to construct a naval base in Gwadar have reignited concerns about Beijing’s strategic ambitions in the Indian Ocean. For many China-watchers, the militarization of this commercial port – just 500 kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz – would confirm longstanding anxieties about Beijing’s so-called “string of pearls” strategy. Yet there are few reasons to fear...

The US Public Wants Disengagement

Bruce Stokes September 14, 2011
The United States has periodically withdrawn into its isolationist shell, particularly after wars. While much of the world looks to the United States to exercise strong leadership, otherwise polarized opinion within the US often finds common ground on at least one issue: expecting leaders to focus less attention on problems overseas. Recent surveys show the US could be heading towards such an...

Arms Makers Eye Exports to Offset Pentagon Cuts

Jim Wolf September 12, 2011
With US politicians up in arms over deficits and debt, defense manufacturers anticipate sharp budget reductions for the US Department of Defense. US spending on defense nearly doubled in the decade following the 9/11 attacks, but even hardline politicians have expressed a new willingness to reduce defense spending, which makes up about 20 percent of the federal budget. Without incoming orders,...