In The News

Nuclear Security

Mohamed ElBaradei, Graham Allison, Ernesto Zedillo April 13, 2010
The biggest potential threat to civilization, these noted authors argue, is the possibility of terrorists acquiring a nuclear weapon and using it in a major urban center. Fortunately, this can be prevented by securing all the fissile material in the world. It is a steep task but one that is well within the capability of existing technology as Russia and the United States have demonstrated in...

Kyrgyzstan Turmoil Puts US Base and Afghan War in Balance

Dilip Hiro April 12, 2010
Landlocked, lacking resources that typically attract notice of distant powers, the Kyrgyz Republic holds a strategic position. Not far from war-torn Afghanistan, where Al Qaeda hatched plans for the 9/11 attacks, Kyrgyzstan remains a nation of interest. Russia gave the go-ahead to former Soviet republics to assist in the US-led effort against Islamic extremism, explains author Dilip Hiro, but...

Lady Gaga Versus Mideast Peace

Bret Stephens April 6, 2010
The conventional wisdom in recent weeks has been that Israeli settlements in Palestine inflame anti-American sentiments in the region and harm American interests. But this opinion article argues that a major source of grievance for Palestinians is global American culture, represented, in this instance, by hyper-sexualized people such as the performer Lady Gaga. Sayyid Qutb, a mid-twentieth...

Moscow Bombing: The Black Widows’ Global Roots

Richard Weitz March 31, 2010
The recent Moscow Metro bombings are symptoms not only of radical Islam as a global force, but also a consequence of Russia’s long-standing policies toward Muslims within its sphere of control, according to security expert Richard Weitz. Chechen rebels faced with fighting an imposing and well-equipped Russian army turned to guerilla warfare and then terror tactics to carry on their fight for...

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...