In The News

Hacia Aguas Ignotas

Pratap Bhanu Mehta March 7, 2006

Nuclear Pact Launches India Into Uncharted Waters

Pratap Bhanu Mehta March 7, 2006
The deal between the US and India is historic, recognizing India’s evolution from a regional to global nuclear power. The deal – yet to be approved by the US Congress, the Indian parliament and the Nuclear Suppliers Group – offers short-term benefits for India, but the long-term implications are less clear, cautions policy analyst Pratap Bhanu Mehta. The agreement marks a major improvement in...

On Immigration and Ports, Turning Inward

Dana Milbank March 3, 2006
Powerful sentiments are rising that threaten to turn the world’s most globalized nation inward. Two issues have emerged that capitalize on US fears about jobs and security, both revealing an increasing desire for isolation. Debate over a proposed “guest worker” program aimed at transitioning illegal immigrants to legal status mirrors the objections to transfer of control over six US ports to...

A Welcome End to India's Pariah Status

Bronwen Maddox March 3, 2006
US President Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced an agreement that would allow shipment of nuclear components to India for peaceful energy development. India agreed to “irreversibly” turn nearly two-thirds of its 22 nuclear reactors into civilian facilities that will be open for inspection. The agreement is not final, and the US Congress could block the deal, taking advantage of...

Think Again: Soft Power

Joseph S. Nye Jr. March 1, 2006
In 1990, “Foreign Policy” first analyzed “soft power.” Here, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., author of the original article, returns to correct notions that have since become associated with soft power. The concept, he asserts, is the power of “attraction,” as opposed to the power of “coercion” or “payment.” Soft power is not exclusively cultural power, yet exporting cultural goods that hold attraction...

Exit Without a Strategy

Sami Ramadani February 24, 2006
After the destruction of Samarra’s sacred al-Askari mosque, media outlets speculated about imminent civil war between Sunni and Shia in Iraq. Since the early days of the American occupation, much ink has been spilt on the supposedly ancient “communal” divisions of Iraq’s population. Sami Ramadani, a political exile during Saddam’s regime, begs to differ. He argues that fair analysis of Iraqis’...

An Interview with Thomas L. Friedman

February 23, 2006
New York Times foreign affairs columnist and author Thomas L. Friedman talks about the next edition and updates to his bestselling book, "The World Is Flat," with Nayan Chanda, editor of YaleGlobal Online. A full transcript of their conversation follows.