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2. Making the Case: The President's Budget is a Step in the Right Direction
- Author:
- Mieke Eoyang and Ben Freeman
- Publication Date:
- 03-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Third Way
- Abstract:
- The President's proposed defense budget has been criticized for shrinking the military at a time when the world is getting more dangerous. This argument is simply wrong. In fact, the President's budget strengthens American security by: Providing more military funding than Ronald Reagan ever did. Investing in 21st century weapons, not Cold War relics. Cutting the Pentagon bureaucracy.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Military Strategy, and Budget
- Political Geography:
- America and North America
3. Balancing Without Containment: An American Strategy for Managing China
- Author:
- Ashley J. Tellis
- Publication Date:
- 01-2014
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- China is poised to become a major strategic rival to the United States. Whether or not Beijing intends to challenge Washington's primacy, its economic boom and growing national ambitions make competition inevitable. And as China rises, American power will diminish in relative terms, threatening the foundations of the U.S.-backed global order that has engendered unprecedented prosperity worldwide. To avoid this costly outcome, Washington needs a novel strategy to balance China without containing it.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Defense Policy, Development, and Emerging Markets
- Political Geography:
- United States, China, America, Washington, Beijing, and Asia
4. Making the Case: What is America's Best Bad Option in Syria?
- Author:
- Mieke Eoyang and Aki Peritz
- Publication Date:
- 05-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Third Way
- Abstract:
- President Obama drew a "red line" for Syria: if the Assad regime used its chemical weapons, such a move would "change [the] calculus" for an American response. As the UN and others investigate whether Assad has indeed crossed that red line, the U.S. must consider its options—because a failure to act could undermine our credibility. But "further action" is a broad category in the Syrian conflict. Our options range from increasing non-lethal aid to deploying troops in Syria. In this guide to the debate, we provide answers to six key questions: What are America's security interests in Syria? Which rebel groups should we support? What are Syria's military capabilities? What is the status of Syria's chemical weapons? What are the international community's options? What are America's options?
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Arms Control and Proliferation, Terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- America, Middle East, Syria, and North America
5. Making the Case: Think Twice Before Punishing Egypt
- Author:
- Mieke Eoyang and Aki Peritz
- Publication Date:
- 06-2013
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Third Way
- Abstract:
- Despite serious, continuing concerns with the Egyptian government—including a return to authoritarianism and the president's use of anti-Semitic slurs—America should not gut its foreign aid to Cairo. Here's how to make the case against punishing the Egyptian government and in favor of continuing U.S. assistance: Egypt plays a critical role in the region and in America's security interests there. U.S. businesses get a return when we provide aid to Egypt. The bulk of our aid goes to the most stable pillar of secular Egyptian society: the military. Things could get much, much worse in Egypt—and for us.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Armed Struggle, and Foreign Aid
- Political Geography:
- America, Middle East, North America, and Egypt
6. U.S.-China Competition in Asia: Legacies Help America
- Author:
- Robert Sutter
- Publication Date:
- 02-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- East-West Center
- Abstract:
- As Sino-American competition for influence enters a new stage with the Obama administration's re-engagement with Asia, each power's legacies in the region add to economic, military and diplomatic factors determining which power will be more successful in the competition. How the United States and China deal with their respective histories in regional affairs and the role of their non-government relations with the Asia- Pacific represent important legacies that on balance favor the United States.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Arms Control and Proliferation, Diplomacy, Economics, International Trade and Finance, and Bilateral Relations
- Political Geography:
- United States, China, America, and Asia
7. The 2012 Presidential Election and American Foreign Policy in the Middle East
- Author:
- Dov Friedman
- Publication Date:
- 09-2012
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research
- Abstract:
- The United States presidential election in November comes at a crucial moment in world affairs, particularly in the Middle East. The year-long uprising in Syria has devolved into civil war. The conflict between Iran, on the one hand, and the U.S., Europe, and Israel, on the other, has not been diffused. The transition of power in Iraq and the planned force reduction in Afghanistan suggest that both countries will continue to experience marked change. The future of relations with new governments in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Yemen must be reshaped.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Nuclear Power
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Europe, Middle East, Libya, Yemen, Arabia, Syria, and Egypt
8. A Path Forward with Iran: Pressure through Engagement
- Author:
- Andy Johnson and Kyle Spector
- Publication Date:
- 02-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Third Way
- Abstract:
- If the Afghanistan-Pakistan region is the most dangerous place in the world at the moment, Afghanistan's neighbor to the West, Iran, is making a strong play for number two. It is alarming the world community, rattling its saber loudly at Israel and the West, and brutally suppressing internal dissent. Iran's regime, yet again, is showing why it remains a major threat to America n national security interests.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Defense Policy, and Military Strategy
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, Afghanistan, United States, America, Iran, Middle East, and Israel
9. US-Vietnam: New Strategic Partners Begin Tough Trade Talks
- Author:
- Raymond Burghardt
- Publication Date:
- 02-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- East-West Center
- Abstract:
- Vietnamese and Americans joined together in Hanoi last December for a happy celebration, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the entrance into force of the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement signed in December, 2001. The gathering of current and former trade negotiators, diplomats, and business leaders exchanged witty anecdotes about who had been the toughest negotiator. However, the main focus for both American and Vietnamese participants was on the positive prospects for future US-Vietnam relations across the spectrum of trade and strategic common interests.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Cold War, International Trade and Finance, and Bilateral Relations
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Vietnam, and Southeast Asia
10. Global Service Fellowships: Building Bridges through American Volunteers
- Author:
- David L. Caprara, John Bridgeland, and Harris Wofford
- Publication Date:
- 07-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- As policy-makers search for ways to share the best of America with the world, they should start with our international volunteers, who embody this country's spirit of generosity, resourcefulness and hope. With the support of Congress and the Bush Administration, volunteers can become the first face of America to communities in many nations, while advancing concrete initiatives that lift up the lives of the poor throughout the world.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Economics, and Humanitarian Aid
- Political Geography:
- United States and America
11. Can America Rebuild the Crumbling State of U.S.-Asia Relations?
- Author:
- Kishore Mahbubani
- Publication Date:
- 03-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
- Abstract:
- Ambassador Mahbubani's address looked at previous American actions that built "reservoirs of good will" that ultimately assisted America in its ideological victory in the Cold War, especially in Asia: its sharing of the "American dream" with the world; its openness to foreign students; the international order built by the United States after 1945; and, finally, the stabilizing effects of its military presence in East Asia. However, the end of the Cold War has brought changes, and the gulf between America's self-perception and the way it is seen in the Islamic world, and China in particular, demonstrate the dwindling of those good will reservoirs.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Defense Policy, Emerging Markets, International Trade and Finance, and Bilateral Relations
- Political Geography:
- United States, China, America, and East Asia
12. Washington Doesn't Get Its Way in the OAS: Latin America's Coming of Age
- Author:
- Laura Carlsen
- Publication Date:
- 04-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- The May 2 victory of Chilean Interior Minister José Miguel Insulza as secretary general of the Organization of American States ends one phase of a drama that is only beginning. The showdown over the leadership of the OAS began when Costa Rica's former president Miguel Angel Rodríguez resigned in October 2004 due to corruption charges in his home country. Rodríguez was elected by consensus and had served only three weeks of his five–year term when forced to leave.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy and Government
- Political Geography:
- America, Washington, South America, Latin America, and North America
13. A New American Century
- Author:
- Zia Mian
- Publication Date:
- 05-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- PNAC is focused on the concern that "American foreign and defense policy is adrift." The group worries that the U.S. may not have what it describes as the "resolve to shape a new century favorable to American principles and interests." Its members seem disappointed in the willingness of Americans to take up the burden of America's role in the world. PNAC's goal, the group says, is to "make the case and rally support for American global leadership.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Defense Policy, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States and America
14. The United States as an Asian Power: Realism or Conceit?
- Author:
- M. Taylor Fravel and Richard J. Samuels
- Publication Date:
- 04-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- MIT Center for International Studies
- Abstract:
- The long history of U.S. foreign policy is punctuated by axiomatic truths that have bordered on conceit—e.g., the virtues of isolation, America's manifest destiny, and our benign, democratizing presence in world affairs. Strategists have lurched from truth to truth across the centuries, often without sufficient reflection and learning. Today the United States is operating with an axiomatic idea about its place in and of Asia. U.S. foreign policymakers—and U.S. foreign policy wonks—intone the mantra: “The United States is an Asian power.”
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Economics, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, and Asia
15. Raising the Salience of Mexico and Canada
- Author:
- Chappell Lawson
- Publication Date:
- 04-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- MIT Center for International Studies
- Abstract:
- Canada and Mexico rarely figure high on the list of American priorities. Policymakers focus on conflicts in the Middle East; specialists in international relations discuss China's growing influence; and newspapers cover the international crisis du jour. It is easy to forget about two countries that appear to pose no direct or immediate threat to U.S. interests.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Politics, and Regional Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- China, America, Middle East, Canada, North America, and Mexico
16. Why U.S. National Security Requires Mideast Peace
- Author:
- Stephen W. Van Evera
- Publication Date:
- 04-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- MIT Center for International Studies
- Abstract:
- Two myths have important, distorting effects on the Bush administration's policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. First is the optimistic belief that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is only a minor obstacle to American foreign policy—a modest hindrance that will not prevent the United States from achieving its main foreign policy goals. Second is the pessimistic belief that a final settlement between Israel and the Palestinians is infeasible, so a forceful U.S. push for peace will only waste effort on a fool's errand. These two assumptions have led the administration to adopt a passive policy toward the conflict, declining to offer firm U.S. leadership toward peace.
- Topic:
- Security and Foreign Policy
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Middle East, Israel, and Palestine
17. Bush and Kerry: Questions About Governing Styles
- Author:
- Charles O. Jones
- Publication Date:
- 06-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- Political campaigns are about governing. Candidates offer themselves to the public and endure a grueling process of nomination and election. Campaigns generate a lot of headlines, but it's what comes afterward that counts. Voters usually are left guessing about how each of the candidates would govern. In 2000, the Brookings Institution, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Hoover Institution jointly conducted several forums with journalists and the presidential candidates' close associates that explored how each of the candidates would govern based on their backgrounds, experience, and leadership styles.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Government, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- America
18. "Offshoring" Service Jobs: Bane or Boon and What to Do?
- Author:
- Lael Brainard and Robert E. Litan
- Publication Date:
- 04-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- Americans worry the economy is permanently shedding jobs and compressing wages, not only in manufacturing but also now in services once assumed immune to foreign competition. The digitization of information and expanded bandwidth abroad are enabling companies to outsource to low-wage countries services ranging from routine call center work to higher-value software programming, medical diagnosis, and research and analytical activities.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Government, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- America
19. The Insurance Industry in America
- Author:
- Robert E. Litan and Richard J. Herring
- Publication Date:
- 03-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- Economists and insurance experts have studied the industry for many years and have developed a series of theoretical concepts to explain how insurance markets function. The prevailing view of the demand for insurance was summed up by one conference participant who noted that an economically rational consumer would understand that apart from certain tax benefits, when you buy insurance, you're making a bet with an insurance company, which the insurance comp any wins on average because it must cover administrative costs and earn a competitive return for its shareholders. From this perspective it makes sense to insure only against potential losses so large as to affect your standard of living. But that is not always how consumers behave.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Government, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- America
20. The Democratic Party's Platform and the Middle East
- Author:
- Ben Fishman
- Publication Date:
- 07-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Abstract:
- The 2004 Democratic Party platform, "Strong at Home, Respected in the World," which will be formally adopted today at the party's convention in Boston, reflects the prominence of foreign policy in this year's election. Indeed, nearly half the document is devoted to strengthening American security policy after September 11 and U.S. Middle East policy writ large, including terrorism, weapons of mass destruction (WMD), democracy promotion, Arab-Israeli peace, U.S. military readiness, homeland security, and energy independence. By comparison, only ten of the fifty pages in the 2000 platform were devoted to foreign policy, and the Middle East did not stand out as a region of particular concern.
- Topic:
- Security, Foreign Policy, Religion, and War
- Political Geography:
- America, Middle East, and Arab Countries
21. Bush is from Mars, Kerry is from Mars too: The Presidential Election and U.S. Foreign Policy
- Author:
- Michael Fullilove
- Publication Date:
- 10-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Lowy Institute for International Policy
- Abstract:
- According to polling commissioned by the Lowy Institute, twice as many Australians think that US foreign policy is on the wrong track as think it is on the right track. Many observers argue that the direction of American policy will vary greatly depending on the outcome of the presidential election. Certainly, there are significant differences in style and substance between the two candidates, George W. Bush and John F. Kerry. However the similarities are as striking as the differences. External challenges, in particular the Iraq war and the war against terrorism, and internal pressures have combined to produce something of a convergence between the outlooks of foreign policy makers in both parties. In the event of a Bush victory, the failure of its foreign policy adventurism in the first term would probably make for a more centrist policy in the second term. In the event of a Kerry victory, the realities of the international system and the probable Republican control of the Senate would do the same. Whomever is elected, America is likely to pursue an assertive foreign policy involving the use of military force; there will less gleeful unilateralism and steroid-fuelled pre-emption than we have seen in the past four years, but it will still be a world away from the kind of strategy many observers are anticipating. From Australia's perspective, the fundamentals of our alliance with the US will ensure that it endures regardless of the result on 0 November. However the temperature of the relationship would probably be affected by a Kerry win. Given the task the senator has set himself of strengthening links with allied capitals, the relationship with Canberra would likely be less of a priority for him than for President Bush. On the other hand, the election of a new face in Washington would make other aspects of Australia's diplomatic life easier.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Government, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, and Australia
22. Toward a More Secure America: Grounding U.S. Policies in Global Realities
- Author:
- David Cortright, Alistair Millar, George A. Lopez, and Linda M. Gerber
- Publication Date:
- 10-2003
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Fourth Freedom Forum
- Abstract:
- This policy brief grew out of discussions with a team of former national security and foreign policy officials held at the Washington office of the Fourth Freedom Forum in the summer of 2003. The brief was written by the staff of the Fourth Freedom Forum and the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, who are solely responsible for the report's specific content. The authors incorporated numerous comments and suggestions from the policy advisers. The policy advisers listed below endorse the general thrust of this report and generally agree with the findings presented. Each participant may not, however, be in full agreement with every specific point and detail. The policy advisers listed extend their endorsement as individuals, not as representatives of any organization.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Peace Studies, and Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, and Washington
23. Toward a More Secure America: Grounding U.S. Policy in Global Realities
- Author:
- David Cortright, Alistair Millar, George A. Lopez, and Linda Gerber
- Publication Date:
- 11-2003
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame
- Abstract:
- In just two years the Bush administration has squandered the sympathy our country received from the rest of the world in the wake of the September 11 attacks, when the French daily Le Monde declared "We are all Americans now." Without reducing the threat of international terrorism, the administration has pursued a bullying form of unilateral militarism, which has belittled the United Nations, lampooned traditional allies, and offended Muslims around the globe. These actions have made Americans less secure and the world a more dangerous place. In Iraq, the unauthorized invasion and ill-conceived occupation have broadened the recruitment base for extremist organizations, created a magnet for terrorist infiltration, and increased the risks of terrorist attack at home and abroad. U.S. troops face continuous attack there and in Afghanistan. The enormous military, economic, and political costs of occupying Iraq are depleting American power and global leadership.
- Topic:
- Security and Foreign Policy
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iraq, America, and North America
24. To Give or Not to Give: The Crisis of Confidence in Charities
- Author:
- Paul C. Light
- Publication Date:
- 12-2003
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- Public confidence is essential to America's 1.5 million charitable organizations and the 11 million Americans they employ. Confidence clearly affects the public's willingness to donate time and money, shapes the political and regulatory environment that governs charitable organizations, and has at least some influence on morale within the charitable workforce.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Government, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- America
25. At a Crossroads in Afghanistan: Should the United States Be Engaged in Nation Building?
- Author:
- Subodh Atal
- Publication Date:
- 09-2003
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Despite progress in the return of refugees and the prevention of humanitarian disasters, stability in Afghanistan is threatened by ethnic tension, feuding warlords, and violence perpetrated by regrouping elements of the Taliban and their allies. The United States is being asked to increase its level of commitment to rebuilding Afghanistan as a means of stabilizing the country, even as American troops battle the resurgent Islamic extremists who operate along the Afghan-Pakistan border.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Development, and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, United States, America, Middle East, Taliban, and Arabia
26. Missile Defense: Defending America or Building Empire?
- Author:
- Charles V. Peña
- Publication Date:
- 05-2003
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- The rationale for missile defense put forward by its advocates is often a “doom and gloom” picture: America and its citizens are defenseless against the threat of ballistic missiles, and missile defense is supposed to protect the American people. The administration's vision of missile defense is not just a global system that protects the United States against long-range missiles but a global system capable of engaging all classes of ballistic missiles to protect U.S. forces deployed worldwide, U.S. allies, and other friendly countries. Thus, the purpose of missile defense is extended well beyond protecting America and Americans.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Defense Policy, and Nuclear Weapons
- Political Geography:
- United States and America
27. The Phalcon Sale to China: The Lessons for Israel
- Author:
- Jonathan Adelman
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
- Abstract:
- The Israeli decision, under intense American pressure, to cancel the sale of the Phalcon Airborne Early Warning System to China during the Camp David summit in July 2000 threatens to be a major foreign policy debacle for Israel.
- Topic:
- Security, Foreign Policy, and Religion
- Political Geography:
- China, America, Middle East, Israel, and Arab Countries
28. Kashmir: Redefining the U.S. Role
- Author:
- Navnita Chadha Behera
- Publication Date:
- 10-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- India and Pakistan have fought three wars against each other since 1947, the first two of which were over Kashmir. In the past fifteen years, the two countries have been embroiled in four military crises, which the United States has played an increasingly assertive role in managing and resolving. A chief component of recent American administrations' foreign policy goals in South Asia, including the current Bush administration, has been to avert the fourth war in the subcontinent. However, attitudes in India and Pakistan are changing, and the internal situation in Kashmir is more fluid than it has been for years. After September 11, America has been able to maintain close ties to both countries. Washington should move beyond managing the crisis and help develop a road to peace in the region.
- Topic:
- Security and Foreign Policy
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, United States, America, South Asia, Washington, India, and Kashmir
29. America's New Alliance with Pakistan: Avoiding the Traps of the Past
- Author:
- Husain Haqqani
- Publication Date:
- 10-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Abstract:
- Pakistan has become a strategic U.S. ally in the war against al Qaeda. For now, Washington's support of General Pervez Musharraf's military regime is untempered by any insistence on the restoration of democracy. But military rule is likely to increase hostility between Pakistan and India and undercut efforts to root out Islamic extremists, who have been the armed forces' political allies in the past.
- Topic:
- Security, Foreign Policy, and Democratization
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, United States, America, South Asia, and Washington
30. Old Folly in a New Disguise
- Author:
- Gary T. Dempsey
- Publication Date:
- 03-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Since September 11, 2001, there have been calls from various quarters to embrace nation building as a tool for combating terrorism. The logic behind the idea is that “good” states do not do “bad” things, so Washington should build more “good” states. That idea, however, relies on several dubious assumptions—for example, that embarking on multiple nation-building missions will reduce the potential for anti-American terrorism. If anything, nation building is likely to create more incentives, targets, and opportunities for terrorism, not fewer. The nation-building idea also draws on false analogies with the past. For example, some people assert that Europe's experience under the Marshall Plan can be readily duplicated in a whole host of countries and that, with enough economic aid, trained bureaucrats, and military force of arms, “bad” states anywhere can be transformed into open, self-sustaining, peaceful states.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Government, and Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Europe, and Washington
31. Enhancing the Turkish-American Alliance: The Campaign for Iraq and Other Possibilities
- Author:
- Soner Cagaptay
- Publication Date:
- 10-2002
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Abstract:
- Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Jones was in Ankara Monday to discuss foreign policy issues including Iraq with her Turkish counterparts. Interestingly, Iraq's vice premier Tariq Aziz visited Ankara yesterday for the same purpose. These trips come at a crucial time as Washington prepares for a confrontation with Saddam Husayn. While prepared to stand with its close NATO ally the United States, Turkey remains uneasy about several issues.
- Topic:
- Security, Foreign Policy, NATO, and Religion
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iraq, America, Turkey, Middle East, and Arab Countries
32. America and Iran: From Containment to Coexistence
- Author:
- Suzanne Maloney
- Publication Date:
- 08-2001
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- The enduring estrangement between the United States and Iran represents the central paradox for American policy in the Persian Gulf. The world has changed dramatically since the 1979 Islamic Revolution gave rise to a religious government in Tehran and ruptured U.S.-Iranian relations. Those changes have been felt even within Iran's revolutionary politics, through the ascendance of a popular reform movement crystallized by moderate president Mohammad Khatami's 1997 election. This development prompted an abatement in comprehensive U.S. sanctions and fueled expectations of rapprochement.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Iran, and Middle East
33. Moving Forward in South Asia
- Author:
- Stephen P Cohen
- Publication Date:
- 05-2001
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- The key to an effective American policy in South Asia is the deepening of Washington's engagement with India and Pakistan. India is an emerging major power and Pakistan, despite its internal economic and political problems, is also a significant state. Besides reengaging these states in strategic terms, Washington should overhaul current regional sanctions policy, seeking in return Indian and Pakistani compliance with missile and nuclear proliferation regimes, and should assist them in reducing the risk of accidental nuclear detonation and missile launches.
- Topic:
- Security and Foreign Policy
- Political Geography:
- Pakistan, United States, America, South Asia, Washington, and India
34. Instability in the Philippines: A Case Study for U.S. Disengagement
- Author:
- Doug Bandow
- Publication Date:
- 03-2001
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- As the world becomes a less dangerous place for America, U.S. officials work more desperately to preserve America's pervasive international military presence. This policy is evident in the Philippines, with which Washington recently concluded a Visiting Forces Agreement.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy and Politics
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Washington, Asia, Philippines, and Southeast Asia
35. Special Policy Forum Report: Sanctions And U.S. Foreign Policy
- Author:
- Raymond Tanter, Meghan O'Sullivan, and Ramin Seddiq
- Publication Date:
- 03-2001
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
- Abstract:
- Sanctions provide the United States with a middle option that has the "least risk" in dealing with problematic Middle Eastern regimes. Sanctions are less costly than military intervention and better than doing nothing at all. During the Cold War, an evaluation of the success of a sanctions policy was not centered on whether or not the sanctions achieved compliance, but on whether such a measure resulted in the prevention of some negative event, such as the seizure of American citizens as hostages in the target states or enhanced Soviet intervention in the region.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Foreign Policy
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Middle East, and Soviet Union
36. China And US Foreign Policy In The Asia-Pacific: Living With American Dominance
- Author:
- Mike Smith and Nicholas Khoo
- Publication Date:
- 06-2001
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Chatham House
- Abstract:
- Since the end of the Second World War, US foreign policy towards the Asia-Pacific has been characterized by the assertion of American dominance. To this end, policy-makers in Washington have adopted a varied policy towards China. From 1950 to 1972, the US pursued a containment policy designed to thwart the revolutionary goals of Maoist foreign policy. Beginning with Nixon's rapprochement with Beijing in 1972, US policy was dramatically altered to meet the overriding goal of deterring the Soviet threat. The US and China actively cooperated to contain Soviet and Vietnamese influence in Northeast and Southeast Asia. The end of the Cold War, preceded shortly before by the Tiananmen massacre, saw another shift in the US position, whereby China was no longer looked upon with favour in Washington. Acting on his presidential campaign promises not to repeat George Bush Senior's policy of 'coddling dictators'in Beijing, President Clinton initially enacted a policy that explicitly linked China's human rights record to the renewal of most favoured- nation trade status with the US. When this linkage failed, a striking policy reversal occurred as the Clinton administration adopted an unrestrained engagement policy in which it eventually underplayed Sino-US differences in the spheres of trade, human rights, and strategic-military ties.
- Topic:
- Security and Foreign Policy
- Political Geography:
- United States, China, America, Washington, Beijing, and Asia
37. Arrogance of Power Reborn: The Imperial Presidency and Foreign Policy in the Clinton Years
- Author:
- Gene Healy
- Publication Date:
- 10-2000
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- In his classic 1973 book The Imperial Presidency, historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. warned that the American political system was threatened by “a conception of presidential power so spacious and peremptory as to imply a radical transformation of the traditional polity.” America's rise to global dominance and Cold War leadership, Schlesinger explained, had dangerously concentrated power in the presidency, transforming the Framers' energetic but constitutionally constrained chief executive into a sort of elected emperor with virtually unchecked authority in the international arena.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Defense Policy, and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States and America
38. India as a World Power: Changing Washington's Myopic Policy
- Author:
- Victor M. Gobarev
- Publication Date:
- 09-2000
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- American interest in and concerns about India rose sharply after that country carried out underground nuclear tests in May 1998. Clinton administration officials belatedly acknowledged that developing a good working relationship with India should be one of America's top foreign policy priorities. President Clinton's visit to South Asia in March 2000 was an important symbolic step.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Foreign Policy
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, South Asia, Washington, and India
39. Dubious Anniversary: Kosovo One Year Later
- Author:
- Christopher Layne and Benjamin Schwarz
- Publication Date:
- 06-2000
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- One year after NATO ended its bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, the Clinton administration's Kosovo policy is a conspicuous failure. Kosovo is now the scene of a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign carried out by NATO's erstwhile de facto ally, the Kosovo Liberation Army, an organization profoundly inimical to America's interests and professed values. The KLA is also currently fomenting an insurgency elsewhere in Serbia, which promises to destabilize the Balkans even further.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy and Genocide
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, Eastern Europe, Kosovo, Yugoslavia, Serbia, and Balkans