| May 2006
Arms Control | Defense Policy | Foreign Policy | Terrorism | United Nations |
Countries/Regions: Afghanistan | Africa | Balkans |Iran | Iraq | Israel | Latin America | Middle East | North Korea | Russia |
A1 - Preventing Catastrophic Nuclear Terrorism
Ferguson, Charles D.
Council on Foreign Relations Press, March 2006, 31p.
This report “makes clear what is needed to reduce the possibility
of nuclear terrorism. It identifies where efforts have fallen
short in securing and eliminating nuclear weapons and weapons-usable
nuclear materials, and it offers realistic recommendations to
plug these gaps in the U.S. and international response. In particular,
the report argues that United States should pursue unilateral
initiatives such as a clear declaration of retaliation against
regimes aiding nuclear terrorists, multilateral initiatives that
include increasing funding to the woefully underfunded International
Atomic Energy Agency, and bilateral initiatives and dialogue,
particularly with Pakistan and Russia. […]This report is a clear
primer on a critical subject and a set of practical proposals
that policymakers would be wise to consider carefully. It is also
a valuable resource for students and interested citizens alike.”
Charles D. Ferguson is a fellow for science and technology
at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also an adjunct Assistant
Professor in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University
and an adjunct lecturer at the Johns Hopkins University.
Fulltext
A2 - Resolution 1540: Universalizing Export Control Standards?
Jones, Scott
Arms Control Today, May 2006, vol. 36, no. 4, online edition
In 2004 the UN Security Council passed a resolution (Resolution
1540) to “criminalize the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
by and to nonstate actors”. This resolution was explicitly intended
to fill a loophole in the existing nonproliferation treaties.
A UN committee formed to monitor the countries’ implementation
of the legal obligations now issued an assessment of the resolution’s
success. “The assessment is mixed. The resolution has played a
valuable role in spurring a more focused and sustained effort
to create a truly international standard for export controls beyond
those of the limited current multilateral regimes. Yet, both the
report and the committee’s work illustrate distinct problems with
transparency, resources, guidance, awareness, and mandate. If
the committee’s extension is to prove truly useful, these issues
need to be addressed.” Scott Jones is a senior Research Associate
at the Center for International Trade & Security at the University
of Georgia. Fulltext
A3 - U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background
and Issues for Congress
Feickert, Andrew
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report for Congress,
RS21048, April 17, 2006, 6p
“Special Operations Forces (SOF) are small, elite military units
with special training and equipment that can infiltrate into hostile
territory through land, sea, or air to conduct a variety of operations,
many of them classified. SOF personnel undergo rigorous selection
and lengthy, specialized training. […] Special Operations Forces
(SOF) play a significant role in U.S. military operations and
the Administration has given U.S. SOF forces greater responsibility
for planning and conducting worldwide counterterrorism operations.
The 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) has called for a 15%
increase in special operations forces beginning in FY2007.“ Andrew
Feickert is Specialist in National Defense at the Congressional
Research Service. Fulltext
A4 - A Balanced Force Structure To Achieve a Liberal World
Order
Owens, Mackubin Thomas
Orbis, Spring 2006, v50, #2, pp307-325
“The military component of the nation’s security strategy requires
a balanced force that can be employed across the spectrum of conflict.
[…] By spending 4.5 percent of GDP on defense and with the right
force mix, America will be able to lead coalitions against terrorists,
restore order to unstable regions, do peacekeeping in regions
of vital interest, deter aggression, and win a war if deterrence
fails.” Mackubin Thomas Owens is Professor of National-Security
Affairs at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.
Fulltext
Foreign Policy
A5 - Democratization, Order, and American Foreign Policy
Hay, William Anthony
E-Notes, Foreign Policy Research Institute, April 2006, online
edition
"Can democracy be imposed on societies from the outside?
Experience indicates that democracy requires a particular combination
of institutions and informed public opinion. Outside efforts to
impose change typically bring unforeseen consequences that may
result in neither stability nor democracy. Indeed, a comparative
overview of the history of democracy points towards a reassessment
of current U.S. policy, to bring ends and means in line."
William Anthony Hay is Assistant Professor of history at Mississippi
State University and author of The Whig Revival, 1808-1830 (Palgrave-Macmillan,
2005).This E-note and a related article in the Winter 2006 Orbis
are based on a presentation he made to FPRI’s Study Group on America
and the West on September 12, 2005, in Philadelphia. Fulltext
A6 - The Struggle for Democracy
Horowitz, Irving Louis
National Interest, No. 83, Spring 2006, pp. 114-120
Promotion of democracy is the stated foreign policy objective
of the Bush administration, which it pursues with unabated fervor.
However, the author claims that there is no clear definition of
what democracy constitutes. “[T]he Bush Administration should
demonstrate an understanding of what the principal schools of
thought on democracy are in formulating their strategy for advancing
global democratic progress. The current U.S. policy appears to
be so ad hoc that it lacks a degree of coherence and guiding principles.
The administration should not follow normative blueprints, but
it should exhibit a greater understanding of normative theories
and a sense of what the foundation of a democracyis. At the very
least, the administrative should acknowledge that elections do
not comprise democracy.” Horowitz reflects on the dominant schools
of thought, formulated by Dahl, Gibson and Rawls, regarding democracy
and their applicability to U.S. foreign policy doctrine. Irving
Louis Horowitz is Hannah Arendt Distinguished University Professor
Emeritus at Rutgers University. Fulltext
A7 - America Confronts the Asian Century
Abramowitz, Morton, Bosworth, Stephen
Current History, April 2006, pp. 147-152
"The concept of East Asia as a region began as mainly a Western
geographical expression. This area, encompassing the countries
from Japan and China through Southeast Asia to Burma, became embedded
in the organizational thinking of Western foreign ministries,
including the State Department, but East Asia was never a very
coherent geographical entity. To the extent that East Asian countries
and peoples had common characteristics, they were primarily the
legacy of China's cultural influence and Western imperialism.
Abramowitz and Bosworth discusses how the US confronts the Asian
history." Morton Abramowitz is a Senior Fellow at The
Century Foundation. Stephen Bosworth is Dean of the Fletcher School
of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Order
Article
A8 - Strategies For Managing Rogue States
Dueck, Colin
Orbis, Spring 2006, v50, #2, pp223-241
"In the ongoing debates on how to manage relations with rogue
states such as North Korea and Iran, the opposing policies of
both hawks and doves are unrealistic in their pure forms. Throughout
American history, presidents have faced the same choices the Bush
administration now has when dealing with adversaries abroad: appeasement,
engagement, containment, rollback, and non-entanglement. Each
of these five basic strategic alternatives has potential advantages
and risks. In analyzing how these have applied to U.S. relations
with Iraq, North Korea, and Iran -- the so-called axis of evil
-- it becomes clear that rollback and appeasement are the riskiest
options and containment the most promising. Elements of diplomacy,
however, can be used in conjunction with a primapolicy of containment
to head off threats from rogue states." Colin Dueck is
an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University
of Colorado, Boulder. Order
Article
A9 - A War on Jihadism – Not Terror
Rauch, Jonathan
National Journal, April 15, 2006, v38, #15, pp18-19
“In last month’s National Security Strategy, the administration
declared, “America is at war.” But who precisely is the enemy?”
In this piece the author examines the language behind the U.S.
administration’s “war on terror”. Citing several politicians and
other U.S. policy experts, Rauch advocates for the term “jihadism”,
denominating a radical, violent and imperialistic religious ideology
associated with Islam. Jonathan Rauch is a writer for the
National Journal. Fulltext
A10 - Currents and Crosscurrents of Radical
Islamism
Report of the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Transatlantic Dialogue on Terrorism, April 2006, 32p.
“In September 2005, “The Transatlantic Dialogue on Terrorism”
began its second phase of work by convening three international
conferences to examine various issues associated with the current
state of the radical Islamic threat. These conferences, attended
by a mix of American and European experts, examined topics including
the dynamics of radicalization, the role of the Internet as both
an ideological and operation tool, the perception of the Iraq
conflict in the minds of the Muslim diaspora and the dynamic between
local grievances and the global jihadist movement. The phase two
report, "Currents and Crosscurrents of Radical Islamism,"
represents the culmination of insights gathered over the course
of these three conferences (Berlin, June 2005, Washington D.C,
September 2005 and The Hague, December 2005). Featuring the voices
of numerous participants from academia, government and think tanks
on both sides of the Atlantic, the report represents the current
thinking of a multi-disciplinary network of experts.” The
Center for Strategic and International Studies is a bipartisan,
nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. with
more than 220 full-time staff and a large network of affiliated
experts. Fulltext
A11 - United Nations System Funding: Congressional Issues
Congressional Research Report for Congress, Library of Congress
Washington D.C., Updated March 30, 2006, 18 p.
“The United States has been and remains the single largest contributor
to the U.N. system…. In recent years however, Congress has been
pressing to reduce U.S. funding for many U.N. system programs."
The report gives an overview on the U.N. System Financing, the
budgets, the programs and the U.S. funding for the FY 2005 – 2007.
Marjorie Ann Browne and Vita Bite are researchers in the Foreign
Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division of the Congressional Research
Service, Library of Congress. Fulltext
Countries/Regions:
A12 - The Pashtun Factor: Is Afghanistan Next In Line
for an Ethnic Civil War
Consolatore, Dan
The Humanist, May/Jun2006, v66 #3, pp10-13
“The article examines the possibility for an ethnic civil
war in Afghanistan. Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks,
the U.S. troops have liberated Afghan men and women from the hated
Taliban -- which gained positive response from citizens. There
are indications that Arabs and non-Afghan extremists are responsible
for the prevalence of suicide bombings in the region. […] [T]he
suicide bombings in Afghanistan are symptomatic of a worsening
situation and, if the country's largest and titular ethnic group
comes to feel that they don't have a stake in the reconstruction
process, those attacks may be a bellwether of an Iraq-like civil
war, where wariness of one's neighbors becomes an attitude of
"get them before they get us." U.S. commanders have
begun to embrace, at least in rhetoric, the need to prioritize
the political and psychological struggle for the "hearts
and minds" of the Pashtun population.” Dan Consolatore
served as a research consultant to former Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright for her forthcoming book, The Mighty and the Almighty:
Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs. Fulltext
A13 - Afghanistan's Uncertain Transition from Turmoil
to Normalcy
Rubin, Dr. Barnett R.
Council on Foreign Relations Press, April 2006, 56p, online
edition
"Afghanistan’s Uncertain Transition argues that Afghanistan
is still far from stability. While the country has reestablished
basic institutions of government, it has barely started to make
them work. The government and its international supporters are
challenged by a terrorist insurgency that has become more lethal
and effective and that has bases in Pakistan, a drug trade that
dominates the economy and corrupts the state, and pervasive poverty
and insecurity. The Afghanistan Compact, approved in January 31,
2006, provides a road map for security, governance, and development
over the next five years. The United States should take the lead
in ensuring full funding and implementation of the Afghanistan
Compact, and develop a coherent strategy toward the Afghanistan-Pakistan
relationship. This strategy would entail pushing the Pakistani
government to arrest Taliban leaders whose locations are provided
by intelligence agencies and taking aggressive measures to close
down the networks supporting suicide bombers." Dr. Barnett
R. Rubin is Senior Fellow and Director of Studies at the Center
on International Cooperation at New York University. Fulltext
A14 - Mali’s Unlikely Democracy
Pringle, Robert
Wilson Quarterly, Spring 2006, pp31-39
"Despite persistent poverty and ongoing turmoil in neighboring
states, in a single decade Mali has launched one of the most successful
democracies in Africa. Its political record includes three democratic
elections and two peaceful transitions of power, a transformation
that seems nothing short of amazing." Robert Pringle
is historian and retired Foreign Service Officer, served as U.S.
ambassador to Mali from 1987 to 1990. He is the author of three
books on Southeast Asian history, most recently A Short History
of Bali - Indonesia's Hindu Realm (2004). Fulltext
A15 - Balkans Cooperation on War Crimes Issues
Kim, Julie
CRS Report [RS22097], March 26, 2006, 6p, online edition
“The United States and the European Union, often in conjunction
with ICTY’s Office of the Prosecutor, have frequently wielded
explicit conditionality policies in order to foster improved Balkan
cooperation with ICTY. Securing the region in a stable and prosperous
Euro-Atlantic zone, as opposed to an area of incomplete postwar
transition susceptible to destabilizing trends or criminal elements,
remains a shared goal. On the incentive side, western officials
have expressed continued support for the Euro-Atlantic aspirations
of the western Balkan states and for moving forward in these integration
processes, some of which have lagged primarily over limited ICTY
cooperation. All of the western Balkan states have made closer
ties to NATO and especially the EU a key strategic priority. At
the same time, officials also emphasize that these processes cannot
be completed until the Balkan states adhere to standards on international
commitments and the rule of law, especially with regard to meeting
obligations on ICTY cooperate on and overcoming the legacy of
the wartime years.” This report describes the cooperation of Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro with the ICTY.
Julie Kim is Specialist in International Relations, Foreign
Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division of the Congressional Research
Service.
Fulltext
A16 - The Nuclear Challenge from Iran
Gordon, Philip H.
The Brookings Institution, Center on the United States and
Europe, Foresight Magazine, May 2006, online edition
In this article the author assesses several policy options of
the international community in regard to Iran’s failure to end
its nuclear enrichment efforts. Gordon argues for strong economic
consequences but advocates against a military solution. “In the
end, Iran must be presented with a clear choice: It can become
an impoverished, isolated pariah state with nuclear weapons-like
North Korea-or it can begin to reintegrate with the international
community, meet the needs of its people and preserve its security
in exchange for forgoing this capability. The choice will be for
the Iranians to make. But a united international community can
force them to make it.” Philip H. Gordon is Director of the Center
on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution. Fulltext
A17 - The Oil Shield
Dickey, Christopher
Foreign Policy, May/June 2006, #154, pp37-39
“For almost four years now, efforts by Europe and the US to curb
Tehran's nuclear designs have vacillated between threats and appeasement.
The basic arithmetic is simple. There is just barely enough oil
in today's market to meet the global demand for about 85 million
barrels a day. Iran exports about 2.7 million barrels a day. If
an international embargo, a military attack, or a political decision
in Tehran took that Iranian oil off the market, prices could well
soar from the current price of around $60 a barrel to $90 a barrel
or higher. There are no sanctions on the oil sector in Iran that
will not hurt the whole world at the same time. The tight market
and high prices provide them not only with a shield but with the
high cards. So Iran is in a hurry to push ahead with its nuclear
program before its oil shield is lost.” Christopher Dickey
is Middle East Editor for Newsweek magazine.
Fulltext
A18 - The Nuclear Power Beside Iraq
Fallows, James
The Atlantic Monthly, May 2006, v297, #4, pp31-32
The author compares today’s U.S. policy options regarding Iran
with those one and a half years ago. Pointing out that Iran now
poses a greater threat and that the U.S. is under pressure to
act vigorously while, at the same time, a preemptive-strike is
highly unadvisable, Fallows paints a rather bleak image of overall
U.S. foreign policy. “The inconvenient truth of American foreign
policy is that the last five years have left us with a series
of choices-and all of them are bad. The United States can't keep
troops in Iraq indefinitely, for obvious reasons. It can't withdraw
them, because of the chaos that would ensue. […] Similarly, the
United States can't accept Iran's emergence as a nuclear power,
but it cannot prevent this through military means-unless it is
willing to commit itself to all-out war.” James Fallows is
a national correspondent for “The Atlantic”. Fulltext
A19 - The Threat Saddam Posed
Lacey, James
National Review, April 10, 2006, v58, #6, pp26-33
“The article discusses the fact that Weapons of Mass Destruction
(WMDs) were not found in Iraq during the Iraq war. A report by
the Iraqi Survey Group suggests that Saddam Hussein was preparing
to initiate a WMD program the moment sanctions ended, an event
that was only stopped by the United States' invasion of Iraq.”
James Lacey is a Washington-based journalist who has written
articles for several U.S. magazines and journals. Fulltext
A20 - Cut and Run? You Bet
Odom, William E.
Foreign Policy, May/June 2006, #154, pp60-61
“Withdraw immediately or stay the present course is they key question
about the war in Iraq today. American public opinion is now decidedly
against the war. The prewar dream of a liberal Iraqi democracy
friendly to the US is no longer credible. Still, US President
George W. Bush says the US must stay the course. The following
are his administration's most popular arguments for not leaving
Iraq: 1. If they leave, there will be a civil war. 2. Withdrawal
will encourage the terrorists. 3. Before US forces stand down,
Iraqi security forces must stand up. 4. Setting a withdrawal deadline
will damage the morale of US troops. 5. Withdrawal would undermine
US credibility in the world. Only with a rapid withdrawal from
Iraq will Washington regain diplomatic and military mobility.
Lt. Gen. William E. Odom (Ret.) is Senior Fellow at the Hudson
Institute and Professor at Yale University. He was Director of
the National Security Agency from 1985 to 1988. Fulltext
A21 - Saddam’s Delusions: The View From the Inside
Woods, Kevin; Lacey, James; Murray, Williamson
Foreign Affairs, May/June 2006, v85, #3, pp. 2-25, online
edition
“The fall of Baghdad in April 2003 opened one of the most secretive
and brutal governments in history to outside scrutiny. For the
first time since the end of World War II, American analysts did
not have to guess what had happened on the other side of a conflict
but could actually read the defeated enemy's documents and interrogate
its leading figures. To make the most of this unique opportunity,
the U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) commissioned a comprehensive
study of the inner workings and behavior of Saddam Hussein's regime
based on previously inaccessible primary sources. Drawing on interviews
with dozens of captured senior Iraqi military and political leaders
and hundreds of thousands of official Iraqi documents (hundreds
of them fully translated), this two-year project has changed our
understanding of the war from the ground up. The study was partially
declassified in late February; its key findings are presented
here.” Kevin Woods is a defense analyst in Washington, D.C. James
Lacey is a military analyst for the U.S. Joint Forces Command.
Williamson Murray is Class of 1957 Distinguished Visiting Professor
of History at the U.S. Naval Academy. Fulltext
A22 - Will Israel Blast the Iranian Bomb?
Karpin, Michael
The American Enterprise, March 2006, v17, #2, pp38-39
“ The idea of nuclear weapons in the hands of a dangerous enemy
like Iran is unacceptable to nearly all Israelis. There is no
chance that Israel will reconcile itself to living with nuclear
threats from the ayatollahs. If Iran continues on the path to
atomic weaponry, is Israel capable of acting to eliminate that
danger?” In this article the author assesses the feasibility of
an Israeli attack on Iran and the role of the Mossad in its preparations.
Michael Karpin is a veteran Israeli reporter and author of the
new book The Bomb in the Basement, from which this is adapted. Fulltext
A23 - What Israel Did (and Did Not) Vote For
Halkin, Hillel
Commentary, May 2006, v121, #5, pp37-44
The author provides a thorough analysis of the recent Israeli
elections with respect to the mandate of a future Israeli government
regarding disengagement in the West Bank. “Israel’s political
system has a long history of mergers and fissures, with smaller
parties joining to form larger ones and splitting again in new
ways. Up to the day it was held, this year's March 28 election
seemed certain to be remembered for the most recent and dramatic
of such splits: Ariel Sharon's walking out of the Likud last November
to form the new Kadima party, which his January stroke prevented
him from leading in the campaign. Contemplating the election's
returns, however, one wonders whether the real bolt wasn't a different
one, in which the Israeli public walked out on national politics.
Hillel Alkins who lives in Israel is a columnist for the Jerusalem
Post and the New York Sun. Fulltext
A24 - Latin America's Left Turn
Castañeda, Jorge G.
Foreign Affairs, May/June 2006, v85, #3, pp28-43, online edition
"This article discusses political change in Latin America.
Despite enjoying widespread economic and democratic growth the
political climate in Latin America in 2006 rapidly changed. Starting
with Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez's election in 1998 a wave
of leftist leaders, parties, and movements swept into power across
Latin America. This shift in political power can be attributed
to Latin America's extreme inequality of wealth and power. However,
these reformed communist leaders are strikingly different from
their forebears in their relations with the U.S. Anti-Americanism
has waned and these leaders are instead focusing on implementing
programs for social reform. These changes indicate the possibility
of positive relations between the U.S. and communist-run Latin
American countries." Jorge G. Castaneda is the author
of Utopia Unarmed: The Latin American Left After the Cold War
and Compañero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara. Having resigned
as Mexico's Foreign Minister in 2003, he is currently Professor
of Politics and Latin American Studies at New York University.
Fulltext
A25 - The First Law of Petropolitics
Friedman, Thomas L.
Foreign Policy, May/June 2006, #154, pp28-36
“Because the rising price of crude is certain to be a major factor
shaping international relations for the near future, people must
try to understand any connections it has with the character and
direction of global politics. The First Law of Petropolitics posits
the following: The price of oil and the pace of freedom always
move in opposite directions in oil-rich petrolist states. According
to the First Law of Petropolitics, the higher the average global
crude oil price rises, the more free speech, free press, free
and fair elections, an independent judiciary, the rule of law,
and independent political parties are eroded. […]Politically,
that will mean that a whole group of petrolist states with weak
institutions or outright authoritarian governments will likely
experience an erosion of freedoms and an increase in corruption
and autocratic, antidemocratic behaviors.” Thomas L. Friedman
is a columnist for the New York Times and author of several books,
including, most recently, The World Is Flat: A Brief History of
the Twenty-First Century. Fulltext
A26 - Hamas Triumphant. Implications for Security Politics,
Economy, and Strategy
Satloff, Robert (Editor)
Policy Focus #53, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy,
February 2006, 72p.
“The purpose of this collection is to inform policy in the very
near term. Drafted within days of the Hamas victory, these essays
are designed to explain who Hamas is, what the implications are
of its electoral success for politics and security in the Arab-Israeli
arena, and how the United States and its international partners
can best respond to this new challenge. In the months to come,
ample time will be available to assess longer-term implications,
including the dangerous impact that the empowerment of Hamas could
have on the ambitions of Islamist movements throughout the region
and the importance of recalibrating how America pursues its still-worthy
objective of promoting democracy in the broader Middle East.”Robert
Satloff is Executive Director of the Washington Institute for
Near East Policy. Fulltext
A27 - Islamist Movements and the Democratic Process in
the Arab World: Exploring the Gray Zones
Brown, Nathan; Hamzawy, Amr ; Ottaway, Marina S
Carnegie Paper No. 67, Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace, March 2006, 24p.
“In a new Carnegie Paper, Carnegie Endowment experts Brown, Hamzawy,
and Ottaway discuss the continuing ambiguity amongst Islamists
on fundamental democracy and human rights issues. ”Islamist Movements
and the Democratic Process in the Arab World: Exploring Gray Zones”
seeks to move beyond stark views of the Islamist challenge as
either a democratizing force or an extreme threat to democracy
and to present a nuanced view of the position of Islamist parties.
The authors consider mainstream movements in Morocco, Egypt, Jordan,
Kuwait, and Bahrain, analyzing not only where the movements stand
but also where they have yet to develop clear positions. In view
of the recent victory by Hamas in Palestine and the electoral
success of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Egyptian elections, understanding
the thinking of Islamist movements is more important than ever.”
Nathan J. Brown, Amr Hamzawy, and Marina Ottaway are Senior
Associates at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Combined, they have authored more than ten books on issues including
democracy promotion in the Middle East and Arab politics.”
Fulltext
A28 - Kim Jong Il and North Korea: The Leader and the
System
Scobell, Andrew
[U.S. Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute Monograph]
March 2006, 58p.
The author, associate research professor at the U.S. Army War
College, explores North Korea's political dynamics and seeks to
shed light on Pyongyang's political system and its leader. He
contends that the system is best conceived as a totalitarian regime
that, although weakened, remains remarkably resilient. After analyzing
the key elements of totalitarianism, he argues that the system's
greatest test will probably come after the death of Kim Jong Il.
While the totalitarian regime may not long survive Kim's passing,
one cannot assume that the system will collapse. Rather, the end
of totalitarianism may simply mean that the DPRK will enter a
new "post-totalitarian" phase similar to the paths taken
by other communist systems such as the Soviet Union and China.
This monograph is the second in a series titled "Demystifying
North Korea" published by the Strategic Studies Institute.
Forthcoming monographs will examine the military, economic dimensions,
and future scenarios for North Korea. Andres Scobell is Associate
Research Professor at the Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army
War College; and Adjunct Professor of political science at Dickinson
College. Fulltext
A29 - Russia's Wrong Direction: What the United States
Can and Should Do
Edwards, John ; Kemp; Jack ; Sestanovich, Stephen; Kennan, George
F.
Council on Foreign Relations, March 2006, 104p, online edition
“The United States has generally enjoyed good relations with Russia
since the dissolution of the Soviet Union fifteen years ago. Washington,
Moscow, and the world have benefited from this cooperation on
issues ranging from weapons proliferation to counter-terrorism
after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In recent years,
however, particularly during the second term of Russian President
Vladimir Putin, Russian society and foreign policy have continued
tochange in ways that raise questions and cause problems for the
United States. The Council on Foreign Relations established an
Independent Task Force in the spring of 2005 to take stock of
developments in Russia, assess the U.S.-Russian relationship,
and offer a broad strategy and a set of recommendations for U.S.
policymakers in light of these developments." Politicians
John Edwards, Jack Kemp served as Chairs for the report. Stephen
Sestanovich, George F. Kennan, are Senior Fellow for Russian and
Eurasian Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Fulltext
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