| June 2005
Foreign Policy | Arms Control | Defense Policy|
Terrorism | United Nations | Weapons of Mass Destruction
Countries/Regions: Africa | Balkans | Iran | Iraq | Middle East | North Korea | Russia | Syria
A1 - Wolfowitz: The Exit Interviews
Bowden, Mark
Atlantic Monthly, Jul/Aug2005, v296, #1, pp110-120
"Those who deplore America's invasion of Iraq have no shortage
of official villains, but to them perhaps none is more diabolical
than Paul Wolfowitz, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, who, in
a promotion that vexes his detractors, will soon take over leadership
of the World Bank...." As he prepared to leave office, the deputy
secretary of defense engaged in a series of conversations with
the author on Iraq, democracy, intelligence, 9/11, and how he
believes America must make its way in the world. Mark Bowden
is National correspondent fur The Atlantic. Fulltext
A2 - Foreign-Policy Advising: Models and Mysteries
from the Bush Administration
Haney, Patrick J.
Presidential Studies Quarterly, Jun 2005, v35, #2, pp289-303
"There is a wide range of scholarly approaches to studying presidents,
advisers, and foreign-policy making, all aiming to capture the
genesis of policy, the "essence of decision." While we have
made some progress in capturing the complexity of how presidents
construct foreign-policy advisory processes, and the kinds of
ways they wield power so as to control the policy process, our
conceptual models may not be keeping up with practice. While
a range of theories exists to explain foreign-policy cases of
a variety of types, and may do so in discrete ways, we are less
able to come to terms with how the foreign-policy process can
be both open to a vast range of forces from inside and outside
the White House and dominated by the president using unilateral
mechanisms of power all at the same time. I use U.S. policy
toward Cuba and in Iraq during the first administration of George
W. Bush to illustrate this empirical challenge to our conceptual
model. " Patrick J, Haney is professor of political science
at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he teaches classes
on U.S. foreign and national security policy. Fulltext
A3 - Empire of Liberty: The Historical Underpinnings
of the Bush Doctrine
Donnelly, Thomas
National Security Outlook, June 24, 2005, online edition
"In reelecting George W. Bush, Americans voted to continue foreign
policies often caricatured at home and abroad as militaristic,
expansionist, and unilateralist. The question is why a majority
of voters backed Bush in the face of these charges. Does the
Bush Doctrine, which urges the transformation of the political
order in the greater Middle East and the broader international
order in ways that defend and promote human freedom, constitute
a radical break in the practice of American statecraft? Or is
the Bush administration’s approach--and the general public’s
acceptance of it--better explained by the “strategic culture”
of the United States, the precepts of which can be traced through
the history of U.S. foreign policy to the founding of the republic?"
Thomas Donnelly is the resident fellow in defense and security
policy studies at AEI and the author of AEI's National Security
Outlook. Fulltext
A4 - North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Program
Niksch, Larry A.
The Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service,
updated May 6, 2005, 16p.
”The main objective of the Bush Administration is to secure
the dismantling of North Korea's plutonium and uranium-based
nuclear programs. Its strategy has been: (1) terminating the
Agreed Framework; (2) withholding any U.S. reciprocal measures
until North Korea takes visible steps to dismantle its nuclear
programs and makes concessions on other military issues; (3)
assembling an international coalition to apply diplomatic and
economic pressure on North Korea; and (4) planning for future
economic sanctions and military interdiction of North Korea
shipping and air traffic through a Proliferation Security Initiative.
China, South Korea, and Russia have criticized the Bush Administration
for not negotiating directly with North Korea, and they voice
opposition to economic sanctions and to the use of force against
Pyongyang. China, Russia, and even South Korea increasingly
have expressed support for North Korea's position in six-party
talks facilitated by China, but the talks have made little progress.
North Korea's announcement of February 10, 2005, suspending
its participation in the talks, appears aimed at creating a
long-term diplomatic stalemate on the nuclear issue.” Larry
A. Nitsch is in the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
of the congressional research Service. Fulltext
A5 - Globalizing Biosecurity
Atlas, Ronald M. and Judith Reppy
Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy Practice
and Science, 2005, v3, #1, 2005, pp51-60
”A harmonized international regime that enhances biosecurity
is needed to reduce the risk of bioterrorism. Like other security
regimes, this will entail mutually reinforcing strands, which
need to include: enactment of legally binding control of access
to dangerous pathogens, transparency for sanctioned biodefense
programs, technology transfer and assistance to developing countries
to jointly advance biosafety and biosecurity, global awareness
of the dual-use dilemma and the potential misuse of science
by terrorists, and development of a global ethic of compliance.
To work, this effort must be undertaken collectively, utilizing
the international and regional institutions that already have
a role to play in providing safety and security. Most notably,
it must grow in a top-down manner from the Biological Weapons
Convention accord, in which States Parties have agreed to ban
the development of biological weapons, and in a bottom-up manner
from the scientific and health communities, which are engaged
in the research and public health efforts that must be protected
against misuse-especially involving the World Health Organization.”
Ronald M. Atlas is Graduate Dean and Co-director of the
Center of Biowarfare and Bioterrorism at the University of Louisville,
Louisville, Kentucky. Judith Reppy is Professor in the Department
of Science & Technology Studies at Cornell University, Ithaca,
New York, and Associate Director of the Peace Studies Program.
Request Article
A6 - Going Ballistic? Reversing Missile Proliferation
Karp, Aaron
Arms Control Today, June 2005, v35, #5, online version
”Aaron Karp notes that a patchwork of missile nonproliferation
control mechanisms and missile defenses have not succeeded in
containing ballistic missile proliferation and at times may
work at cross purposes. He argues that it is time to re-evaluate
our fundamental attitude toward the ballistic missile itself.
Although the moment for visionary schemes such as banning ballistic
missiles has not arrived, this might be the right time to take
steps in that direction.” Aaron Karp is an adjunct professor
of political science at Old Dominion University in Virginia.
Nuclear Proliferation: Avoiding the ‘Greatest Possible Danger’
Strategic Survey 2004/5, May 2005, pp37-50 This article is part
of the International Institute of Strategic Studies’ (IIES)
annual assessment and forecast of security-related events around
the world. It takes stock of the main strategic trends in nuclear
proliferation and outlines the following issues that need to
be addressed: the existing nuclear non-proliferation regime,
today’s nuclear landscape, reasons for the erosion of the NPT
regime, new attitudes and approaches to nuclear non-proliferation,
rethinking the NTP regime: cooperation, leadership and priorities,
and opportunities foregone. Fulltext
A7 - Tottering Treaty
Kitfield, James
National Journal, May 14, 2005, v37, #20, pp1462-1469
“The author stresses the importance of non-proliferation strategies
within international relations, and identifies the Bush administration's
failure to strengthen nonproliferation laws and international
rules. According to the author, President Bush has chosen to
focus on counterproliferation and coercion of nuclear rogues
and believes the non-proliferation problem relates to the regimes,
not the actual weapons. Specifically, the author targets Pakistan,
North Korea and Iran as countries that pose security threats.
Pakistan never joined the NPT or the Nuclear Suppliers Group,
so is not subject to IAEA inspections -- "no one knows with
certitude whether their stockpiles of weapons have adequate
safeguards, and whether their fissile materials are safely stored
and secured." Furthermore, scientific evidence of the development
and exportation of plutonium in North Korea poses a grave threat
because North Korea signed the NPT and then pursued nuclear
weapons in direct contradiction to the treaty. Furthermore,
arms control expert Joseph Cirincione's visit to Iran reminded
the US that it must reach a deal with Tehran or the Iranians
will continue to exploit the loophole in the NPT that allows
members to use civilian programs to acquire the ingredients
for nuclear weapons. Cirincione also reasons that the NPT should
have strengthened inspection and monitoring protocols.” James
Kitfield is staff correspondent for National Journal. Fulltext
A8 - The Lugar Survey on Proliferation Threats and
Responses
Lugar, Richard G.
Washington D.C., June 2005, 44p.
“During the next ten years the world faces a 29 percent chance
of a nuclear attack and the prospect of four new nations being
added to the nuclear weapons club, according to a new survey
of non-proliferation and national security experts compiled
by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Dick Lugar. Over
the same period, the experts rated the risks of a major chemical
or biological attack as both greater than 30 percent, while
the prospects of a dirty bomb attack were pegged at 40 percent.
The unique survey of 85 top international scholars, policy makers,
diplomats, and technicians probed the attitudes of experts on
both proliferation threats and international responses. The
Lugar Survey found that 79 percent believed that their own country
was not spending enough money on non-proliferation objectives.
None of the experts surveyed believed that their country was
spending too much on these goals. Republican Senator Richard
G. Lugar is Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Fulltext
A9 - A Unified Security Budget for the United States,
2006
Center for Defense Information. May 2005, 52 pages
This report by 14 military and foreign policy experts examines
the necessity of an integrated approach to budgeting military
and non-military security resources. The authors find that “the
administration’s budget concentrates security resources overwhelmingly
on the military, at the expense of other security tools. It
allocates seven times as much on the military as on homeland
security and all other nonmilitary security programs combined.”
The authors “seek to connect the security debate to the resource
allocations that will make it real.” Marcus Corbin is a
Senior Analyst at the Center for Defense Information in Washington,
D.C., and Director of its Military Reform Project. Miriam Pemberton
is Research Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS)
and Peace and Security Editor for Foreign Policy In Focus, a
project of IPS and the International Relations Center. Fulltext
A10 - Rescuing the Law of War: A Way Forward in an
Era of Global Terrorism
Hoffmann, Michael
Parameters, Summer 2005, pp18-35
Author’s summary: ”This article briefly surveys the existing
law-of-war framework before examining the problems facing commanders
and policymakers alike when they try to apply these rules in
military operations against terrorist organizations. It next
identifies long-term hazards presented by current legal trends,
and follows with a look at valuable though forgotten law-of-war
lessons from US history that must be relearned in order to refocus
the rules of war for the challenge of terrorism. The article
closes by proposing a way forward." Michael H. Hoffman is
an attorney and retired lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve
who served as a judge advocate. Fulltext
A11 - The Democratic Imperative vs. the Authoritarian
Impulse: The Maghreb State between Transition and Terrorism
Entelis, John P.
Strategic Insights, June 2005, v4, #6
The author analyses the situation in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia
based on field interviews, meetings, and discussions with North
African and European students, professors, journalists, government
officials, opposition figures, and Islamic activists, supplemented
by other sources. All three countries face challenges from domestic,
regional, and global forces. Because all are governed autocratically,
Entelis predicts problems to their political stability, social
cohesion, cultural integrity, and economic viability. John
P. Entelis is Professor of Political Science and Director of
the Middle East Studies Program at Fordham University in Bronx,
New York. Fulltext
A12 - Report of the Task Forde on the United Nations:
American Interest and UN Reform
Gingrich, Newt and George Mitchell, Co-Chairs
United States Institute of Peace, June 2005, 181p
"In December 2004, at the request of Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA),
Congress directed the United States Institute of Peace to establish
a Task Force on the United Nations. The 12-member bipartisan
Task Force, chaired by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and
former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, cooperated with
the support of leading public policy organizations to assess
reforms that would enable the UN to better meet the goals of
its 1945 charter and offer Congress an actionable agenda to
strengthen the UN..." Fulltext
A13 - Bush V. Annan: Taming The United Nations
Walker, Martin
World Policy Journal, V22, #1, pp.9-18
"The wretched regime of Saddam Hussein, having inflicted wars
on its neighbors and gruesome misrule and chemical weapons on
its own citizens, is doing more damage from beyond the grave.
The skill of Saddam Hussein's corrupting oil wealth and of his
smuggling operations has exposed the administration of the United
Nations to its enemies. And in President George W. Bush's America,
the United Nations has enemies in abundance, and the complex
but scandalous nature of the UN's internal difficulties makes
it hard for the U.N.'s friends to defend it. The United Nations
now stands at bay in a confrontation that is protean in the
way it sets the physical power of the world's only superpower
against the moral power of the international body. This battle
may yet have some rounds to be fought, but there is no doubting
its scale, nor its global news value. Remarkably, not even the
awesome devastation of last December's Asian tsunami could quite
put the human rivalries over the United Nations into their place;
the confrontation spilled over into a diplomatic jostling match
to decide who would take responsibility, and possibly credit,
for the reconstruction effort." Martin Walker is an Editorial
Board member of the World policy Institute and editor in chief
of United Press International. Fulltext
A14 - Troubled Marriage: The United
States and the UN: Interview with Ambassador William H. Luers
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. Winter 2005,
v6, #1, pp87-93
“In this interview, Ambassador Luers, head of the United Nations
Association of the United States, discusses the UN's strengths,
weaknesses, and role in the twenty-first century. Ambassador
Luers argues that no other organization better symbolizes global
cooperation and shared values than the sixty-nine year old institution
headquartered in New York. He concedes that, as disagreements
have risen on global issues, the effectiveness of the United
Nations has been questioned. Many in the U.S. and specifically
the second Bush administration remain unconvinced of the UN’s
ability to successfully address pressing security questions.
Recent circumstances in Iraq, Iran, and Darfur have exacerbated
underlying tensions, resulting in the current strained relationship
between the U.S. and the UN.” William H. Luers is president
and CEO of the United Nations Association of the United States
of America. Fulltext
Weapons of Mass DestructioN
A15 - The Nuclear Posture Review: Setting the Record
Straight
Payne, Keith B.
The Washington Quarterly, Summer 2005, v28, #3, pp135-151
“The Bush administration’s 2001 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR)
was a watershed event in U.S. strategic policy. Despite its
title, the scope was much broader than nuclear matters. It was
a strategic posture review, the Pentagon’s first strategic policy
initiative to depart fundamentally from a Cold War–era policy
orientation focused overwhelmingly on the Soviet strategic nuclear
threat, nuclear deterrence, and management of the U.S.-Soviet
“balance of terror.” The first post–Cold War NPR, drafted in
1994, had retained the central assumption that the primary U.S.
strategic concern was managing the hostile relationship between
the two great nuclear powers. In contrast, the 2001 NPR set
in motion far-reaching changes designed to align U.S. strategic
policy with the different realities and threats of the post–Cold
War security environment. Very early in his first term, President
George W. Bush emphasized that the new strategic environment,
including in particular the emergence of hostile states with
weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the improvement in U.S.-Russian
relations, demanded changes in strategic policy. “[W]e must
seek security based on more than the grim premise that we can
destroy those who seek to destroy us. This is an important opportunity
for the world to rethink the unthinkable, and to find new ways
to keep the peace,” he said. “Deterrence can no longer be based
solely on the threat of nuclear retaliation.” The NPR responded
to this call. Keith B. Payne, president of the National
Institute for Public Policy, served as deputy assistant secretary
of defense from 2002 to 2003. Fulltext
A16 -Avoiding Enrichment: Using Financial Tools To Prevent
Another Khan Network
Forden, Geoffrey
Arms Control Today, June 2005, v35, #5, online version
”Geoffrey Forden proposes beefing up tools to uncover black
market trade such as the nuclear network operated by Pakistani
scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan. He notes that such proliferation
schemes make use of the same financial instruments as legitimate
international trade and leave a tell-tale trail that can be
used to detect and stop, or at least inhibit, the efficiency
of this proliferation path. Current international nonproliferation
regimes, he argues, could be significantly strengthened if they
were buttressed by a dedicated international auditing and investigations
authority that would track down and look into suspicious international
deals.” Geoffrey Forden is a research associate with the
Science, Technology, and Society Program at Massachusetts Institute
of Technology. He served as chief of the multidisciplinary analysis
section of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission
(UNMOVIC). Fulltext
A17 - The Robb-Silberman Report, Intelligence,
and Nonproliferation
Laipson, Ellen
Arms Control Today, June 2005, v35, #5, online version
”Ellen Laipson examines the role intelligence can and should
play in the nonproliferation policymaking process. She says
that a recent White House-appointed commission offered useful
recommendations for improving weapons of mass destruction intelligence
collection and analysis. Yet, it could not resolve a dilemma
that plagued the Bush administration in the run-up to the 2003
invasion of Iraq and that is sure to extend into other future
proliferation crises: how publicly accountable policymakers
use intelligence, particularly in circumstances where war is
a choice, but not the only option.” Ellen Laipson is president
and chief executive officer of the Henry L. Stimson Center.
She held various foreign policy and national security positions
in a 25-year U.S. government career, including serving as vice
chairman of the National Intelligence Council from 1997-2002.
Fulltext
A18 - Depleted Uranium Munitions: A New WMD
Cunningham, Francis Xavier
Foreign Service Journal, May 2005, v82, #5, pp70-74
The 1990 Montreal Protocol for the control of fluorocarbons
serves as an excellent model for an international agreement
to govern substances that deplete the Ozone Layer. “We must
now confront the unintended environmental effects of a new weapon
of mass destruction: the use of depleted uranium in so-called
‘kinetic energy’ munitions. These weapons have potentially global
effects when used by the military. … Depleted uranium munitions
are now available to anyone who can pay for them. This is an
issue that cries out for global control.” Cunningham writes
that the United States should lead the international community
to responsible global control of these munitions. Francis
Xavier Cunningham is a chemist (emeritus member, American Chemical
Society), a former solid propulsion rocket scientist and a retired
Foreign Service officer. Order
article
A19 - Deterring Terrorists: Thoughts on a Framework
Whiteneck, Daniel
The Washington Quarterly, Summer 2005, v28, #3, pp187-199
”Seeking to deter terrorists, especially committed, utopian
groups such as Al Qaeda willing to use weapons of mass destruction
(WMD), poses significant challenges. … this analysis will focus
on how to maximize the effectiveness of deterrence, this tool
should be considered part of a broader strategy against terrorism
whose pieces improve each other’s effectiveness.” Accordingly,
Whiteneck concludes “the new era of WMD terrorism can then be
met with all of the critical tools at the U.S. government’s
command: deterrence, defense, and denial.” Daniel Whiteneck
is a research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses in Alexandria,
Virginia. Fulltext
Countries/Regions:
AFRICA
A20 - Sovereignty Reconsidered
Lawson, Letitia and Donald Rothchild
Current History, May 2005, #682, pp228-235
Africans "have begun moving away from colonially designed juridical
statehood to fashion empirical formulas that respond to the
messiness of their current realities. Only time will reveal
whether these new, flexible structures prove an effective response
to . . . state weakness." Letitia Lawson is a senior lecturer
at the Naval Postgraduate School. Donald Rothchild is a professor
of political science at the University of California, Davis
- Order
article
A21 - Africa's Democratization: A Work in Progress
Widner, Jennifer
Current History, May 2005, #682, pp216-221
"Real, sustained efforts are being made across the continent
to deepen democracy and reap the benefits of accountable governance.
The success of these efforts has been mixed, but it is far too
soon to write them off as failures." Jennifer Widner is
a professor of politics and International affairs at Princeton
University. Order
article
A22 - Development in Africa: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
Lancaster, Carol
Current History, May 2005, #682, pp. 222-227
"Whether HIV/AIDS and civil conflict are tamed or left unrestrained
is primarily in the hands of Africans and, above all, African
leaders -- and so is the region's future economic performance."
Carol Lancaster is an associate professor of foreign service
at Georgetown University. Order
article
A23 - Border Security in the Balkans: Europe's Gatekeepers
Hills, Alice
Adelphi Papers, 2005, #371, pp5-40
"Borders dominate the security agenda in South-east Europe.
Political and ethnic discontents focus on disputed borders,
while traffickers in migrants and drugs ignore them. The EU
argues that the Balkan countries should develop models of border
management using its policing standards, but the region is rife
with corruption and its border guards are both under-resourced
and ineffective." Using Bosnia–Herzegovina, Slovenia, Macedonia
and Albania as examples, the author examines the implications
of current border management policies in South-east Europe for
the future of Europe and gauges the development of a consensual
European approach to border security. Order
article
A24 - Defusing Iran’s Bomb
Sokolski, Henry
Policy Review, June-July 2005, #131, pp51-64
When it comes to Iran’s nuclear program, most U.S. and allied
officials are in one or another state of denial. All insist
it is critical to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Yet, few understand just how late it is to attempt this. Iran
is now no more than 12 to 48 months from acquiring a nuclear
bomb… “As for the most popular policy options – to bomb or bribe
Iran – too few analysts and officials are willing to admit publicly
how self-defeating these courses of action might be.” This article
reflects analysis done by some of the nation leading Middle-East
experts and identifying “three threats that are likely to increase
following Iran’s acquisition of a nuclear weapons option: more
nuclear proliferation, dramatically higher oil prices and increased
terrorism geared to diminish U.S. influence.” Henry Sokolski
is executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education
Center in Washington, D.C., and is editor, with Patrick Clawson,
of Getting Ready for a Nuclear-Ready Iran, forthcoming from
U. S. Army War College Press. Fulltext
A25 - The Coalition Provisional Authority's Experience
with Governance in Iraq: Lessons Identified
Ward, Celeste J.
United States Institute of Peace, May 2005, Special Report
13
The author describes three phases in the process of building
new governance structures in Iraq under the Coalition Provisional
Authority. Ward explains: “The original U.S. plan for establishing
an Iraqi government could not be implemented after the bureaucratic
and administrative structures collapsed and looting destroyed
government ministries. Further, the lack of accurate information
about the state of Iraqi society and infrastructure led to overly
optimistic projections.” Conclusion at the end of the report
says:” It would have been useful if coalition planners had anticipated
such an outcome and devised a contingency plan. Even if this
plan had proven imperfect, the process of planning would have
better prepared the coalition for establishing governing structures.”
Celeste J. Ward, formerly the director of national security
policy with the Coalition Provisional Authority, prepared the
report. Fulltext
A26 - Revisions in Need of Revising: What Went Wrong
in the Iraq War
Hendrickson, David C. and Robert W. Tucker
Survival, Summer 2005, v47, #2, pp7-32
"Though critics have made a number of telling points against
the Bush administration’s conduct of the Iraq war, the most
serious problems facing Iraq and its American occupiers – criminal
anarchy and lawlessness, a raging insurgency and a society divided
into rival and antagonistic groups – were virtually inevitable
consequences that flowed from the act of war itself. Military
and civilian planners were culpable in failing to plan for certain
tasks, but the most serious problems had no good solution. Even
so, there are lessons to be learned. These include the danger
that the imperatives of ‘force protection’ may sacrifice the
broader political mission of US forces and the need for scepticism
over the capacity of outsiders to develop the skill and expertise
required to reconstruct decapitated states." David C. Hendrickson
is Professor of Political Science at Colorado College. Robert
W. Tucker is Professor Emeritus of American Foreign Policy at
Johns Hopkins University (SAIS). Order
article
A27 - Trading Places: America and Europe in the Middle
East
Gordon, Philip H.
Survival, v47, #2, pp87-99
"For most of the past century in the Middle East, European powers
like Britain and France were self-confident, interventionist,
militaristic and prone to unilateral action. The Americans,
on the other hand, were sympathetic to the locals, committed
to compromise and strong supporters of international law and
the United Nations. Now it’s the other way around. As case studies
from Iran, Iraq, Algeria and Egypt show, the two sides have
effectively traded places, as a result of their changing roles
in the international system. The fact that Americans are now
walking in European footsteps does not mean that they will suffer
the same fate as their predecessors. If America can avoid the
temptation to act like an imperial power and legitimize its
efforts by promoting democracy and winning international support,
it might also be able to avoid the resentment and violent resistance
that doomed the British and French." Philip H. Gordon is
a Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution.
Order Article
A28 - In Support of Arab Democracy: Why and How
Council on Foreign Affair, June 2005, 81 p
"A Council-sponsored Task Force co-chaired by former Secretary
of State Madeleine K. Albright and former Congressman Vin Weber
(R-Minn.) says that the United States should support the evolutionary
development of democracy consistently throughout the Middle
East. It points out that a strategy to promote democracy entails
inherent risks, but that "the denial of freedom carries much
more significant long-term dangers." Fulltext
A29 - North Korea: The War Game
Stossel, Scott
Atlantic Monthly, Jul/Aug2005, v296 , #1, pp97-108
North Korea’s nuclear programs are a longstanding threat. North
Korea's probable possession of nuclear weapons presents a serious
and extremely complicated problem, with implications that could
drastically affect Asian security and, by extension, U.S. interests.
By violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), North
Korea has weakened the treaty and sent signals that obtaining
nuclear weapons has geopolitical benefits, at least when confronting
the United States. In this essay the author discusses "the message
of a Pentagon-style war game involving some of the country's
most prominent foreign-policy strategists."Scott Stossel
is Atlantic senior editor. Fulltext
A30 - Russia and the Former Soviet Republics
Jost, Kenneth
CQ Researcher, June 17, 2005, vol 15, #23, pp541-564
"The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 fueled hopes that
Russia and the 14 newly independent republics would set themselves
on paths toward democracy. Fourteen years later, those hopes
are largely unfulfilled. Russian President Vladimir Putin is
centralizing power in the Kremlin, while former communists lead
authoritarian regimes in several of the republics, including
some in strategically important Central Asia. But popular protests
in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and, most dramatically, Ukraine have
given new hope to democracy advocates. President Bush stressed
U.S. support for democracy in his recent trip to the region,
but critics say the administration is reducing funding for democracy
projects. And many experts say the United States can exercise
only limited influence on political events inside the former
communist empire." Kenneth Jost is a staff writer for CQ
Researcher.
Order article
A31 - U.S. Policy toward a Weak Assad
Ross, Dennis
The Washington Quarterly, Summer 2005, pp87-98
The author describes Hafiz al-Assad and today’s Syrian president
Basher al-Assad. Ross concentrates on the policy of both leaders
towards the Middle East and the United States. Ross points out
the different distinction between Bashar al-Assad and his father,
and analyses:” Bashar al-Assad’s rule of Syria has been characterized
vacillation and a constant pattern of miscalculation.” Dennis
Ross is a counselor and Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at the
Washington Institute for Near Policy. Fulltext
A32 - Confronting Syrian-Backed Terrorism
Byman, Daniel
The Washington Quarterly, Summer 2005, pp99-113
Byman describes the Syrian ambivalence terrorist groups, the
position to Hizballah, and to elements of the former Iraqi government.
About the position of Syria in the Middle East the author writes:
”Damascus’s support for terrorism is not the sole cause of continued
Israeli-Palestinian violence or of U.S. problems in Iraq, but
it does make a resolution more difficult.” Daniel Byman
is an assistant professor in the Security Studies Program of
the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown
University and a nonresident senior fellow at the Saban Center
for Middle East Policy at Bookings Institutions. Order
article
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