CFR.org - Democracy and Human Rights

Disillusionment in Afghanistan

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:30:50 -0500

CFR's Kim Barker, on return from a recent trip to Kabul, says Afghans are disillusioned with both the reelection of President Hamid Karzai and what they perceive as the U.S desire for an exit strategy.

Pakistani Partnerships with the United States: An Assessment

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:58:58 -0500

Daniel Markey examines the identity, interests, and popular standing of Pakistan's major leaders, particularly with respect to their willingness to cooperate or engage in partnerships with the United States.

Reshaping an Asian Partnership

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:10:01 -0500

President Obama's trip to Asia offers an opportunity for the United States to reshape its relationship with Japan in the face of "historic" political change, writes Sheila Smith.

Spiegel Online: 'Oil and Gas Is Our Drug'

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:48:14 -0500

Spiegel Online interviews Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on the fall of the Berlin Wall, Russia's relationship with the European Union, natural resource management, human rights, and corruption.

U.S. Politics and the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:40:36 -0500

Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, James Goldgeier examines what the occasion meant for the Republican party, and how it has affected the U.S. presidency since.

A Continued Political Stalemate

Council on Foreign Relations — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:52:23 -0500

Deep seated sectarian differences are the root of political instability in Lebanon, writes Mohamad Bazzi.

Twenty Years After the Fall

Council on Foreign Relations — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:53:57 -0500

The fall of the Berlin Wall was not the only significant international development of 1989, writes James Goldgeier. The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan and the Tiananmen Square massacre in China signified the emergence of two new international challenges: failed states and illiberal capitalism, each of which has "vexed" the United States for the past two decades.

International Religious Freedom Report, 2009

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:31:04 -0500

Report

Quarterly Report to Congress, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, October 2009

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:37:24 -0500

Report

Lebanon’s Lesson: The Government is No Place for Sects

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:52:36 -0500

"What is wrong with Lebanon and why is it so hard for elected politicians to form a government?" asks Mohamad Bazzi, citing an obsolete political system as a reason for government instability.

Iran's Nuclear Diversion

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:49:08 -0500

Ray Takeyh writes that the Iranian administration is diverting attention to its nuclear program as a way to avoid scrutiny of its attempts to squash democratic dissent within Iran.

Momentous Day Twenty Years Ago in Berlin

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:00:48 -0500

CFR's Bernard Gwertzman and Serge Schmemann of the International Herald Tribune discuss their role in reporting the fall of the Berlin Wall twenty years ago and the enduring significance of that day.

Karzai's Moment of Opportunity

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:29:07 -0500

Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad says the Obama administration must determine how to use its leverage to help shape a competent government in Kabul.

CFR-Politico Online Chat on U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:27:06 -0500

Max Boot, CFR senior fellow for national security studies, discusses U.S. strategy in Afghanistan online with Politico readers.

Guardian: Karzai was hellbent on victory. Afghans will pay the price

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:30:54 -0500

Peter Galbraith reflects on the declaration of Karzai's victory as a "farce and failure," warns that Afghanistan has lost its legitimacy in the West, and grimly questions the purpose now of sending more troops.

Legitimacy Questions in Afghanistan

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:17:42 -0500

The decision by the main Afghan presidential challenger to drop out of the runoff contest raises new doubts about incumbent Hamid Karzai's viability as partner in the U.S. effort to counter Taliban forces in increasingly shaky Afghanistan.

Honduran Politics and the Chavez Factor

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:40:12 -0400

Christopher Sabatini, a Latin America expert, says the apparent resolution of the Honduran political crisis--triggered in part by concerns over Hugo Chavez's influence--marks a triumph for Obama administration diplomacy.

Taiwan's Constitutional Court: A Model For Beijing?

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:23:17 -0400

"Can contemporary Chinese political culture sustain a constitutional court?" asks Jerome Cohen, pointing to the Taiwanese Council of Grand Justices as a model for China to consider.

Pakistan's Security Fears

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:04:07 -0400

Leading Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jahangir discusses the deteriorating security conditions in her country and expresses concerns over the past and continuing military operations.

Daily Beast: Inside Iran's Intimidation Campaign

Council on Foreign Relations — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:07:55 -0400

Gary Sick comments on the sentencing of his colleague, Iranian-American scholar Kian Tajbaksh, and calls accusations against Tajbaksh "deliberately false."

Painting Democracy on Afghanistan

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:47:04 -0400

Afghanistan expert Thomas H. Johnson says Western efforts to force a runoff election will not produce a legitimate leader in the eyes of Afghan voters, and could further destabilize the country.

Ending the Afghan Election Crisis

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:43:32 -0400

Expert Peter M. Manikas says a fresh round of presidential voting may be the only way to enhance legitimacy in Kabul despite the monumental challenges involved in staging a secure runoff election.

WSJ: Presumption of Guilt

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:32:04 -0400

In Mexico's dysfunctional legal system, an arrest most often leads to a conviction. Exposing both that corruption and a glimpse of hope, David Luhnow follows the story of one street vendor--wrongly convicted of murder--who won his freedom thanks to an unconventional approach by two determined lawyers.

Iraq's Worrisome Political Process

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:08:47 -0400

Middle East expert Joost Hiltermann says Iraq appears headed for an uncertain, and potentially violent, political season with no clear dominant faction emerging ahead of January parliamentary elections.

China 2025: Panel I: Challenges from Within: Emerging Domestic Trends (Video)

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:06:34 -0400

Watch experts discuss emerging domestic trends within China.

This session was part of a CFR symposium, China 2025, which was cosponsored with the Project 2049 Institute.

China 2025: Panel I: Challenges from Within: Emerging Domestic Trends (Audio)

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:06:20 -0400

Listen as experts discuss emerging domestic trends within China.

This session was part of a CFR symposium, China 2025, which was cosponsored with the Project 2049 Institute.

Détente and the Bunker

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:38:10 -0400

Elliot Abrams questions the Obama administration's "disastrous" foreign policy choices in regards to Iran.

Academic Module: Avoiding Transfers to Torture

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:00:50 -0400

This academic module features teaching notes by author Ashley S. Deeks for the Council Special Report Avoiding Transfers to Torture, along with additional resources to supplement the text. In this report, Ms. Deeks addresses the dilemma that occurs when the United States obtains assurances that released detainees will not be tortured by their home countries upon return, guarantees that are an important tool for dealing with dangerous suspects.

Prepared Testimony by Elizabeth Economy: "Human Rights and the Rule of Law in China"

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:12:25 -0400

Elizabeth C. Economy testifies before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China about China’s efforts in the realm of human rights, the rule of law, and the environment, and the prospects for U.S.-China cooperation on these issues.

WashPost: What I Saw at the Afghan Election

Council on Foreign Relations — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:39:03 -0400

Peter Galbraith exposes his side of the Afghan electoral fraud story, and comments on his perceptions of the real reasons behind his termination from the post of UN deputy special representative in Afghanistan last week.