CFR.org - Op-Eds

NATO's Failure to Launch

Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:45:05 -0400

Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF, says the question of what constitutes missile-defense interim capability will loom large over the NATO Summit, but the issue for NATO remains whether they can muster the political, diplomatic, economic, and technical will to bring a ballistic-missile defense capability on line.

Iran’s Leader Must Choose Between Enmity and Economy

Ray Takeyh — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:34:02 -0400

Ray Takeyh says Iran's supreme leader must resolve the dilemma of having advanced Iran's nuclear program at the cost of eroding its economy.

Egypt's Real Crisis: The Dual Epidemics Quietly Ravaging Public Health

Laurie Garrett, and Steven A. Cook — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:09:14 -0400

Laurie Garrett and Steven A. Cook discuss the threats of Avian flu and foot and mouth disease in Egypt.

What Hollande Must Tell Germany

Martin Wolf — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:12:18 -0400

Martin Wolf argues that François Hollande can put the eurozone back on a path to prosperity by shifting German leaders' focus away from austerity and toward reforms coupled with symmetric adjustment of the monetary union's internal imbalances.

Flights of Fancy

Jerome A. Cohen — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:57:48 -0400

Jerome A. Cohen discusses conspiracy speculations surrounding the Chen Guangcheng case.

The Pathetic Case of Richard Lugar

Elliott Abrams — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:46:18 -0400

Elliott Abrams argues that Richard Luger seems to have no life at all beyond the U.S. Senate.

Marco Rubio’s Foreign Policy

Julia E. Sweig — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:10:13 -0400

Julia E. Sweig discusses U.S. senator Marco Rubio's foreign policy positions and their significance if he is chosen as Republican Mitt Romney's vice presidential running mate.

Nobody Immune From Income Volatility, Even Rich

Peter R. Orszag — Tue, 08 May 2012 09:30:53 -0400

Peter Orszag discusses the strengthening link between high incomes and macroeconomic activity.

Chen’s Silent Partner: Luck

Jerome A. Cohen — Sun, 06 May 2012 10:39:01 -0400

Jerome A. Cohen says diplomacy took Chen Guangcheng only so far.

Liberian Verdict Validates Bush Strategy

Jendayi Frazer — Sat, 05 May 2012 10:19:09 -0400

Jendayi Frazer argues that the conviction of Charles Taylor is in large part due to the Bush administration's investment of attention, energy, and diplomatic and financial resources to implement a comprehensive strategy in Liberia and the region.

The Future Is Global

Richard N. Haass — Fri, 04 May 2012 11:35:57 -0400

Richard N. Haass says today's college graduates will lead 21st century lives, and in an age of globalization, the world will matter to them as never before.

2012 Graduates: You'll Live Long, Now Prosper

Michael W. Hodin — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:16:44 -0400

Michael W. Hodin says today's graduates are facing an unprecedented era of aging populations that will force them to rethink what it means to age and reinvent education so it becomes a lifelong pursuit.

After the Bonfire of the Verities

Martin Wolf — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:05:07 -0400

Martin Wolf surveys the future of central banking in a world transformed both practically and theoretically by the financial crisis.

The new world of post-crisis central banking will create significant institutional and intellectual challenges.

The Prince and the Ayatollah

Ed Husain — Tue, 01 May 2012 11:08:44 -0400

Ed Husain discusses his recent meetings with the royal family and oppositionists in Bahrain.

Going Dutch

Michael W. Hodin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:47:08 -0400

Michael W. Hodin says the most recent crisis in the Netherlands may actualy be an opportunity for the Dutch to provide an economic model for nations to follow, where an aging population is the solution for economic growth.

A Bottom-Up Solution to America's Immigration Dilemma

Jagdish N. Bhagwati, and Francisco Rivera-Batiz — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:07:18 -0400

Jagdish Bhagwati and Francisco Rivera-Batiz suggest that interstate competition for illegal labor will force states with tough illegal immigration policies to soften their stances.

Forget Euro Woes—Brace for Taxmageddon

Sebastian Mallaby — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:33:19 -0400

Sebastian Mallaby explains how post-election gridlock could either send the U.S. economy over the edge of a "fiscal cliff" into recession or lead it down a risky road of more debt and downgrades.

Is Egypt Headed for Islamist Rule?

Isobel Coleman — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:19:28 -0400

Isobel Coleman says the Egyptian elections are a roller coaster, and what the role of Islam will be in a new Egypt is uncertain.

To the Victors Go the Foils

Richard N. Haass — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:47:14 -0400

Richard N. Haass says that seemingly different nations with elections and political transitions in the coming months possess common internal challenges–a loss of economic and physical autonomy, the diffusion of information technology, and slower growth against a backdrop of larger and older populations–that will make more difficult the task of generating global consensus on how to meet threats beyond borders.

21st Century Tax Policy and Aging Populations

Michael W. Hodin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:49:14 -0400

Michael W. Hodin discusses how the demographic shift toward an older population will make current tax policies unsustainable in coming decades.

Surviving "Taxmageddon" Without Maiming Economy

Peter R. Orszag — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:04:13 -0400

Peter Orszag works through various approaches U.S. policymakers could take to head off fiscal catastrophe as a storm of tax increases, spending cuts, and a debt ceiling standoff looms at the end of the year.

Balance Between Market and State

Julia E. Sweig — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:46:44 -0400

Julia E. Sweig measures the balance between market and state in a review of David Rothkopf's latest book, Power, Inc.: The Epic Rivalry between Big Business and Government and the Reckoning that Lies Ahead.

21st Century Tax Policy and Aging Populations

Michael W. Hodin — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:48:17 -0400

Michael W. Hodin says that as more Americans will be over sixty in the 21st century, tax and spend policies will have to shift profoundly if the United States is to avoid burdensome, confiscatory rates on those in the traditional working population.

Burma Gold Rush

Joshua Kurlantzick — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:45:50 -0400

Joshua Kurlantzick warns that while investors may look on Burma as a potential emerging market, they should be aware that Burma has experienced periods of short-lived openness before.

Negotiating With Iran, 1979 and 2012

Elliott Abrams — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:43:08 -0400

Elliott Abrams discusses the current talks with Iran, the way Iranians negotiate, and the two lead negotiators for the West, Lady Ashton of the EU and Wendy Sherman of the United States.

Washington Stuck Fighting Wrong Health-Care Battle

Peter R. Orszag — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:10:48 -0400

Peter Orszag argues that policymakers should work to encourage further strides in controlling health-care costs that are already being made outside Washington.

Egypt: Pity the Winner

Elliott Abrams — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:09:28 -0400

Elliott Abrams says the Egyptian presidential race is a frightful mess.

The Big Squeeze

Jerome A. Cohen — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:14:27 -0400

Jerome A. Cohen looks at various types of incommunicado detention in China, and discusses what Bo Xilai could face under "shuanggui," a widely feared internal disciplinary action that is outside the reach of Chinese law.

Why Iran's Mullahs Cannot Rest Easy

Ray Takeyh — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:02:14 -0400

Ray Takeyh says that for now the Islamic Republic endures, but beneath the facade of order and stability the clerical state continues to face a deep crisis of legitimacy.

Washington's War for Afghanistan's Women

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:20:06 -0400

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon says a battle is on to keep Afghan women from falling off the political agenda while Washington and its NATO allies seek a diplomatic solution to America's longest-ever war, and the fight becomes more urgent as the NATO summit in Chicago approaches.