CFR.org - Must Reads

Miami Herald: Is U.S. facing a dead end?

Marifeli Perez-Stable — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:53:54 -0500

Marifeli Perez-Stable discusses the leakage by El País of Obama's message to Raul Castro, warning that if the administration doesn't "break the tired two-step" of Cuban-American relations soon, it may be too late.

Guardian: 1989 changed the world. But where now for Europe?

Timothy Garton Ash — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:33:39 -0500

Timothy Garton Ash examines global politics twenty years since 1989 and questions whether today's Europe, ""mired in the narcissism of minor difference," can recapture the strategic boldness and historical imagination of 1989.

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

Peter Galbraith — 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.

Asia Society: North Korea Inside Out: The Case for Economic Engagement

Charles Kartman, Susan L. Shirk and John Delury — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:28:56 -0400

A report from an independent task force convened by the Asia Society Center on U.S.-China Relations and the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation argues in favor of economic engagement with North Korea that could change North Korea's "confrontational foreign policy" and its own "self interest."

Economist: Looking East and South

The Economist — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:31:53 -0400

The Economist explores Turkey's new strategy of "reversing antagonism" with its Arab neighbors and puts it into the context of regional power vacuum.

Global Post: War Weary Europeans Test Their Leaders' Resolve

Mort Rosenblum — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:50:49 -0400

With waning public support at home, writes Mort Rosenblum, European leaders face the challenge of standing firm to their commitment in Afghanistan.

TNR: Putin's Game

Seth Robinson — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:36 -0400

Seth Roberts writes that Moscow's close economic ties with Tehran will make it hard to convince Putin to put pressure on Iran's nuclear program.

Daily Beast: Inside Iran's Intimidation Campaign

Gary G. Sick — 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."

CTC Sentinel: al-Qaeda's Pakistan Strategy

Don Rassler — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:38:33 -0400

Don Rassler's analysis of al-Qaeda's role in Pakistan reveals that the organization is "acting to shape Pakistan's militant environment and foster jihad against the Pakistani government."

Guardian: Malaysia Goes Islamic

Maznah Mohamad — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:53:30 -0400

Maznah Mohamad expresses concern over the increased radicalization of Malaysia's ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO).

BBC: Bedouin Who Serve in Israel's Army

Rachid Sekkai — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:26:36 -0400

Rachid Sekkai reports on the experiences of Non-Jews in Israel's army, and proves that the traditional image of the Arab-Israeli conflict as one of Jews fighting Muslims is not always accurate.

WSJ: Presumption of Guilt

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.

LAT: Sudan's state-sponsored pyromania

John Prendergast — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:57:26 -0400

John Prendergast explains why increased U.S. leadership is needed for an independence referendum in southern Sudan to succeed.

Daily Star: The World Can No Longer Afford to ignore Yemen's Internal Convulsions

Brian O'Neill — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:08:42 -0400

Three local power struggles--the Houthi revolt in the north, the southern secessionist movement, and the pervasive threat of al-Qaeda--put Yemen's central government on "the brink of collapse".

FT: Down But Not Out

Krishna Guha — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:30:56 -0400

Though fears of an impending currency crisis may be overstated, writes Krishna Guha, complacency could fuel an accelerated decline of the dollar in the near term.

CTC Sentinel: Defining the Punjabi Taliban Network

Hassan Abbas — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:58:14 -0400

Hassan Abbas outlines the main features--aspirations, financial needs, and worldview--of Pakistan's Punjabi Taliban network.

NYT: Yes We Can (Pass Climate Change Legislation)

John F. Kerry and Lindsey Graham — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:17:49 -0400

Senators John Kerry and Lindsey Graham outline the steps needed to achieve passage of climate change legislation in Congress.

WSJ: Islam, Israel and the United States

Sheikh Ali Gomaa — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:55:59 -0400

Sheikh Ali Goma'a, Grand Mufti of Egypt, champions moderate Islam, condemns religious violence, and addresses the challenges facing the United States in bettering its relationship with Islam.

Maclean's: Canada’s biggest problem? America

Luiza Ch. Savage — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:18:11 -0400

Luiza Ch. Savage discusses Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's worries about restoring the Canadian-American relationship.

Economist: Ailing Fast: Bad news from Latvia raises fears of contagion across eastern Europe

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:00:03 -0400

The Economist assesses the potential impact of a failed Latvian economy on Baltic states Estonia and Lithuania.

European Commission Directorate-General for Research:The world in 2025: Rising Asia and socio-ecological transition

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:49:59 -0400

The European Commission Directorate-General for Research examines the factors and tensions shaping the international environment, and its transition towards a multi-polar world governance, and towards a new "socio-ecological" production model that Europe will help to promote.

Independent: Europe Must be a Priority for the Tories

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:41:59 -0400

Bruce Anderson says David Cameron's Tories will have to eventually "renegotiate" Britain's relations with the European Union.

NYT: Now Comes the Hard Part

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:33:43 -0400

In a New York Times editorial, Karen Donfried says Europe's interest in Obama needs to translate into military assistance in Afghanistan and diplomatic support with Iran.

WashPost: What I Saw at the Afghan Election

Peter W. Galbraith — 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.

FEER: The Next Chinese Revolution

Daniel Lynch — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:15:11 -0400

FEER's Daniel Lynch assesses the reality of the Chinese government's expectations for economic recovery, and indicates the possibility of political upheaval in the near future.

LAT: The Power, and Threat, of Iran

Alistair Crooke — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:54:36 -0400

The issue at the heart of Iran's approach to negotiations, argues Alastair Crooke, is not the nuclear program itself, but whether the United States and Israel are ready to accept Iran as a preeminent power in the Middle East.

Joint Force Quarterly: Strategic Communication: Getting Back to Basics

Michael G. Mullen — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:40:32 -0400

Admiral Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says that credibility is the military's biggest problem and argues that most strategic communication problems are not communication problems at all; "They are policy and execution problems."

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: The U.S.-India Nuclear Deal--One Year Later

J. Sri Raman — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:25:12 -0400

J. Sri Raman revisits the controvel U.S.-India Nuclear deal signed in 2008 and explains how it appears to be "solidly entrenched" in long term U.S. policy.

Yale Global: Will the G-20 Haunt or Help Obama Later On?

Steven R. Weisman — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:36:36 -0400

Steven R. Weisman says pledges the Obama administration made at the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh could place it at odds with domestic and foreign allies.

WashPost: Forget the Nukes: The Most Fruitful Target Is Iran's Weakening Regime

Robert Kagan — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:40:48 -0400

Robert Kagan explains why the Obama administration should forget about Iranian nuclear developments and focus rather on Iranian instability and the regime's fight for survival.