Why Turkey Pretends to be Outraged
Turkey chastises Israel but is really looking at Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons program.
Analysis
NATO After Afghanistan
“NATO is much more than Afghanistan,” former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told the Atlantic Council on May 19. Supreme Allied Commander Admiral Jim Stravidis agreed, noting that although Afghanistan is important, the alliance is a “very, very active” fighting force engaged in missions all over the world. Albright was invited by Secretary General […]
EU Should Reassess Energy Policy Toward Russia
Given the meager results of Europe’s policy of confrontation with Russia, it should focus on developing its internal market.
Avoiding the Unthinkable
As evidence mounts that the South Korean warship sunk last March was indeed brought down by a North Korean torpedo, tensions in Korea are rising. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has pronounced economic sanctions on the North which has reportedly begun to ready troops. The intentional sinking of a foreign naval vessel is certainly cause […]
Obama’s “International Order”
The president sets out his foreign-policy vision, which involves new partnerships and leading by example.
Paul Defending Segregation? Not Really
Just one day after winning the Republican nomination for Kentucky’s open Senate seat, Rand Paul appeared on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show to argue that the federal government blurred the lines between public and private ownership when it passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Asked by host Rachel Maddow whether Paul believes that a […]
Clinton Announces “Tough” Iran Sanctions
Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday about the new START treaty signed with Russia last April, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that a draft resolution for sanctions against Iran has been agreed upon by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. According to Clinton, Britain, France and the […]
Do We Have a Deal?
As Brazil and Turkey reached a nuclear fuel exchange agreement with Iran on Sunday night, the most important lesson to the West may well be that the traditional nuclear powers are no longer alone at their game. According to a joint declaration released on Monday, Iran pledges to deposit 1,200 kilograms of 3.5 percent enriched […]
The Political Disaster of the BP Oil Spill
The BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, still spewing after more than a week and several failed mitigation attempts, is certainly an environmental disaster, the extent of which will likely not be known for many weeks to come. But it is also a political disaster. First of all, though the initial accident was […]
Macmillan’s Game At an End
Britain must reinvent its place in the world again after “punching above its weight” for half a century.
The Great Experiment
With David Cameron installed as prime minister on Tuesday evening, for the first time in almost seventy years the United Kingdom has a coalition government again. Will it hold? Elections in early May produced a hung parliament with the Conservatives just twenty seats short of a majority. Negotiations between Labour and the minority Liberal Democrats […]
Sinophobia on the High Seas
Commander James Kraska fears that China is set for naval hegemony.
Are the Taliban Getting Stronger?
The Pentagon recently reported to Congress (PDF) that violence in Afghanistan between October 2009 and March of this year has risen sharply, with so much as 87 percent in fact compared to the same period last year. Insurgent attacks increased throughout 2009 to peak in August just before the country’s presidential election. Most activity has […]
After Election, Britain Wonders: What Now?
Neither of the three largest parties have a majority of seats in the House of Commons.
Drawing a Better Europe
The European map is outdated and illogical. Rejigging it would make life friendlier.