August 2011
11 posts
5 tags
It's Hard to Say Goodbye to Iraq
Why the United States Should Withdraw this December
The White House has been pressuring Maliki to invite U.S. troops to stay in Iraq after the upcoming deadline for withdrawal. It should stop. There are no good reasons for the military to stay. Read more here.
3 tags
Partners in Help
Assisting the Poor Over the Long Term
Paul Farmer, chairman of Harvard Medical School’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, and a Founding Director of Partners In Health, reflects on aid, his theory of accompaniment, and Haiti after the earthquake.
4 tags
Istanbul on the Nile
Why the Turkish Model of Military Rule Is Wrong for Egypt
Many Egyptian military officers and some civilian politicians are interested in replicating the so-called Turkish model for Egypt, in which the military would play a leading role in guiding society and politics. Council on Foreign Relations expert Steven A. Cook explains why such a strategy is a poor fit for the country.
July 2011
11 posts
5 tags
Tragedy in Norway: Violent "Counter-Jihadism"
What — and Who — Inspired Anders Behring Breivik’s Violence?
Like many of the violent jihadists he so feared, the man responsible for last week’s attacks in Norway seems to have been radicalized via the Internet.
The author, ØYVIND STRØMMEN, is a Norwegian journalist and a contributor to a forthcoming book on right-wing extremism published by the Green European Foundation.
Read the...
6 tags
China's European Shopping Spree?
How Austerity in the EU Creates Investment Opportunities for Beijing
The EU agreement to refinance Greece’s debt may have calmed the markets, but ongoing austerity measures across Europe are leave open potentially worrying side effect that policymakers have yet to address: the chance for China to buy sensitive assets at fire-sale prices. Mark Blyth, professor of International Political...
7 tags
Hezbollah: Party of Fraud
How Hezbollah Uses Crime to Finance Its Operations
Hezbollah has long relied on foreign patrons for funding. But with Iran’s economy suffering and Syria in turmoil, the group has adopted mafia tactics to fill its coffers. Western countries should shine a spotlight on Hezbollah’s crime wave in order to hurt the group’s reputation and undermine its support, says Matthew Levitt,...
4 tags
The Muslims of Norway
Islam and Multiculturalism Under Attack
The attacks in Norway last week targeted the very idea behind the country’s multicultural society and, in particular, the place of Muslims within it. As Norway comes to terms with the tragedy, how will the fallout affect the country’s Muslim community? Shoaid Sultan, the former Secretary General of the Islamic Council of Norway, discusses...
3 tags
Reminder: Student Essay Contest 2011
A reminder: submissions are due in less than a week!
Sponsored by APSIA - The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs
Foreign Affairs publishes articles by today’s leaders and thinkers that tackle the most pressing issues in international relations. We want to give tomorrow’s leaders the opportunity to demonstrate innovative thinking on the issues that shape...
4 tags
Avoiding the Next Eurozone Crisis
How to Build an EU that Works
The EU’s current framework cannot prevent or manage fiscal problems effectively. This does not mean that it is too late to build one that can. In addition to better financial cooperation, eurozone countries need to deepen their political coordination as well, says Lorenze Bini Smaghi, a member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank.
9 tags
Why Food Price Volatility Doesn't Matter
Policymakers Should Focus Instead on Bringing Costs Down
Export bans, price stabilization schemes, and subsidies for farmers— all policies being proposed to curb the rise in food prices— won’t help those who cannot afford food. The problem is not food price volatility, it is expensive food. Professors Christopher B. Barrett and Marc F. Bellemare, of Cornell and Duke...
10 tags
Pakistan's Middle Class Extremists
Most policymakers makers believe that the poor are more susceptible to the appeals of violent groups. Counterterrorism policies have therefore often centered on economic development. In Pakistan, however, it is the middle class that is supportive of militant groups. What does this mean for counterterrorism strategy?
Read the article here.
6 tags
Turkey's Maturing Foreign Policy
How the Arab Spring Changed the AKP
The AKP’s reaction to this spring’s uprisings in the Middle East seemed haphazard at times. But a closer look reveals that the party was actually learning to balance hard regional interests with its stated values — as all major powers must do.
Mustafa Akyol, a Turkish journalist, explains.
Also see our recommended reading list on Turkish...
6 tags
The City and the State
American Urban Planning and the Role of Government
New books by Witold Rybczynski and Edward Glaeser celebrate the ever-changing American urban experience. Sandy Hornick, Consultant for Strategic Planning to the New York City Department of City Planning, says both books overlook the role of the government.
How involved should the government be in urban planning? Add your comments below.
Read...
7 tags
On Humanitarianism
Is Helping Others Charity, or Duty, or Both?
Is helping others an act of charity or duty? Michael Walzer quotes medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides and the experience of the Jewish Diaspora to explain that it is both. What does this mean for the humanitarian intervention in Libya, and the future of humanitarianism in US foreign policy?
Read the article here.
June 2011
16 posts
6 tags
America’s Weak Recovery
Why Congress and the Fed Can’t Get the Economy Back on Track
Although the U.S. economy is no longer in a recession, recovery has been painfully slow. The outlook is still bleak: Congress is likely to cut spending and raise taxes, while the Fed is in no mood to lower interest rates. Alan S. Blinder, professor at Princeton and former Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal...
7 tags
The Limits of Election Monitoring
What Independent Observation Can (and Can’t) Do
When Tunisia and Egypt hold elections this fall, international election monitors will face pressure to validate the results as a proof that the Arab Spring is yielding democratic dividends. They must resist that pressure — both to maintain their independence and convince Egyptians and Tunisians of it. Susan D. Hyde of Yale University and...
9 tags
The AKP's Underwhelming Victory
How the Election will Change Turkish Politics
The ruling AKP won Turkey’s recent legislative elections, but lost the supermajority it has enjoyed since 2002. This will force the party will to seek consensus on domestic policy, but may allow it to harden its eastward-leaning foreign policy, writes Soner Cagaptay, the Director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for...
5 tags
The Balkans After Mladic
Why the Region Still Needs International Support
Patrice C. McMahon, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Jon Western, Five College Associate Professor of International Relations at Mount Holyoke College and the Five Colleges write that Mladic’s recent arrest is an opportunity for the international community to renew its commitment to the...
3 tags
The Secrets of Germany's Success
What Europe’s Manufacturing Powerhouse Can Teach America
As Americans fret about their economic decline, Germans are celebrating their country’s success as a manufacturing juggernaut. Obama’s former auto czar explains the key to Germany’s export boom — and how the United States can emulate it.
Read it here.
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