Foreign Affairs

May 11th, 2012

Threat Inflation with Micah Zenko

After yet another foiled terrorist plot, what does the United States really have to fear? Editor Gideon Rose discusses “threat hyping” with author Micah Zenko, who argues that the nation is much safer than politicians and government officials would lead the public to believe. A near-nuclear Iran, unstable Middle East, occasionally aggressive Russia, and unstoppable China do not, in fact, pose these often cited dangers. Cutting military spending should not incite such anxiety, when even international terrorism does not qualify as a real threat to the existence or freedom of the United States.

May 9th, 2012

Sanctions Are Only a Stop-Gap: Iran is Negotiating, But That Isn’t Enough

Sanctions have succeeded in bringing Tehran back to the negotiating table, but they are a tactic, not a strategy. Any long-term policy has to aim for a democratic Iran.

April 25th, 2012

Zoom

The May/June 2012 issue is now available! See the full TOC here.

April 20th, 2012

Botching the Bomb: Why Nuclear Weapons Programs Often Fail on Their Own — and Why Iran’s Might, Too

(From the new issue, out next week.)

Nuclear weapons are hard to build for managerial reasons, not technical ones. This is why so few authoritarian regimes have succeeded: they don’t have the right culture or institutions. When it comes to Iran’s program, then, the United States and its allies should get out of the way and let Iran’s worst enemies — its own leaders — gum up the process on their own. Read the full article.

April 13th, 2012

Iran and the United States Face Off in Turkey (What to Expect When You Are Expecting Iran to Go Nuclear)

This weekend’s nuclear negotiations will almost certainly reach a dead end. Even so, they will have been worthwhile. Without a good-faith diplomatic effort, Washington would find it harder to get other capitals on board with alternative approaches, including a military strike.

April 4th, 2012

Why Israel Should Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Bomb

The debate in Jerusalem about attacking Iran makes clear that Israel does not trust its “bomb in the basement” to do what nuclear weapons are best at doing: deterring their use by others. Embracing this capability would leave the country much safer.

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March 22nd, 2012

Turkey vs. Iran

Who will win the regional battle for hearts and minds?

March 14th, 2012

Foreign Affairs LIVE: Time to Attack Iran? A Debate

On March 1 Foreign Affairs Managing Editor Jonathan Tepperman moderated a debate on the threats posed by Iran — and how the United States should respond — featuring our distinguished authors Matthew Kroenig and Colin Kahl.

January 18th, 2012

The Iran Debate: To Strike or Not to Strike

The cases for, and against, a military attack against Iran to deter its nuclear program. Read the full collection.

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December 22nd, 2011

Time to Attack Iran?

Opponents of military action against Iran assume a U.S. strike would be far more dangerous than simply letting Tehran build a bomb. Not so, argues this former Pentagon defense planner. With a carefully designed attack, could Washington mitigate the costs and spare the region and the world from an unacceptable threat? Read the full article.