Far from an improbable, uncharismatic president, Francois Hollande has been working quietly for decades as the bearer of a clear — if utopian — vision shared by many Europeans. He has studied the failures of the Fifth Republic’s only other socialist leader, François Mitterrand, and is determined not to repeat his mistakes.
Mafia States: Organized Crime Takes Office
Around the world, criminal organizations and governments are fusing to an unprecedented degree, blurring the distinction between national interests and what suits the gangsters. Mafia states enjoy the unhealthy advantages of their hybrid status: they’re as nimble as gangs and as well protected as governments, and thus more dangerous than either.
Prioritize the Poorest: Helping the Bottom Billion is Good — and Good Business
UNICEF officials explain why development approaches that emphasize equality are also the most cost-effective. Read the full article.
What’s it like writing an essay for Foreign Affairs? Charli Carpenter just wrote the book blog post.
An Associate Professor of International Affairs at UMass-Amherst and Foreign Affairs author, Dr. Carpenter recently conducted an experiment in her doctoral level seminar on Human Security. She wanted to help her students navigate the theory vs. policy divide, and she did that by requiring students “to go through the process of convincing Foreign Affairs Magazine to publish their analysis of some policy-relevant topic…”
If you’re interested in the editorial process for a publication like Foreign Affairs or you just want to see an example for a successful pitch, this is a must-read.
Q: How can I get published on ForeignAffairs.com?
A: Enter the 2012 Student Essay Contest!
We’re now accepting submissions for the 2012 Student Essay contest — Sponsored by The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA)
This year’s topic: How much did U.S. foreign policy change after the last election and how much will it change after this one?
Full rules here: http://fam.ag/Md53Yt
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.
Nicholas de B. Katzenbach, former Attorney General under Lyndon B. Johnson, passed away on Tuesday evening. He was also heavily involved during the Kennedy administration as Robert F. Kennedy’s second in command at the Justice Department.
He wrote a single essay for Foreign Affairs after the Watergate scandal when he was no longer in government.
Foreign Policy, Public Opinion and Secrecy
What foreign policy will arise from the ashes of Watergate-and how it can gain that public consensus without which no foreign policy can hope to succeed-are questions we need to address now. Drift, debate, division are the inevitable aftermath of recent events; and it will take time and leadership-both in short supply-to discover, to create and to build upon a viable consensus.
Economists are hotly debating a piece in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs by Raghuram G. Rajan. The essay, “The True Lessons of the Recession: The West Can’t Borrow and Spend Its Way to Recovery,” has provoked a wide range of responses.
The summary:
Most experts think the global recession was caused by a collapse in demand — and so, in good Keynesian fashion, they want governments to ramp up spending to compensate. But the West’s recent growth was dependent on borrowing. Going even further into debt now won’t help; instead, countries need to address the underlying flaws in their economies.
For a limited time, you can read the full piece here for free.
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.
Scoring Obama’s Foreign Policy—A Progressive Pragmatist Tries to Bend History
The Obama administration’s foreign policy has tried to reconcile the president’s lofty vision with his innate realism and political caution. And given the domestic and global situations Obama has faced, pragmatism has dominated. Judged by the standard of protecting U.S. interests, things have worked out quite well; judged by the standard of midwifing a new global order, they remain a work in progress.
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