Publications

Though the national and strategic interests of the two nations can be very different, participants at the latest U.S.-China Strategic Dialogue pursued the same goal, with the same motivations.

A backlog of immigrants seeking refugee status in Canada forced the Canadian government to announce new immigration reform. President Calderón dissolved the state-run electric company Luz y Fuerza, sparking political controversy in Mexico.

The U.S. government has spent $153B in 2008 dollars on contracts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and their neighborhoods since fiscal year (FY) 2001, according to the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). In June 2009, 194,000 contractors were working for the U.S. government in Iraq and Afghanistan, compared to 190,000 U.S. troops. At least 1,200 contractors have been killed in the two wars.

When the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), led by Hatoyama Yukio, scored a landslide victory over the long-ruling Liberal Democrat Party (LDP), many U.S. observers saw potential for a very productive synergy with the Obama administration.

How to Use Host Country Forces to Win a War – And Lose One

The headlines associated with Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ recent visit to Japan notwithstanding, relations between Washington and Tokyo are not as strained as they may appear . . . at least not yet. But there is no question that improper handling of a number of sensitive issues before, or worse yet during President Obama’s scheduled Nov.

How to Use Host Country Forces to Win a War – And Lose One

The U.S.-Japan security alliance is an integral part of U.S. engagement with Asia, especially in the face of new and diffuse threats, and both Japan and the U.S. state the alliance is central to their national security. However, doubts continue to plague the alliance with each side questioning the other’s commitment.

Afghan National Security forces: Forging the Right Key to Victory

The recent bombings in Iraq have shown that the Iraq War is scarcely over. The insurgency is still capable of major bombings and efforts to renew ethnic and sectarian conflict. Iraq faces other internal challenges like tensions between Arabs and Kurds, and is years away from achieving lasting security and stability.

Topics discussed in the paper:

When does a cyber attack become an act of war?

Deterrence in cyberspace

Norms and thesholds

Political constraints on cyber attack

Non-state actors in cyberspace

Among the major points made by the paper:

The current economic crisis has hit China hard. China's high savings rate is a significant deterrent to boosting domestic consumption, and with little sign of a resumption of global demand for Chinese exports, the leadership recognized early in the crisis that it needed to take aggressive action to ensure growth from alternative sources.

President Obama makes his first trip to Asia to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Singapore this month. The president will begin his trip in Tokyo on November 12 and 13 and then travel to Singapore for the APEC meeting that runs from the 13th to 15th. From Singapore he will travel to China from the 15th to the 18th and finally visit Seoul on the 18th and 19th.

Saudi Arabia: National Security in a Troubled Region provides a comprehensive, up-to-date analysis of Saudi Arabia's strategic security efforts, both within the country and as a stabilizing regional presence.

Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Birth of a Regional Nuclear Arms Race? is an expert, insider’s look at Iran’s current and potential ability to wage both conventional and asymmetrical warfare—and the options available for dealing with a nuclear Iran.

Globalization and the American Worker is a path-breaking work on economic policy in a global age. It debunks the myths that clutter the political debate over globalization, focusing instead on the hard challenges the United States faces in building a stronger economic future.

"There are few more knowledgeable observers of US-India relations than Teresita Schaffer, a former senior US diplomat, who has served in virtually every south Asian capital and is now a doyenne of Washington’s still surprisingly small coterie of India watchers. . . .

Russia has been on a wild roller-coaster ride for the past three decades with no end in sight. Just in the past year as the global financial crisis deepened, the conventional perception of Russia has changed from “safe haven” from the economic tsunami to one of the hardest hit larger markets in the world.

The unusual clinical characteristics of the H1N1 virus and the uncertainties about H1N1 vaccine production have brought home powerfully the unpredictability—the “slippery” nature—of influenza virus and the vaccines designed to reduce its disease burden.

The Changing Challenge to Iraqi Security

After months of internal debate, mounting impatience among U.S.

The last few weeks have done at least as much to reveal the critical weaknesses in US strategic thinking as they have done to clarify them.

As President Obama and G20 leaders convene in Pittsburgh, their toughest challenge will not come from the threat of financial collapse or climate change, but from the most resilient and challenging threat of all—domestic politics that could neuter critical international efforts.

Following the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, a presidentially appointed committee is preparing its final report reviewing U.S. plans for future space exploration. In its summary report, the commission has suggested an exploration option that drops the goal of returning to the moon and building a base there, something that has been a centerpiece of U.S.

The U.S. government has spent $153B in 2008 dollars on contracts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and their neighborhoods since fiscal year (FY) 2001, according to the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). In June 2009, 194,000 contractors were working for the U.S. government in Iraq and Afghanistan, compared to 190,000 U.S. troops. At least 1,200 contractors have been killed in the two wars.

When the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), led by Hatoyama Yukio, scored a landslide victory over the long-ruling Liberal Democrat Party (LDP), many U.S. observers saw potential for a very productive synergy with the Obama administration.

The headlines associated with Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ recent visit to Japan notwithstanding, relations between Washington and Tokyo are not as strained as they may appear . . . at least not yet. But there is no question that improper handling of a number of sensitive issues before, or worse yet during President Obama’s scheduled Nov.

The Japan-U.S.-China strategic triangle is carefully watched across East Asia as the touchstone for regional peace and stability. A U.S.-Japan alliance that overtly seeks to contain China risks a dangerous scramble for Cold War style alignments across the region. A U.S.-China relationship that is too close risks marginalizing Japan and the other middle and small powers with her.

Even before its birth this past weekend at the 15th ASEAN Summit in Cha-am, Thailand, many commentators expressed disappointment with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). Human rights activists allege that ASEAN stripped the commission of any “teeth” in order to appease perennial human rights violators, such as Burma.

The just concluded 4th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Thailand will long be remembered as the venue for seemingly competing ideas from Australia and Japan for reorganizing regional cooperation in Asia. But will it also be known for having altered the course of Asian multilateralism?