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<title>Don Sutherland - EzineArticles Expert Author</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Don_Sutherland</link>
<pubDate>Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:33:34 -0600</pubDate>
<image><title>Don Sutherland - EzineArticles Expert Author</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Don_Sutherland</link>
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<copyright>Copyright 2012 EzineArticles.com - All Rights Reserved.</copyright>
<description><![CDATA[EzineArticles.com is Trusted By Millions as The Source For Quality Original Articles]]></description>
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<title>The Balance of Power Returns to US Foreign Policy in the Middle East</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/671878</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/671878</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 05 Aug 2007 11:52:40 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[With the proposed decision to sell some $63 billion in weapons to Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and a number of the Persian Gulf States over the next 10 years, the United States has restored balance of power considerations to its regional foreign policy. Gone were the neoconservatives' idealistic proclamations that the U.S. was seeking to transform the region into one populated by liberal democracies. In its place was the sober assessment that power matters greatly and that an appropriate equilibrium of power is key to the regional stability essential to safeguarding U.S. allies and interests in the region. This is a welcome, if not timely, development.   ]]></description>
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<title>US Needs a Coherent Foreign Policy Strategy</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/661847</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/661847</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jul 2007 09:45:54 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[What happens in one part of the world most definitely can impact decisions and/or events in another part of the world. Nations have economic, political, and military relationships that transcend borders. Information flows around the world in near real-time, and such information can create perceptions that influence the calculations of the leaders of state and non-state entities. Understanding the geopolitical consequences of policy options and leveraging geopolitical linkages is crucial to effective foreign policy decisionmaking. Assessing opportunity costs associated with decisions (e.g., will a given decision worsen prospects for other U.S. interests and would those costs outweigh the benefits of such a decision?) can allow policymakers to make better-informed decisions. Today, the U.S. urgently needs, not a revised national security strategy, but a coherent foreign policy strategy. ]]></description>
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<title>Regional Mideast Peace Parley Likely Won't Produce Major Breakthroughs</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/652094</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/652094</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:56:35 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[President Bush called for "an international meeting" to be attended by "representatives form nations that support a two-state solution" to the historic Israeli-Palestinian dispute, "reject violence, recognize Israel's right to exist, and commit to all previous agreements between the parties." The meeting would be chaired by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. It would review institution-building progress in the West Bank, seek to explore "innovative and effective ways to support further reform" and lend "diplomatic support for the parties in their bilateral discussions and negotiations." In other words, it would likely be a meeting that is intended to provide a visible symbol that the Middle East is turning the proverbial corner toward peace. Assuming the conference is held-and it is not yet a certainty-no big breakthroughs are likely. There is even the danger that the outcome could demonstrate, not that progress is being made, but reveal just how formidable the barriers to progress are. In any case, if the conference's focus is narrowed to that of restarting bilateral negotiations between Israel and the West Bank Palestinian leadership with the objective of achieving an interim settlement, the conference can make a contribution toward Middle East peace.]]></description>
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<title>'Soft Partition' of Iraq Could Be Dangerous</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/642137</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/642137</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jul 2007 14:17:05 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Amidst calls by prominent Republican Senators, including Senators Lugar, Voinovich, and Domenici, for the U.S. to change course in Iraq, a "soft partition" plan designed by Edward Joseph and Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution has been gaining attention. The proposal likely offers very little chance of success. It also entails great risks.]]></description>
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<title>Blair Should Focus On An Interim Israeli-Palestinian Arrangement</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/633409</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/633409</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:59:31 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[With former British Prime Minister Tony Blair having been appointed the Madrid Quartet's Middle East envoy, some might suggest that he should use his clout and contacts to push for a final settlement of the historic Israeli-Palestinian dispute. That would likely be a fruitless exercise that would only exacerbate divisions once the bold expectations for such an outcome are quashed by the realities of that difficult dispute. Instead, Blair's focus should be on achieving a modest interim agreement that promotes increased co-existence, replenishes trust, and gives peace a chance to incubate.]]></description>
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<title>Congress Begins to Lay Groundwork for a Post-Surge Strategy in Iraq</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/625068</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/625068</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:37:43 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[On June 25, 2007 Senator Richard Lugar bluntly told the Senate that prospects that the current troop surge in Iraq "will succeed in the way originally envisioned by the President are very limited." Shortly thereafter, Senators Voinovich and Warner offered similar critiques. However, the strongest evidence that Congress may be considering a post-surge strategy is that it has already been quietly laying the groundwork for just such a fundamental change in course.]]></description>
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<title>Hamas' Near-Term Strategy - What Next?</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/615800</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/615800</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jun 2007 11:00:28 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[On Friday, June 15, 2007, Hamas triumphantly proclaimed its victory in the Gaza Strip. ''We are telling our people that the past era has ended and will not return," Hamas spokesman Islam Shahwan declared. With the Gaza Strip now under the rule of Hamas, the issue arises as to whether Hamas will be able to rapidly transform its Gaza victory into sweeping gains for its movement beyond the boundaries of that area. Odds are much against such an outcome in the near-term. ]]></description>
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<title>Decouple the West Bank and Gaza Strip?</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/606342</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/606342</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:01:11 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The latest round of violence between Hamas and Fatah signal the need for diplomats to consider decoupling the West Bank and Gaza Strip. With Hamas battling Fatah for control of the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian territories could well be on the way toward splitting into a largely secular West Bank and Islamist Gaza Strip. Even if a temporary truce is reached between the two warring parties, and the shelf-life of such truces has proved short, the fundamental ideological differences that divide the two Palestinian territories will persist. Such differing worldviews will have a potentially major impact on the larger Israeli-Palestinian dispute.]]></description>
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<title>The Issue of Pre-1967 War Borders</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/596934</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/596934</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 07 Jun 2007 13:38:07 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Since the end of the Six-Day War forty years ago, many have asserted that Arab-Israeli peace can only be achieved if Israel returns to the borders that defined it prior to the onset of the 1967 war. To make their case, they cite United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 242 which calls for the "withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict." That interpretation is incorrect. The resolution was designed only to put in place conditions that would lead to a negotiated settlement. It was not intended to predetermine the borders that would constitute the outcome from such a settlement.]]></description>
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<title>Carbon Dioxide Trading in the United States - A Look Ahead</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/587069</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/587069</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 31 May 2007 13:33:24 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The spread of carbon trading worldwide, rise of state-based initiatives within the United States, growing support within the private sector for carbon dioxide emissions limits, and the April 2007 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently possesses the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, suggest that the present U.S. "laggardship" relative to much of the rest of the Developed World on the issue of anthropogenic climate change may be in its closing days. Afterward, absent credible new scientific evidence that discounts the role of carbon dioxide in the decades-long trend of observed worldwide warming, the U.S. is likely to adopt carbon dioxide emissions limits. The centerpiece of any such emissions limits will be a carbon trading system. As a result, it makes sense to examine how such a system might work.]]></description>
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<title>Iran-Al Qaeda Summer Offensive in Iraq is Rumored</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/577859</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/577859</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 May 2007 15:45:08 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Some U.S. officials have recently asserted that Iran is covertly building a relationship with Al Qaeda and other Sunni insurgents aimed at launching a summer offensive to thwart the possibility of progress from the ongoing U.S. troop surge. In the face of such an offensive, the U.S. officials argue, Iran believes Congressional support for a continued U.S. presence in Iraq would collapse. Then, the U.S. troops would be withdrawn. Following the U.S. withdrawal, Iran would have succeeded in its proxy war against the United States and would be in a position to dominate the broken Iraqi state and project its growing power beyond Iraq's borders. Even as they argued for such a scenario, the U.S. officials failed to offer specific and credible evidence of such an emerging relationship. In the absence of such evidence, historic experience, the region's dynamics, and Iran's national interest, all argue against an Iran-Al Qaeda relationship.]]></description>
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<title>Rebuilding the U.S.-Russia Relationship</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/568610</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/568610</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 May 2007 15:56:48 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Among the most important foreign policy priorities likely to face the next U.S. President will be the task of rebuilding the eroding U.S.-Russia relationship. Russia is currently engaged in a policy of employing its diplomatic leverage to "counterbalance" the United States. In the future, if the diminishing relationship is not repaired, Russia could well begin to put its hard power into play, as well. Such a development would diminish the United States' ability to safeguard and advance its critical global interests at a time when it has suffered a major loss of credibility at enormous cost in the wake of its decision to go to war in Iraq. The challenge of bringing about an improved relationship is still a manageable one. However, if the United States is to have a reasonable chance at success, it will need to understand Russia's concerns with regard to American unilateralism and make appropriate policy changes that limit its unilateralism to situations where unilateralist approaches are truly necessary.]]></description>
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<title>Republicans Should Resist Neo-Isolationism</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/559400</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/559400</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2007 06:10:49 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[With the failures of its first grand international project in Iraq having discredited Neoconservatism as a school of foreign policy, some Republicans might be tempted to lurch to a strict non-interventionist foreign policy. They should resist such a temptation. Neo-isolationism would only shift the Republican Party from one ideological fringe to another, while compromising the nation's major global interests.]]></description>
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<title>Building a Legitimate National Government in Iraq</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/550583</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/550583</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2007 11:18:08 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Considering the damage the sectarian government in Baghdad has already inflicted, the role it has played in helping exacerbate historic sectarian differences, and the consequences of maintaining such a government, it would serve Iraq's, the United States', and the Middle East's interests if that government were replaced by a legitimate one comprised of all of Iraq's peoples and dedicated to serving all Iraqis. As such, the biggest issue concerning Iraq is not whether the government headed by Nouri al-Maliki should go-it should-but how to bring about the legitimate national government Iraq urgently needs. The combination of a "regional concert" in the Middle East (Iraq's neighbors and the United States) and an international conference modeled after that held in Bonn in December 2001 to create a transitional government in Afghanistan offers perhaps the most viable route for achieving such an outcome.]]></description>
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<title>Prime Minister Olmert's Days Are Numbered</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/547798</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/547798</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2007 09:42:11 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In the wake of the Winograd Committee's interim report that found "serious failings" in the conduct of last summer's war between Israel and Hezbollah with Prime Minister Olmert among those bearing "primary responsibility" for the "failures," the Prime Minister vowed to remain in office. "I intend to work to fix what needs to be fixed, thoroughly and quickly," he declared. He very likely won't get that chance.]]></description>
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<title>Absence of Legitimate National Government Hinders Progress in Iraq</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/542318</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/542318</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:04:06 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Since the new troop surge strategy was announced in January 2007, a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) warned that the existing political arrangement in Iraq was problematic, the Arab League called for "a national government for all Iraqis," and a number of leading donors involved in negotiations aimed at creating an International Compact for Iraq raised objections over an Iraqi government that has consistently failed to implement its promises toward national reconciliation. The absence of such a government is continuing to limit the possibility of significant reductions in violence in Iraq.
]]></description>
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<title>Campaign 2008 - Occasional Commentary</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/533755</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/533755</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 20 Apr 2007 07:20:50 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[This piece of occasional commentary on the 2008 campaign focuses on the race for the Democratic Party's nomination for President. At this time, polling shows Senator Hillary Clinton with a narrowing lead. The narrowing lead reasonably reflects that she is the favorite but that the potential exists for someone else to win the nomination.]]></description>
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<title>Congress Should Block Bid for New Domestic Spy Powers</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/524514</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/524514</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Apr 2007 06:52:10 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell recently circulated a draft bill that would grant the NSA authority to monitor foreigners without obtaining FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) court approval and grant immunity to telecommunications firms currently facing possible civil litigation over their role in such surveillance that culminated in the U.S. District Court's overturning President Bush's domestic surveillance program. McConnell's draft legislation would permit the monitoring of foreigners by such tactics as phone taps and the monitoring of U.S. e-mail accounts outside the FISA process. Although McConnell is likely to argue that the realities of the post-9/11 world require such a program, the costs in terms of eroded Fourth Amendment protections and elevated risk of abuses would likely outweigh any incremental benefits that might result from the dramatic broadening of the government's domestic surveillance authority.]]></description>
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<title>Supreme Court Rules on Climate Change</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/516315</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/516315</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 06 Apr 2007 06:49:34 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[On April 2, in "Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency," the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently possesses the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act and that it cannot evade its statutory responsibility to exercise that authority. The majority opinion written by Associate Justice John Paul Stevens resolved the issue of whether the EPA has authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. On account of that decision, the political and economic landscape has moved farther away from the scientific debate in a direction toward laying a framework for stemming greenhouse gas emissions. ]]></description>
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<title>The Saudi Criticism - A Closer Look</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/509222</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/509222</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:42:53 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Saudi King Abdullah's declaration that the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq amounted to an "illegitimate foreign occupation" were met with surprise in Washington. "We were a little surprised to see those remarks," Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told reporters. The King's proclamation was far from surprising and it indicates that Saudi Arabia is now shifting from words--words that Washington apparently ignored, given its terming Abdullah's comments a "surprise"--to actions to safeguard its own critical interests.]]></description>
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<title>NIE Highlights New Iraq Strategy's Weaknesses</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/447256</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/447256</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 08 Feb 2007 12:41:07 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Nearly a month ago, President Bush introduced a revised strategy for addressing the challenges confronting the United States in Iraq. The strategy entailed the deployment of "more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq" and rested heavily on the assumption that the current Iraqi transitional government headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki could be relied upon to take the steps necessary to disarm Iraq's sectarian militias and promote national reconciliation. Notably absent from the strategy was any effort to undertake diplomatic engagement with Iraq's neighbors or to initiate a process that would lead to the formation of a truly representative national government in Iraq. The latest National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) released by the Director of National Intelligence has placed renewed focus on the weaknesses in the new strategy.]]></description>
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<title>Thinking Ahead to Election 2008: The Need for a Foreign Policy Heavyweight</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/431034</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/431034</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 25 Jan 2007 08:17:20 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[With more than a dozen political leaders having either established exploratory committees or declared their intention to seek the U.S. Presidency in 2008, it is not too soon to consider some of the qualities the next President should possess. Given the combination of a real danger of an eroding American geopolitical standing and major international challenges confronting the nation, the next President will likely need to possess extensive knowledge of foreign affairs.]]></description>
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<title>The Need to Break the Paradigm of Short-Sightedness</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/422160</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/422160</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 18 Jan 2007 13:09:34 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In his timeless classic, "The Art of War", Sun-Tzu observed, "The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose." Today, that lesson is as relevant as it was some 2,500 years ago. A lack of strategic planning and analysis is hazardous to the wellbeing of any public- and private-sector organization. Recent years have demonstrated just how devastating such short-sightedness can be. In such cases, even as the world around them changed, political and business leaders slept on until the policy failure or organizational crisis finally awakened them. Compounding the tragedy was the reality that many of these "surprises" were all too predictable.]]></description>
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<title>President Bush's New Iraq Strategy: A Survey of the Challenges Involved</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/415007</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/415007</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Jan 2007 14:45:18 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[With Iraq caught in the throes of a low-grade civil war on one end and an aspiring Shia bid for domination on the other, President Bush proposed his long-awaited change in strategy for Iraq on Wednesday night. It entails a number of significant challenges. Those challenges will need to be overcome if the new approach is to produce substantially better results than the one it is replacing.
 ]]></description>
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<title>Saddam Hussein's Hanging - Possible Geopolitical Costs for the U.S.</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/403834</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/403834</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 04 Jan 2007 08:28:04 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Saddam Hussein wasn't termed the "Butcher of Baghdad" for nothing. He was a ruthless dictator who committed crimes against humanity. He was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. He deserved to be brought to justice for his crimes. Yet, in a sharp detour from the road to justice, Saddam Hussein was hanged in what amounted to little more than yet another act of the kind of raw sectarian revenge that has come to define post-war Iraq. By handing Hussein over to be hanged, the U.S. not only foreclosed the opportunity to bring Hussein to justice, but also undertook a course that will likely impose additional adverse geopolitical consequences at a time when it can ill-afford more such burdens.]]></description>
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<title>The Road to Sectarian Conflict: Lessons from the Balkans</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/397885</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/397885</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 28 Dec 2006 14:06:32 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Danish physicist Niels Bohr once observed, "Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future." As sectarian conflict is the most common form of violence that tears states apart, wreaking economic havoc and claiming the lives of civilians and combatants alike, prediction as to the possibility of such conflicts is an essential task for policymakers. Failure to do so can have devastating consequences, as one is witnessing each day in Iraq and Sudan, among other places. Areas at risk of sectarian conflict exhibit a number of common characteristics. These include ethnic rivalry, historic experience, economic shocks, and erosion in state authority. The late-20th century Balkans experience offers a representative case of high-risk states.]]></description>
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<title>Choosing Victory in Iraq Likely Won't Achieve It</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/393022</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/393022</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Dec 2006 08:16:46 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[On December 15, 2006, The American Enterprise Institute, a Washington, DC-based think tank, unveiled a plan authored by Frederick Kagan entitled "Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in Iraq." The report was positioned as an alternative to the recommendations set forth by the Iraq Study Group earlier this month and it warns that "other approaches will fail." In fact, the Kagan plan appears likely to fail. ]]></description>
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<title>Bold Leadership Needed to Combat the Global AIDS Epidemic</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/386432</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/386432</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 14 Dec 2006 12:21:50 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[December 1, 2006 marked World AIDS Day. Now, some 25 years into the epidemic, the need for bold policy choices is greater and more urgent than ever. According to the just released data from the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, 39.5 million people worldwide are now living with HIV. Moreover, the number of new HIV infections increased to 4.3 million. In short, the AIDS epidemic continues to gather momentum. That trend is likely to continue. With 39.5 million people now infected by HIV, the virus expected to claim the lives of more than 100 million persons over the next 25 years, and the sizable geopolitical consequences associated with the progression of the epidemic, nothing short of a global commitment to combating HIV/AIDS is required. The OECD, including the United States, will need to play a leading role. When it takes office in January, the 110th Congress will have an opportunity to demonstrate leadership by making the fight against AIDS one of its more important priorities.]]></description>
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<title>Iraq Study Group Proposes Diplomatic Offensive</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/379406</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/379406</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Dec 2006 11:58:52 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In its long-awaited report, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group (ISG) called for the United States to launch a "new diplomatic offensive" aimed at stabilizing Iraq "before December 31, 2006." The diplomatic offensive would involve all of Iraq's neighbors, including Iran and Syria, other key regional states, the European Union, and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. At this time, odds are against the various parties reaching a "grand bargain" on stabilizing Iraq. However, the ISG's recommendations constitute an important correction in U.S. foreign policy in seeking to restore diplomacy to the U.S. foreign policy arsenal. Ultimately, that correction could yield the largest payoff.]]></description>
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<title>The Current Violence in Iraq: A Closer Look</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/372944</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/372944</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 30 Nov 2006 08:26:58 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The recent massacre of more than 200 persons in Baghdad on the American Thanksgiving Day holiday highlighted the violence that is now tearing Iraq apart. When it comes to the violence in Iraq, the situation is grim. One senior Iraqi official described it as "worse than a civil war." Another stated that "Saddam managed to ruin half of Iraq in thirty years"  but the present arrangement has "succeeded in ruining the other half in just three."]]></description>
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<title>Lebanon's Latest Political Challenge</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/366906</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/366906</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:00:25 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[With Hezbollah threatening protests to topple Lebanon's current government as part of a bid to change the balance of power within the government, Lebanon has been described in news accounts of being in the midst of one of its worst political crises in a generation. A few have even raised the prospect of renewed civil war. Although Lebanon is a country that is at an enhanced risk of sectarian conflict, the odds are against an outbreak of civil war within the next few months or less, but the path ahead could be treacherous. Afterward, the probabilities could increase.]]></description>
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<title>Iraq: What Next</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/361160</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/361160</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Nov 2006 14:00:53 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In the recent U.S. elections, approximately 6 in 10 voters opposed the current approach in Iraq and a similar share supported U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq. Leading up to the election, the Democratic Party's candidates campaigned against the status quo, called for a "responsible redeployment of U.S. forces" and pledged efforts to "promote regional diplomacy." Now that the Democrats have gained a majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives and Robert Gates has become the new Secretary of Defense, the issue arises as to what lies ahead with respect to U.S. policy in Iraq. The U.S. will likely take an approach that largely resembles the current path, albeit with some modest troop withdrawals, troop-shifting, and diplomatic re-engagement taking place. As a result, the outcomes in Iraq are not likely to materially improve over the next two years. ]]></description>
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<title>Rebuilding a Republican Majority</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/352378</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/352378</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 10 Nov 2006 13:28:40 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[On November 7, voters colored the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate blue--Democratic Party blue. In the wake of the electoral outcome, it might be tempting for the pundits to argue that a seismic political shift is now underway that will culminate in a semi-permanent Democratic Party majority at all levels perhaps as early as after the 2008 elections.  The Republican Party can rise again by rediscovering President Reagan's fundamental governing philosophy. If Republicans return to the sound principles that guided President Reagan, they can restore the people's trust, rebuild their governing majority, and lead the Nation to victory in its latest challenge with would-be totalitarians.]]></description>
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<title>The Economics of Climate Change: Is Doing Nothing Too Costly</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/345435</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/345435</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Nov 2006 14:14:46 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In November 2004, the warm North Atlantic Drift, stopped for ten days. Whether ongoing climate change was responsible remains to be seen. Even if it were, the prevailing thinking has been that it is too costly to pursue an aggressive climate mitigation effort at this time. A new study headed by Sir Nicholas Stern, a senior British Government economist and former chief economist of the World Bank, has broken new ground in the economic debate. It asserts that the costs of doing nothing/very little greatly outweigh the investment in seeking to mitigate climate change. Geopolitical arguments for a credible energy policy also bolster the case for moving away from a fossil fuel-dependent economy. Although doing nothing remains the preferred approach in Washington when it comes to developing a credible energy policy or taking on climate change, the Stern report could well prove a milestone in helping make inaction unsustainable.]]></description>
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<title>Will Iraq Meet its Security Timeline?</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/338935</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/338935</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 26 Oct 2006 08:47:48 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[This week, leading U.S. officials forecast that Iraq could largely be able to take control of its security needs within 12 to 18 months. If history is a guide, such expectations probably will not be met. Instead, Iraq could well evolve along a path that leads either to an illiberal outcome or an outright breakup of the country into three states that would possibly be in conflict with one another.]]></description>
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<title>Credibility Is A Terrible Thing to Waste</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/332745</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/332745</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 24 Oct 2006 08:16:43 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In a 1998 article entitled, "Winning at Change," Harvard Business School Professor Leadership, John P. Kotter, identified management errors that explain most cases of organizational failure when it comes to meeting the demands of adapting to a difficult competitive environment. The Bush Administration has made two of those errors and has seen its credibility wither as a consequence. Such lost credibility has major adverse policy implications. North Korea and Iran are reacting aggressively in such an environment. Failure to restore such credibility could lead to a termination of the U.S. project in Iraq following the inauguration of a new President in 2009.]]></description>
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<title>What North Korea Really Wants</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/326066</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/326066</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:14:51 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Conventional geopolitical thinking has long assumed that North Korea has pursued an unrelenting campaign of provocations, its illicit nuclear program, and even a nuclear weapons test with the objective of assuring the survival of its current regime. Regime survival has little to do with North Korea's recent provocative behavior. North Korea's aims are far more ambitious. As a result, North Korea is not likely to alter its present course and security guarantees or economic inducements will likely prove ineffective.]]></description>
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<title>U.S. Foreign Policy: The Need to Return to Basics</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/319182</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/319182</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 10 Oct 2006 09:45:11 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Across the board, U.S. foreign policy is achieving highly consistent outcomes--consistently bad ones. Neoconservatism, its guiding approach, has become increasingly detached both from history and reality. Consequently, U.S. foreign policy has crashed and is now burning in many parts of the world where U.S. interests are greatest. Now that the "Neoconservative Moment" has passed, it is time for U.S. foreign policy to return to the basics of Pragmatic Realism. Only then will the U.S. be able to safeguard and promote its critical international interests. ]]></description>
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<title>Pope Benedict's Invitation to the World's Religious and Policymaking Communities</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/306517</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/306517</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Sep 2006 12:07:54 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The furious reaction that ensued following Pope Benedict XVI's September 12 lecture at the University of Regensburg all but drowned out the vital issue he was raising, not to mention his invitation for cross-cultural and interfaith dialogue. Benedict's call for a "dialogue of cultures and religions" is an invitation that both the world's religious communities and its policymakers accept. It is that dialogue that might well offer the world a new "Road Map" that just might lead to the kind of increased peace and tolerance that seems so elusive at the first decade of the 21st century. ]]></description>
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<title>Lessons from the Successful Egyptian-Israeli Peace Process</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/299126</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/299126</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 14 Sep 2006 13:48:51 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The Egyptian-Israeli peace process offers a model for a Middle East peace process that has a better chance at succeeding. Such a process requires motivated leaders, direct bilateral negotiations, and negotiators who possess sufficient authority to speak for their leaders. Unless all three elements are present, it could be more difficult for the parties to accommodate one another's core interests. Without such accommodation, agreement is not possible.  ]]></description>
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<title>Iraq: No Major Changes in U.S. Policy Are Likely Before the 2008 Presidential Election</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/292711</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/292711</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 07 Sep 2006 12:27:58 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[With Campaign 2006 gaining momentum, the situation in Iraq is likely to be a focal point of the crossfire between candidates and political parties. Among the centerpiece items could be whether or not the U.S. should withdraw from Iraq. After the election, the rhetoric will diminish and an approach that differs little from the status quo will continue. A combination of factors suggest that no big change in course is likely until after the 2008 Presidential election.]]></description>
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<title>Lebanon and Iran Remain &quot;Stuck in the Middle&quot; of Their Recent History</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/286737</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/286737</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 31 Aug 2006 10:16:23 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[In competitive strategy, companies that wind up "stuck in the middle" between generic strategy options fare worst of all. The same holds with respect to geopolitics. At present, Lebanon, Iran, and the international community are "stuck in the middle" of their recent history. As a result, the opportunity for peace and security in the Middle East remains far more elusive than it would otherwise be. In the meantime, the seeds of future conflict continue to be fertilized. ]]></description>
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<title>Near-Term Prospects for a Lebanon-Israel Peace Treaty</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/280556</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/280556</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Aug 2006 12:10:03 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[On Sunday, August 20, 2006, Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora suggested that Israel, if it 'behaves wisely,' could be in a position to enter into a peace treaty with Lebanon. Don't schedule the celebrations just yet. Throughout the course of its long history, the Middle East has been a graveyard for optimism. Major obstacles could block the way to peace between Lebanon and Israel.]]></description>
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<title>Lebanon Post-Conflict Analysis</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/271216</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/271216</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 10:52:03 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[An examination of the immediate aftermath of the combat in Lebanon suggests that a return to the status quo ante is likely. Hezbollah will not be disarmed and it will continue to receive assistance from its Iranian and Syrian patrons. Moreover, the risk of regional instability has now increased with Israel's doctrine of deterrence having been significantly eroded by the inconclusive outcome.  ]]></description>
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<title>Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: A Great Danger to the World</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/265187</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/265187</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Aug 2006 13:44:19 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad combines charisma, vision, and determination to pose an increasing danger to the Middle East and beyond. When he articulates a vision of a world without Israel or the United States, he means what he says. With Iran maintaining its pursuit of nuclear weapons, it is important that the world understands who Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is and the rising danger he presents.]]></description>
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<title>New UN Security Council Resolution Won't Halt Iran's Nuclear Program</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/259777</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/259777</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 03 Aug 2006 16:27:19 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[With Iran remaining unresponsive to the "5+1" Working Group's initiative aimed at coaxing Iran to end its nuclear enrichment and reprocessing activities, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1696 that "requests by 31 August a report from the Director General of the IAEA primarily on whether Iran has established full and sustained suspension" of "all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development..." Come August 31, it is unlikely that Iran will have complied.]]></description>
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<title>Is Iran Waging a Proxy War in Lebanon Against Israel and the United States?</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/254053</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/254053</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 27 Jul 2006 14:56:25 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The current combat between Hezbollah and Israel may well be an early proxy war waged on behalf of Iran. If so, Iran will likely make every effort to avoid Hezbollah's suffering an adverse outcome while seeking to thwart arrangements that address Israel's core needs. Later, if Hezbollah is not ultimately disarmed, there could be additional and deadlier proxy wars waged from Lebanon's territory against Israel and the United States.]]></description>
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<title>Rejectionism Not &quot;Occupation&quot; Drives Middle East Terrorism</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/247653</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/247653</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jul 2006 11:27:15 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the "Occupation Hypothesis" has predominated thinking on Middle Eastern terrorism. The "land for peace" notion rested on that foundation. However, recent events demonstrate that Islamist rejectionism, not "occupation," drives Middle Eastern terrorism. Only when that reality is understood and addressed will the prospects for regional peace be greatly expanded.]]></description>
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<title>Israel Needs New Rules of Engagement With Regard to Hezbollah</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/242744</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/242744</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Jul 2006 09:10:25 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[With terrorists from Hezbollah having crossed Israel's border with Lebanon to kill and abduct Israeli soldiers, Israel needs to establish new rules of engagement for dealing with Hezbollah. Neither the UN nor the United States or Europe have addressed the issue of Hezbollah's continuing role in Middle East instability. Israel will need to create a new environment in which Hezbollah's ability to function would be made much more difficult.]]></description>
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<title>North Korea: Little Prospect for a Diplomatic Breakthough Through the Medium-Term</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/237574</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/237574</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Jul 2006 10:36:49 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[North Korea views Kim Jong-il's "immortal" contribution as his "Songun" principle. Songun entails a powerful army-centered state. Nuclear weapons are at the heart of such a state. As a result, diplomatic breakthroughs with respect to North Korea's nuclear arsenal and advancing missile delivery systems are not likely at least through the medium-term.]]></description>
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<title>Hamas Did Not Recognize Israel in Agreeing on a Deal with Fatah</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/232488</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/232488</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jun 2006 16:18:12 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[On Tuesday, Hamas and Fatah reached agreement concerning acceptance of a document drafted by Palestinian prisoners. Although some media circles and pundits hailed the agreement as constituting Hamas' implicit recognition of Israel, there was no such breakthrough. Both the language of the prisoners' document and the statements made by leading Hamas officials dismissed claims that Hamas had implicitly recognized Israel]]></description>
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<title>Oil Dependency Is Hazardous to America's Future</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/226161</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/226161</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 Jun 2006 12:58:03 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The United States is dependent on oil. That dependency is constraining its foreign policy options and limiting its ability to safeguard its critical interests. The United States needs a credible energy policy with the ambitious objective of ending its dependence on oil within a decade.]]></description>
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<title>&quot;5+1&quot; Group's Iran Proposal Won't Likely End Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/220642</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/220642</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 Jun 2006 10:31:47 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[On June 6, the European Union's High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, delivered the "5+1" working group's (Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the United States) proposal aimed at enticing Iran to end its illicit nuclear activities to the Iranian leadership. In its present form, the proposal is not likely to be the breakthrough that ends Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons. In fact, it could actually provide diplomatic cover beneath which Iran would continue a secret pursuit of nuclear weapons while simultaneously benefiting from international assistance. ]]></description>
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<title>Victory in War on Terrorism Requires the Defeat of Radical Islam</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/215518</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/215518</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 Jun 2006 13:59:21 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The recent air strike on Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was a success in the war on terrorism. However, the phenomenon of Islamist terrorism is not the product of al-Zarqawi and his like. Rather, al-Zarqawi and his like are the products of Radical Islam. That understanding will be crucial to winning the war against Islamist terrorism.]]></description>
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<title>Iran and What History Teaches About Aggressors</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/210718</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/210718</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 06 Jun 2006 12:43:53 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The pre-World War II experience offers a viable framework for analyzing Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons. Aggressors typically "prepare for peace" in order to make war. History reveals that aggressors proclaim their peaceful intentions, that the ambitions of their leaders can overwhelm reason, and that one should not underestimate a would-be aggressor's capabilities.]]></description>
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<title>Winning the Battle over &quot;Broken Borders,&quot; But &quot;Losing&quot; Mexico?</title>
<link>http://EzineArticles.com/205564</link>
<guid>http://EzineArticles.com/205564</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 May 2006 13:04:49 -0500</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[American Populists demand that the nation's border with Mexico be sealed and U.S. immigration laws be enforced to the extent that the 12 million undocumented immigrants will leave the U.S. If the American Populists win the border-immigration debate, the U.S. could "lose" Mexico. The geopolitical costs of such a development would be substantial.]]></description>
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