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Open Think Tank Articles
Jonathan Laurence: A slew of recent arrests of US citizens plotting terrorist attacks has shattered the notion that American multiculturalism and upward mobility is somehow enough to deter extremism. US-EU counter-terrorism efforts must now accept the reality of the threat of home-grown terrorism on both sides of the Atlantic.
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Harlan Ullman: As Hillary Clinton visits Pakistan the state is quickly becoming the most important strategic issue confronting the US in the fight against jihadi-backed violence. The Obama Administration should recognize this and take effective action to deal with Pakistan’s problems by providing more economic and military aid to Islamabad.
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Vilborg Ása Guðjónsdóttir: Lessons from Disagreements between the United States and Europe from 1954-2009
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Andreas Michael Bock: Terrorism is able to thrive when it has the support of local people. Therefore, in order to win the war on terror, it is vital to win the loyalties and convictions of the people. An initiative outlined by US President Barack Obama in his Cairo speech, intends to strike terrorism at its Achilles’ heel by removing the people’s voluntary support of terrorist groups.
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Editorial Team: Terrorism and the proliferation of nuclear weapons are growing threats for the EU. 30 international experts interviewed by Atlantic-Community.org nearly unanimously call for a much stronger EU commitments to the stabilization of Pakistan than promised at yesterday’s EU-Pakistan summit. The EU should complement US strategy with a long-term focus on state building.
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Djörn Eversteijn: In this era of international flux, state power and even state sovereignty are increasingly disputed, questioned and redefined - whether by international corporations due to the war on terror or by preventive war. The state-oriented world order characterized by the Treaty of Westphalia is up for grabs.
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Urs Schrade: Pakistan could be weeks away from full-blown civil war and state collapse. To bring Pakistan back from the brink, international aid must urgently be spent on improving security and economic development. Many Taliban supporters have a financial - not religious - motive for backing the group.
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Ulf Gartzke: The SPD’s candidate for chancellor, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, is risking public backlash and is taking a reckless gamble with the security of the German nation by supporting an Obama administration plan to resettle Guantanamo Bay prisoners in this country. Steinmeier previously opposed the plan when it was suggested by the Bush Administration.
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Jordan Michael Smith: Today an international conference in Washington will discuss how national security systems that predated many new threats such as terrorism and pandemics could be updated. To not do so would represent a systematic failure in government.
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Yasser Abumuailek: If NATO applies global governance principles, it will be able to become the global leader in combating terrorism. Its military expertise and success in security provision, a sense of global legitimacy and its civilian-military approach to security promise success.
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Julia Galaski: The internationalization of surveillance is susceptible to abuse and cyberterrorism. A means of assessing the possible side effects of transatlantic data exchange is urgently needed.
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Interview with Amb. Zulfacar: One hundred thousand young Afghans with a high school diploma will not have a place at university in 2010. This is both a humanitarian catastrophe and a threat to security. The Afghan ambassador to Germany H. E. Maliha Zulfacar, speaks about the wishes, hopes and fears of the men and women of her country.
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Jesse Schwartz: The author seeks to explore the varying degrees of influence – both positive and negative – non-state actors have on their state counterparts and to what extent they have impacted traditional notions of international security.
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David Neil Lebhar: Ahmed Rashid argues that the conflict in Afghanistan needs a regional solution, including US-Iranian cooperation. The German military must intensify operations in northern Afghanistan, and the government has to educate the public about the mission’s importance.
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Mark Brzezinski : President George W. Bush travels to Europe this month to participate in the US-European Union Summit and to visit key partners, including France, Germany, Italy and Britain. These summits are likely to produce joint declarations of “bon amie” and official statements that the drift in the trans-Atlantic relationship is diminished.
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Loretta Napoleoni: The truth is that terrorism is a political phenomenon and, as long as it remains in the domain of politics, there are few chances to win.
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Frederik C. Köncke: In an increasingly complex global environment, businesses are seeking a greater understanding of how they are at risk.
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Julianne Smith and Alexander T. J. Lennon: We contend that in the years to come climate change will further disrupt the stability of already volatile regions, which has the potential of producing multitudes of discontented individuals prone to radicalization.
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Joerg Wolf: We asked European policy experts for their opinions on proposed ways forward in Iraq. Respondents from ten different countries provided some surprising results.
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Margarita Mathiopoulos: The West cannot afford a globally weak or inept United States. The recent political changes in France, Japan, Britain and Germany present an opportunity to start fresh with a new US administration in 2008.
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Rudolf Adam: I warn that US influence on Israel is not enough to make peace. Forty years after the Six-Day War, domestic Israeli politics are the key to normalizing relations between settlers and Palestinians. The United States and EU should recognize that their powers here are limited.
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Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger: of the Atlantic Initiative Advisory Board interviews President George W. Bush just prior to the G8 Summit. The President speaks on US-Russia relations, domestic energy policy, and the criticism he has received from around the world.
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Global Must Read Articles
Rebuking western claims that the gov’t. is corrupt and at odds with the military, the President re-affirms his Pakistan’s commitment to fighting terrorism and building a sound, democratic society. ++ Zadari states an international assistance program akin to the Marshall plan would have resulted in much greater stability. ++ He lauds Pakistani economic recovery and the meeting of key IMF
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Algeria, Nigeria and Niger are planning one of the biggest infrastructural projects in Africa: the construction of the worlds longest gas pipeline, which will lead 4000km from the Niger Delta across the Sahara to the Mediterranean. The estimated construction costs amount to US$12 billion however the list of interested energy investment companies is long: Shell, Total, ENI and Gazprom all want
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The release of the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, is set to develop into a new political crisis for the British government. ++ The US backlash is disproportionate: given their record on the imprisonment of terrorist suspects they can hardly take the “moral high ground.” ++ Foreign Secretary David Miliband “might have reminded the US how pleased they were that Libya
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Just when Indonesia was no longer seen as a dangerous and unstable place, terrorism returned to the country. ++ The recent elections demonstrated Indonesia’s democracy as well-entrenched and the country became internationally perceived as a model of pluralism, tolerance and stability. ++ “The bombings do nothing in themselves to threaten Indonesia’s fundamental stability or the huge
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In a comparison of worldwide military spending, China has climbed to second place. ++ “The US spent $607 billion on defense, which exceeds the expenditure of the other top 14 states in one year.” ++ The worldwide war on terror has resulted in a “general tendency to approach issues from a military perspective.” ++ The overall military spending of countries has increased by four per cent. ++
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The opposition from the Taliban to the Pakistani and US troops is increasing. ++ “The support of mainstream political parties and, increasingly, of the civil society” as well as from India, for Pakistan’s military operations means the international community can trust that Islamabad’s nuclear arsenal will be secure. ++ There is a “basic misconception” in the US in regards to their failure to
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Barack Obama should stop apologizing for his country because it’s weakening the US and making it more vulnerable to attack. ++ Obama wants to engage enemies through the application of “smart power” but recent missile tests by Iran and North Korea show there’s nothing smart in “appeasing rogue states.” ++ The US is increasingly “jeered rather than feared” by enemies. ++ The world needs a
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Barack Obama should stop apologizing for his country because it’s weakening the US and making it more vulnerable to attack. ++ Obama wants to engage enemies through the application of “smart power” but recent missile tests by Iran and North Korea show there’s nothing smart in “appeasing rogue states.” ++ The US is increasingly “jeered rather than feared” by enemies. ++ The world needs a
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The claim it is possible to divide Taliban moderates from radicals is based on desperation for a strategic response and not historical reflection and hard analysis. ++ The Taliban are the fiercest and most inflexible Sunni-based extremists with intolerance for differences in Islam. ++ Their genocide against the Hazara epitomizes their brutality. ++ Unlike other Muslim extremists, they lack
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Aid alone will not solve the situation in Pakistan. ++ Pakistan is ripe for large-scale public rejection of oppression increasingly popular globally. ++ Its recent democratic movements and the increase in highly organized local civil society groups competing with the Taliban show that the West can mobilize a responsible public outcry for change. ++ The expansion of television
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Ambassador Maliha Zulfacar taught sociology as a professor at California Polytechnic State University before her current position representing Afghanistan in Germany. In our interview she speaks about the wishes, hopes and fears of the men and women of her country. She is concerned for the hundred thousand young Afghans with high school diplomas who may not have a place at universities in 2010,
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Forgiving agents who may have used torture techniques against detainees accused of terrorism was a wise move by President Obama. ++ The Administration yesterday said such acts could never again be condoned by the US. ++ A 9/11 style commission should be created to investigate who in the Bush Administration was responsible for the decision to use torture. ++ It has become clear that common sense
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The Indian-Muslim community refuses to bury the Pakistani-Muslims involved in the Mumbai terrorist attacks. ++ Their interpretation of the attacks not as an attempt at martyrdom but as an act of mass murder seeks to delegitimize the recruitment of young Muslims to suicide missions and portrays such acts to be a threat to the healthy development of Muslim communities. ++ What has happened in
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The US President’s focus on the economy — although sensible — may compromise the opportunity to examine and condemn the use of torture. ++ Obama should create a non-partisan committee responsible for investigating torture cases under President Bush, attempt to balance the quest for security with individual rights and create consensus on the implications of such acts. ++ Finally, the US
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Following the Mumbai attacks, Indian democracy has come to depend on Indian domestic policy; at no cost should the Indian state encroach upon civil liberties. ++ Rather, India should focus its policies on combating poverty and unemployment, in other words exhausting the sources which give support to terrorism. ++ The way to do so is to allow freedom of expression and thought, strengthen
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The 9/11 attacks created global solidarity in the fight against a common enemy: terrorism. ++ The response was found in the “war on terror” and sometimes justifies resort to force for the rightness of the cause. ++ However, “the issue is not whether we need to attack the use of terror at its roots, with all the tools available. We must. The question is how”. ++ A military response, as the Iraqi
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Palestine’s exploitation of its refugees and use of children as human shields are among the most shameful practices in the Israel-Palestine conflict. ++ The international community has for years sustained these abuses: the UNRWA perpetuates the misery of Palestinian refugees, doing nothing to dismantle camps or help them rebuild their lives, acting as “facilitator for the
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A few months after the Mumbai terrorist attacks and in a climate of growing suspicion that Pakistani groups are responsible, India is still uncertain of how to respond. ++ The ramifications of the military option could stretch from a negative shift in the balance of power between the Pakistani secular community and the military elite, to a large scale war between two nuclear powers. ++ While
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Israel, America’s protegée, assigns positive value to the policy of the war on terror. ++ Israeli FM Livni has said the country is “part of the free world and fights extremism and terrorism […] you’re with us or you’re with the terrorists.” ++ At a time when the war on terror is labeled as America’s gravest foreign policy mistake and the world condemns the
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Two attacks against US and NATO convoys near Peshawar in Pakistan have taken place in the last week. ++ The Pakistani army appears to be testing Obama’s will. ++The US and NATO must take adequate steps to respond to these incidents. ++ It is an opportunity for them to acknowledge that the recent attacks in Mumbai were of global proportions and that it was a major mistake to fight the war
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China’s behavior towards Pakistan is the first big pointer as to whether it will become a responsible stakeholder on the international stage. ++ Both the US and China have for too long engaged in a hands-off approach in Pakistan because of strategic considerations. ++ A coordinated effort from both countries to “bring multilateral pressure to bear on Pakistan” is needed. ++ To
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The failure of governance in Pakistan and Somalia has given rise to both terrorism and piracy. ++ The international response to these challenges has thus far been inadequate and ineffectual. ++ Neo-imperialist intervention has the greatest chance of success, but there is a distinct lack of will in the West to fully engage. ++ The US and its allies seem to be waiting for another 9/11 before they
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The case for a Pakistani link to the Mumbai slaughter is growing stronger by the day. ++ The failure of favorable US policies towards Pakistan under President Bush are evident. ++ Condoleeza Rice has stressed the need for “complete, absolute, total transparency and cooperation” from Pakistan. ++ In the interests of preventing nuclear war and the collapse of Pakistani democracy,
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New Delhi has been warning the world of terrorist threats emanating from Pakistan, and now the world is listening. ++ “Stabilizing Pakistan means genuinely democratizing its polity and helping its economy grow back to a sustainable level of prosperity.” ++ Most importantly Pakistan’s corrupt military establishment, which is strangling civilian rule, must be ousted from power. ++ Military action
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Obama has pledged to close Guantanamo, yet critical questions must be addressed: what are the rights of detainees? Is preventive detention justified? Do we need a new detention statute with revised standards of proof? ++ Judge Leon’s release order for five prisoners begs the question: how many others should simply be let go? ++ Some prisoners cannot be sent home for fear of their own government,
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This election was special; a barrier was crossed and “America’s new deal” will begin. ++ This momentous occasion “will be seen as a miracle which could happen only in America.” ++ Obama, who “embodies the America of today and tomorrow” arrived at the perfect time. ++ Following an epoch of George Bush “go-it-alone belligerence,” Obama can
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The Syrian leadership has denounced attacks carried out by US forces near its Iraqi border. ++ Syria, however, is known for sponsoring attacks on its neighboring countries. ++ The “US is no longer prepared to respect the sovereignty of a criminal regime.” ++ The Syrian government has taken steps to participate in indirect talks with Israel and has “granted Lebanon diplomatic recognition.” ++ The
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Violence, corruption and lawlessness keep pushing Afghanistan into a “downward spiral.” ++ Foreign troops are part of the problem; the US and the NATO focus on air attacks, “putting the life of occupation troops before civilians.” ++ A growing number of civilian victims intensifies the risk of terror attacks and hinders the country from establishing a stable system. ++ An
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US incursions into Cambodia, which led to its destabilization and the rise of the Khmer Rouge, should be remembered. ++ The same mistake is being made in Pakistan, where the dangers are far greater. ++ Undermining Pakistan does not help Afghanistan. ++ A new soft power approach is needed, as “Afghanistan cannot be transformed along Western lines” - a major factor, along with increased bombing
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Western warships are unable to guarantee the safety of merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden, due to their inability to effectively fight pirates and terrorists there. ++ This is especially noteworthy because the region is a conduit for EU oil supplies. ++ Moreover, UN experts say that there is a direct link between piracy and illegal arms sales, which ultimately benefit Islamic terrorists. ++ The
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President Bush’s decision to allow US military operations within Pakistan shows how desperate the situation is becoming. ++ But, if the Taliban and other extremists are to be permanently subdued, it must be done by Pakistan itself. ++ The US must convince Pakistan that the fight against extremism is their fight, not just America’s; Pakistan’s leaders must persuade their citizens of the same. ++
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Due to the financial crisis, the attack on the US embassy in Yemen, and the latest tropical storms, the tone of the US presidential campaign has become nervous and angst-ridden. ++ Even if people who consider the economy to be the most important reason to vote for Obama, there is a “deeper politics of fear that runs against Obama.” ++ While Obama offers a dream of how the world could be, McCain
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UN officials and aid workers are frequently killed - both on purpose and accidentally - in Iraq, Algeria, and Afghanistan. ++ In fact, al-Qaeda declared the UN to be a central target. ++ Facing this danger, the UN needs to “nationalize” field operations and replace foreign workers by local nationals. ++ It should also spend more money on security and as a last resort, if a local government
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India is depicted in the media as “a squeaky-clean ally of the United States” and no inconvenient truths are allowed to mar Indian democracy’s supposed success story. ++ A passive receiver of this image will surely be surprised to learn that between 2004 and 2007 3,674 people died of terrorist attacks in India, a death toll second only to that in Iraq and over 3 times higher than in
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When Obama visited Europe, he spoke eloquently about needing a US-EU partnership to defeat terrorism. ++ The problem is: the US already have a counterterrorism partnership with the EU and it works efficiently, despite the stereotyping media coverage of aggressive Americans and pacifist Europeans. ++ For instance, the US and the EU succeeded in stopping students in France developing new bombs for
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Since the Cold War, US foreign policy has struggled to find a “main enemy,” thereby defining its focus. ++ Global politics, however, have returned to a status quo, in which a broad range of problems, with long-term resilience and requiring non-ideological responses, will be better served with America’s continuing strategic advantage on most fronts. ++ On a non-governmental
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Terrorist groups all over the world benefit from the support of governments. The US State Department draws up a special list of countries considered to be state sponsors of terrorism. Yet Daniel Byman says this list is not worth much. For one thing, it lists Cuba and North Korea along with Iran, Sudan and Syria. The first two countries have practically no connection with today’s international
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The question of whether al Qaeda is engaged in a “leaderless” Jihad or one that is “alive and well” - a fundamental issue when determining US counter-terrorism policy - provides for heated discussions in the US. ++ Al Qaeda is in fact both resilient and disorganized: it has reconstituted itself and spread geographically yet its lack of grassroots supporters and constructive ideology will
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From both the Right and the Left, Western thinkers have failed to grasp that radical Islamism’s strength in Asian countries such as Pakistan and Indonesia is a result of these countries’ general weakness. ++ Although almost always a minority, extremists tend to be better organized and more motivated, thereby able to exert exceptional influence on regions lacking civil societies. ++ In
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US Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, who is known for cautious assessments, said terrorists in Iraq have “never been closer to defeat than they are now.” ++ The Iraqi government has gained control of Basra and Sadr City for the first time. ++ US analysts and politicians need to rethink their “this-war-is-lost” perception. ++ With a plan based on success, Obama might actually be able to carry out
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Three American terrorism research organizations concluded that, in contrast to widely held opinion of experts, there was a net decline in terrorist violence around the world last year. ++ Chris Preble, Cato Institute: “Support for al-Qaida in particular is declining — it was never very strong in the first place.” ++ 9-11-attacks are becoming less likely, but public policy and the media are not
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Democratic governance in Pakistan is now a reality and the new government plans to act boldly and clearly in full awareness of the stakes of both success and failure. ++ The government will continue the war against terrorism not because of international pressure but because the eradication of terrorism is of primary importance to Pakistan. ++ The government intends to demonstrate to its “people
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As nuclear weapons’ materials increase on black market, US needs to modernize forensics tools in preparation for a potential attack. ++ International collaboration and a shared
database are essential. ++ A group of independent experts is necessary to validate any US analysis. ++ US leaders need to recognize limitations of forensics and how to handle situation when information isn’t
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Improved cooperation between NATO and other organizations is necessary in view of new security requirements, says David Yost, professor at the US Naval Postgraduate School.
A more productive joint performance is needed to work towards common goals such as preventing failed states becoming safe havens for terrorists. Yost therefore welcomes the comprehensive civil-military approach endorsed by
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The last 16 years provide valuable hindsight into the grand strategic approach of the United States and highlight the need to reshape American foreign policy around the principle of restraint, argues Barry R. Posen, director of the security studies program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Writing for the American Interest, he points out that US policy makers have struggled to
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Despite sporadic condemnation of terrorism by King Abdullah, Saudi Arabians make-up the bulk of the foreign fighters in Iraq and provide the lion’s share of terrorist finances, write Nick Fielding and Sarah Baxter for the Sunday Times.
The government is accused of failing to penalize promoters of Jihad, such as the country’s Chief Justice, and to reform an educational system imparting hatred
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Ankara’s belligerence threatens Iraq’s fledgling democratic institutions, and encourages other neighbors such as Iran and Syria to settle disputes within Iraqi territory, writes Jamaa Alatwani for the Iraqi newspaper Kitabat.
Cataloged by the European Union and the United States as a terrorist organization, the PKK finds opposition but also support among Iraq’s Kurdish MPs, as some remain
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Zogby International publishes results of the latest telephone poll conducted on key current issues. After tensions have risen to an all-time-high between the United States and Iran, the poll shows 52% of those surveyed support a military strike against the Persian country to prevent the success of their nuclear program.
Among presidential candidates, Senator Hillary Clinton was considered by 21
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James Glanz and Stephen Farrell of the New York Times report that the military surge in Iraq coincides with a dramatic increase in the number of internally displaced Iraqis. Analyzing data from two different humanitarian organizations, Glanz and Farrell write that the number of IDPs has more than doubled to 1.1 million, up from 499,000 in February. Most notable is the sectarian division: Shiite
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Mainstream investment banks are pitching into the increasingly popular and profitable business of Sharia-compliant financial services, and the trend is moving to Europe. The industry has experienced annual growth of about 35 percent since the early 1990s. The consistent growth is due to the booming economy of oil-exporting states and increasing trust in structures that are both Sharia-compliant
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In May 2007, the Council of Foreign Relations featured an online debate on America’s role in Somalia. The discussion was lead by moderators Terrence Lyons, associate professor at the Institute for conflict Analysis and Resolution, and Sadia Ali Aden, president of the Somali Diaspora Network.
Lyons spoke about Somali skepticism towards Washington resulting from recent US military
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The Aon Corporation’s Political and Economic Risk Map provides a concise visual guide to risk management for international business ventures in 214 countries. Political volatility in individual states is measured by looking at specific threats to business practice, including potential political interference, terrorism, and supply chain vulnerability. Countries are color-coded according to the
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NATO troops should adopt three main policies in Afghanistan, says Rory Stewart. First, they should develop a more considerate approach towards tribal communities in order to distinguish between friends and “real” enemies; second, they should concentrate on highly visible infrastructure projects to regain the population’s trust; third, development projects need to be launched (e.g. from UN
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Talibanistan, the tribal region of Pakistan which forms the border with Afghanistan, is seen by Time Asia correspondent Aryn Baker as the breeding ground for a new generation of terrorists and a hideaway for al-Qaeda leaders. The “Talibanization” of the borderlands has renewed doubts about Pakistani President Musharraf’s willingness to track down jihadists. Furthermore, the loss of support from
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A comprehensive “all-hazard” approach, incorporating all involved international agencies, is necessary to protect the world’s population from biological harm, argue Andreas Wenger and Sergio Bonin of the Center for Security Studies in Zurich. Their ETH security policy analysis examines the rising risk of biohazards resulting from increased global mobility, rapid advancement in scientific
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