NATO and European Energy Security. Ida Garibaldi. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research Newsletter, March 28, 2008.  Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the alliance's role in the world has changed profoundly. Enlargement has significantly expanded not only NATO's borders, but also its security concerns. To remain relevant in the twenty-first century, the alliance must rise to the challenges, including those involving energy security, that face its members and the Euro-Atlantic relationship. READ MORE

THE TRANSATLANTIC TURNAROUND. Kupchan, Charles. Current History, vol. 107, no.707, March 2008 pp. 139-141  An ebullient transatlantic reunion may be in store come January 2009. But then the hard realities of transatlantic cooperation will set in. The good news is that Americans and Europeans alike have realized that they will need each other for the foreseeable future. The sobering news is that transforming this recognition into concrete partnership will remain difficult—no matter who holds power on the two sides of the Atlantic. READ MORE

Bucharest: Planning and Partnership for security effect in the 21st Century. Julian Lindley-French and James Townsend. NATO Review, Spring 2008. n.p.  Bucharest is the time to ask difficult questions, say Julian Lindley-French and James Townsend. And without adequate answers, the Alliance will not be properly adapting to the demands of a new century’s security threats. READ MORE

From Comprehensive Approach to Comprehensive Capability. Friis Arne Petersen and Hans Binnendijk. NATO Review, Spring 2008. n.p.  Developing a Comprehensive Approach to civil-military cooperation represents one of the major challenges facing the Alliance today. Afghanistan remains the clearest illustration of that. READ MORE

Climate Change in the U.S.

AMERICA'S BOTTOM-UP CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION POLICY. Nicholas Lutsey, Daniel Sperling, Energy Policy, Feb 2008, pp. 673–685. "Many diverse actions can be taken to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Increasingly in the United States, policy-makers at sub-national levels are setting emission targets and implementing plans for sector-specific GHG reductions. In this paper, local, state, and regional policy actions in the US are inventoried and analyzed as to their potential effect on national emissions." READ MORE.

U.S. PRESIDENTIAL DECISIONS ON OZONE DEPLETION AND CLIMATE CHANGE: A FOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS. Amy Below, Foreign Policy Analysis, January 2008, pp. 1-20. "The overarching question this paper addresses is whether and, if so, to what extent can existing IR theories commonly associated with high politics decision making be applied to low politics issue areas, specifically international environmental policy. The paper serves to test poliheuristic theory against two case studies, The Montreal Protocol and The Kyoto Protocol, to assess its ability to explain the decision-making processes of four United States presidents. The paper concludes that poliheuristic theory adequately explains the presidents' behavior in virtually all cases." READ MORE.

WHICH WAY TO U.S. CLIMATE COOPERATION? ISSUE LINKAGE VERSUS A U.S. BASED AGREEMENT. Jon Hovi, Tora Skodvin, Review of Policy Research, March 2008 , pp. 129-148. "Several scholars have suggested that the United States can be compelled to reengage in the Kyoto process by linking cooperation on climate change to cooperation on trade or technology research and development. We argue that such issue linkage would likely fail and suggest that a more promising road to U.S. cooperation is to develop an alternative climate agreement based on federal U.S. climate policy." READ MORE.

In the Middle East

IRAN AND THE UNITED STATES: THE NUCLEAR ISSUE. Anthony H Cordesman. Middle East Policy, Spring 2008, pp. 19-29. "It does seem clear, however, from past official statements that there are six basic issues that must be addressed from an American perspective for negotiations to succeed: (1) the history of tensions, charges and recriminations on both sides; (2) the view that the Ahmadinejad presidency and Iran's leadership as a whole have become much more hardline, repressive and difficult to deal with, and mat Washington should continue to support regime change; (3) American charges that Iran continues to support terrorism, particularly against Israel, via allies in Syria and Lebanon; (4) Iranian actions in Iraq and Afghanistan; (5) Iran's broader role in the Gulf and the Middle East / North Africa region; and (6) the Iranian nuclear issue. The question will be how a given presidency chooses to address them, not whether they must be addressed." READ MORE

IRAQ IN PERSPECTIVE. Stephen Biddle, Andrew A. Michta and Steven Metz. National Interest, Spring 2008, web exclusive. "Amidst all the talk of troop numbers, drawdowns and militia crackdowns, TNI makes sense of the Iraq situation: Stephen Biddle, Andrew Michta and Steven Metz weigh in.  READ MORE.

RETHINKING THE BATTLE OF IDEAS: HOW THE UNITED STATES CAN HELP MUSLIM MODERATES. Ronald R. Krebs, Orbis, Spring 2008, pp. 332-346. "There is little disagreement in Washington that the United States is losing the so-called Battle of Ideas, and there is a surprising consensus on what needs to be done: “reach out” to Muslim moderates. Bolstering moderate voices in the Muslim world is indeed crucial to the fate of the War on Terror, but “reaching out” to them is no solution. In fact, it is the last thing Muslim moderates need, since it deepens their legitimacy problems." READ MORE.

CHINA THROUGH ARAB EYES: AMERICAN INFLUENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. Chris Zambelis and Brandon Gentry, Parameters, Spring 2008, pp. 60-72. "The significance of Beijing’s hosting of the second annual China-Arab Cooperation Forum—an event bringing together key envoys from 22 Arab nations under the auspices of the Arab League and their Chinese counterparts—went largely unnoticed in the western media. According to Chinese and Arab news reports, however, the conference, held in May and June 2006, was a success on many levels. Despite its lack of publicity, the forum represents another significant effort by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in recent years to strengthen its ties to the Arab world and the greater Middle East." READ MORE.

Nation Building in War Times

AMERICA'S QUAGMIRE MENTALITY. Dominic Tierney, Survival, Winter 2007–08, pp. 47–66. Americans usually perceive nation-building missions as failures even when they succeed on the ground. In interventions such as Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, win or lose, America will be seen to lose. Four factors underlie this `quagmire mentality': American ideals, elite rhetoric, memories of Vietnam, and media manipulation. The quagmire mentality undermines public approval for nation-building, thereby limiting the United States' capacity to carry out such operations, and it also influences the ways in which Americans learn from past missions. READ MORE.

ENDING WARS AND BUILDING PEACE: INTERNATIONAL RESPONSES TO WAR-TORN SOCIETIES. Charles T. Call, Elizabeth Cousens, International Studies Perspectives, Feb. 2008, pp. 1–21. "Scholars and practitioners of international relations have devoted increasing attention to how cease-fires, once achieved, may be translated into sustained peace. In recent years, the United Nations, the World Bank, and the United States and other governments have revamped their institutional architecture for addressing post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding. The creation in 2006 of a UN Peacebuilding Commission exemplifies these changes. The relationship between weak states and the durability of peace has acquired new emphasis in IR research. This article analyzes recent conceptual developments in post-conflict peacebuilding, relating them to new thinking about fragile states." READ MORE.

NATION BUILDING IN A WAR ZONE: THE US RECORD IN IRAQ, 2003–2007. Mohamed A. El-Khawas, Mediterranean Quarterly, Winter 20008, pp, 42-62. "The essay examines Bush's strategies to democratize Iraq. Failure to draft a plan for Iraq's stabilization led to costly mistakes that drove many Sunnis to join insurgent groups, fueling sectarian strife. Holding multiparty elections was a major accomplishment, but it did not lead to national reconciliation. After reviewing key events, the essay assesses the prospects for the future of democracy in a country where there is neither security nor the rule of law." READ MORE.

2008 Election

OBAMA'S INNER CIRCLE.  James A. Barnes.  National Journal, March 29, 2008, pp. 26-35.  Although Barack Obama has a solidly liberal voting record in the Senate, his policy advisers tend to be moderates.  National Journal profiles 22 of his closest political and policy aides, including members of his campaign staff and his legal and foreign-policy advisers. READ MORE

DR. RORSCHACH.  Alexis Simendinger.  National Journal, March 22, 2008, pp. 30-34.   The twists of the 2008 presidential race could yet transform Howard Dean into one of the most consequential Democratic National Committee chairmen in recent history.  The fights over the how to deal with Florida and Michigan are the latest tests of his judgment and skills. READ MORE

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JOHN MCCAIN.  Michael Hirsch. Newsweek, April 7, 2008, n.p. He's both the consummate pragmatist and a zealous crusader for causes he feels just. The question is which America needs now. READ MORE

D.C. VOTING RIGHTS.  SHOULD WASHINGTON CITIZENS HAVE A VOTE IN CONGRESS? Colin Soloway.  CQ Researcher, April 11, 2008, pp. 315-335.  This November, in addition to electing a new president, Americans will vote for a third of the Senate and every member of the House. The 535 lawmakers in Congress represent the interests of 300 million citizens on vital issues from war and peace to taxes and spending. But the District's 580,000 residents have no such representatives to vote their interests. READ MORE

Values

WHAT DOES INDIAN BLOOD LOOK LIKE? Samuels, Adrienne. Ebony, April 2008, pp. 94-102.  Descendants of Cherokee Freedmen -- slaves owned by Cherokees in the early 1800s and freed in 1863 -– are plaintiffs in two federal cases seeking to push the U.S. government to intervene and help determine who is part of the Cherokee tribe. Membership in the tribe can include benefits such as medical and housing assistance. In 2006 the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court ruled that the descendants of the Cherokee Freedmen are Cherokee; about 2,800 registered as members of the tribe. However, in 2007 the tribe voted to exclude the Freedmen descendents. The Congressional Black Caucus is supporting legislation that would deny the Cherokees federal funding for housing projects unless the tribe recognizes the Freedmen descendants as citizens. The tribe contends that Congress is trying to force Cherokees to give rights to non-Indians. The federal court cases and funding bills are still pending. READ MORE

WHY THE POPE DOESN'T CONNECT; BENEDICT HAS DONE LITTLE TO APPEAL TO AN AMERICAN FLOCK THAT IS IN NEED OF A SERIOUS SPIRITUAL CATHARSIS. Lisa Miller. Newsweek, April 21, 2008, n.p.  [Benedict] is not the man for this job. His defenders know this, or his advance team of bishops, archbishops and theologians wouldn't have been out there spinning in the weeks before the papal visit, telling anyone who would listen how very, very kind and gentle the Holy Father really is. Feeling is not Benedict's strong suit. READ MORE