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Strategic Regions

Greater Middle East

July 19, 2010 | GMF's Pro-Turkey Bias

Ulf Gartzke: The West assumes that Turkey’s Islamist AKP government plays a constructive role in the Middle East, promoting “universal values.” This view is dangerously mistaken. Instead of full EU membership, a far more cautious “privileged partnership” between the EU and Turkey should be pursued for now. …More

July 5, 2010 | Draining the Terrorist Swamp in Yemen

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the terrorist organization’s franchise in Yemen, must be countered with a comprehensive strategy that stresses local development along with diplomacy and defense. ++ Understanding the needs of …More

June 24, 2010 | Dark Clouds Hang Over Iraqi Kurdistan

The recent rapprochement between Teheran and Ankara is manifesting itself in an increase of their activities against the Kurds in the North of Iraq. ++ “The Kurdish Regional Government has a hard time making its calls for calm and more …More

China

July 13, 2010 | Intellectual Property Theft Gives China an Edge

China is America’s most important economic partner, but this relationship is dysfunctional and one-sided. ++ China has shown no progress in enforcing intellectual property rights in the software industry. ++ For every five …More

July 5, 2010 | Challenging the Presumption that China is Weak on Intellectual Property

Brian Joshua Safran: Corporations on both sides of the Atlantic have channeled their collective energies into their respective Chambers of Commerce to complain about China’s lack of enforcement of IPR. However, evidence suggests that such firms are not availing themselves to the protections the Chinese system affords. …More

June 4, 2010 | Don't break the China in the China Sea

The failure of Washington and Beijing to come to an understanding in the China Sea may lead to an escalation of tensions. ++ Both countries need an “Incidents at Sea” agreement to prevent further damage to relations. ++ Beijing …More

India

July 12, 2010 | Nervous India: Pakistan Moving Closer to China

New Delhi is becoming increasingly nervous about the close ties between Pakistan and China. ++ “Those in India who tend to view relations with Beijing as a zero-sum game with Islamabad” are concerned about joint plans …More

May 18, 2010 | India and Pakistan Must Find Real Solutions

Pakistan may play an essential role in fighting the war on terror, but the country is mired in its own battle on its western borders. ++ Both India and Pakistan must address some of these issues when peace talks resume in mid-July. ++ …More

April 29, 2010 | What Role Does India Have in the War on Terrorism?

Kerley Tolpolar: The westernized classes targeted by Mumbai’s attackers and the part played by Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, and its backers in Pakistan, gave rise to voices calling for India to reconsider its non-aligned mentality and join in the global fight against the jihadist movement. …More

Eastern Europe/Central Asia

July 26, 2010 | Torpedoing Russian-Kyrgyz Friendship

Following the New START Treaty with the United States, the “Shkval” torpedo is more important than ever to Russian naval defense. ++ Key components are manufactured in Kyrgyzstan, where control over the factory has become an important bargaining …More

July 21, 2010 | Georgian Lessons for the Ukrainian Opposition

The fact that Georgia has had a more successful democratic transition than the Ukraine may be a generational matter. ++ Members of Saakashvili’s administration are on average ten years younger than most Ukrainian politicians. ++ To …More

July 2, 2010 | Russian Resistance to Reform Opens Window for the West

Gregory Nizhnikau: The internal problems that Russian authorities will eventually have to face, but are at present unwilling to tackle, create an opportunity for the West to engage the countries of the region that are more than willing to keep their distance from Moscow. …More

Asia-Pacific

July 20, 2010 | Japanese Society and Politics: Unraveling an Unsolvable Puzzle

Kevin Calonne: The recent resignation of the Japanese Prime Minister demonstrates how little hope there is for dissolving the iron triangle and its stranglehold on Japanese politics. The Democratic Party of Japan must urgently deal with the overwhelming bureaucracy, if its government is to succeed. …More

June 22, 2010 | Slow Recovery: Bashing the Chinese

Bashing the Chinese has become a fad in the Western media lately, in particular since the recovery has been slow. ++ Proponents of the “China solo show” theory in the West claim that “China has been the biggest winner in the …More

June 4, 2010 | What Trips Up Japanese Prime Ministers

The resignation of yet another Japanese prime minister points to problems in the Japanese political system. ++ Japanese politicians rise to power through their affiliation with rich families.++ The political system remains “stuck in the …More

Africa

July 14, 2010 | Africa: Fighting Corruption with Mobile Phones

Once the plaything of the yuppie generation, mobile phones are conquering Africa: Today, nearly 60 percent of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa have access to the technology. The period 2002 through 2007 witnessed a yearly growth …More

July 14, 2010 | African Union Needs a Permanent Seat at the G-20

Africa should no
longer be regarded through the narrow lens of humanitarian aid. For the sake of
economic interests, the developed world’s public would do well to discard these
images that have long outlived their usefulness. …More

June 25, 2010 | Morocco: Press under Pressure

A government campaign against journalists in Morocco provides ominous signs of rising autocratic sentiment among the country’s elite. ++ Journalists fear that the government is “attracted by the Tunesian model” of curtailing press freedom. ++ …More

Focus Afghanistan

July 28, 2010 | Germans Express Solidarity with the Troops

From the Editorial Team: The Atlantic Initiative has teamed up with Germany’s best-selling daily newspaper BILD to encourage readers to write personal messages of support to German soldiers stationed in Afghanistan in an effort to boost morale. …More

July 26, 2010 | Q&A with Ambassador Mark Sedwill: Part II This Article contains Flash-Video

Open Dialogue: NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan Mark Sedwill discusses the outcomes of the International Conference on Afghanistan and invites questions and comments from Atlantic Community’s members. …More

July 22, 2010 | Feldpost für unsere Soldaten

Die Atlantic Community Redaktion: In einer gemeinsamen Kampagne setzen sich Bild.de und atlantic-community.org für die über 4.000 Soldaten der Bundeswehr in Afghanistan ein. Damit sie für ihren riskanten Einsatz mehr moralische Unterstützung erfahren, können Sie ihnen jetzt elektronische Feldpost senden. …More

- Military & Police Forces

May 26, 2010 | Bundeswehr: Fighting Cuts, Fearing Blood

The Bundeswehr is appealing to the Chancellor to reconsider proposed massive budget cuts. The proposed reductions are certain to undercut the military’s ability to conduct operations abroad properly. ++ Less resources in the field …More

May 17, 2010 | Nation Building is a Luxury in Afghanistan

Funnelling money for infrastructure is a luxury that the necessarily long-term US military presence in Afghanistan cannot afford. ++ “Our objective is not to remake Afghanistan. That is the Afghans’ job.” ++ Moreover, a …More

May 14, 2010 | China Flexes Its Maritime Muscles

China is looking to replace the U.S. as the hegemonic maritime power in Asia, which places additional stress on its relationship with Japan. ++ Secrecy surrounding the Chinese build-up could conceivably “spark an arms race” in the …More

- Civil Society

July 20, 2010 | Don't Abandon Women's Role in Afghanistan

Shabana Basij-Rasikh and Zohra Safi: Promoting the active participation of Afghan women at the Kabul Conference and beyond is a vital step towards securing a successful outcome in Afghanistan. Women must play an important role in shaping the country’s democratic future. …More

July 8, 2010 | Culture Conflict in Caucasus: Chance for Europe

Russian Youth Atlantic Treaty Association: Much can be gained from promoting European values in a region as diverse and conflict-ridden as the North Caucasus. A Russian youth organization is showing the way. An all-out public diplomacy effort is needed to reduce tensions in the region. …More

June 1, 2010 | End the Vulture Culture: An Empirical Analysis of the Issue Framing

Catherine Mann: This dissertation was completed as part of an MSc in Global Governance and Ethics, and investigates the way that NGOs attempt to generate public support to create political pressure. …More

- Diplomacy

July 30, 2010 | Wiki Leaks Illustrate Pakistani Double-Dealing

The documents posted by Wiki Leaks show that Pakistan continues to double deal the West. ++ While accepting aid money, Islamabad persists in “using militant Islamists to further its ideological and strategic goals.” ++ The …More

July 23, 2010 | Pakistan and India: The Keys to Kabul

Even though the Afghanistan Conference resolved to withdraw troops by 2014, the Kabul government has little incentive to take on the responsibility “as long as NATO remains the guarantor of Kabul’s security.” ++ However, the handover should …More

July 8, 2010 | Canadian Power and Purpose from Suez to Afghanistan

Karsten M. Jung: The goals Canada pursued at Suez in 1956 were not all too different from those it seeks to achieve in Afghanistan. Due to variations along the four dimensions of context, crisis, capabilities, and commitment, however, Canada was significantly more successful in their pursuit then than it is now. …More

- Reconstruction

July 20, 2010 | Don't Abandon Women's Role in Afghanistan

Shabana Basij-Rasikh and Zohra Safi: Promoting the active participation of Afghan women at the Kabul Conference and beyond is a vital step towards securing a successful outcome in Afghanistan. Women must play an important role in shaping the country’s democratic future. …More

April 6, 2010 | Using Cultural Cues to Guide an Afghan Exit Strategy

The US is trying to implement its “reconciliation and reintegration” strategy to start to bring the war in Afghanistan to a close. ++ This will involve dialogues between the US, Pakistan, and various Afghan parties including …More

Balkan

June 2, 2010 | EU: Do Not Forsake the Balkans

Divisions within the EU over whether to let the various Balkan countries join the union are highly counterproductive. ++ They undermine the EU’s creditability as well as the reform process in the region. This may even lead to an escalation of …More

May 18, 2010 | Growing Instabilities in Bosnia

Niall Mulchinock: The issue of Bosnia needs to figure more prominently on the transatlantic agenda as tensions resulting from the ongoing Butmir process could potentially turn violent. The partnership between the EU and NATO needs to be strengthened in order to deal with the possibility of outbreaks of violence in the region. …More

September 2, 2009 | EU and Turkey to Mediate Balkan Tensions

Memo 18: More than a decade after the Dayton Agreement West Balkan countries are fighting over EU membership and against the resurgence of nationalist forces. These factors presently contribute to the emergence of renewed conflict potential. The European Union and Turkey have a key role to play as mediators. …More

Turkey

July 27, 2010 | Turkey Turning East but Looking West

Western opinion holds that Turkey is turning East, but Ankara is actually pursuing a policy centered on its economic and geographic power. ++ Europe remains a key goal, but Turkey has diversified its alliances and no longer depends on the will …More

June 15, 2010 | Turkey and Israel at a Tipping Point

“The Armenian genocide must never ever be allowed to become a political football for selective use by two erstwhile allies to sort out their relations and the contents of their closets.” ++ The hypocritical Turkish reaction to the …More

June 3, 2010 | Turkey on the Brink

Israel-Turkey relations suffered greatly on Monday, with Prime Minister Erdogan calling the Israeli attack on an aid flotilla a “bloody massacre” and warning that “today is a turning point, nothing will be the same again.” ++ As a …More

Polar Politics

April 30, 2010 | Public Portraits: The Northern Frontier Revisited

Ann H. Sontz: The new Atlanticism seeks to revitalize transatlantic cooperation and support shared economic, environmental and political interests. Coherence in cross-border public and private sector participation can be facilitated further through the creation of a centralized data archive that tracks economic growth and infrastructure development. …More

April 16, 2010 | International Law Is Critical for Alleviating Arctic Tensions

Memo 23: Altantic Community’s experts agreed in the Polar Politics week that military conflict over resources in the Arctic is unlikely. The Arctic Council and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea can ease tensions. …More

March 25, 2010 | The EU Stakes its Claim in the Arctic

Shakti Prasad Srichandan: There is currently a race between the great transatlantic powers for North Pole resources. The Arctic’s future will be determined by collective action of the world community. The EU will play a key role not only in terms of security policy but also in terms of environmental protection and the fight against climate change. …More

- Better Aid

July 13, 2010 | Africa Needs an Online Index of Aid Effectiveness

Memo 24: Greater transparency is crucial to improve foreign aid to Sub-Saharan Africa. An index of aid effectiveness should be put online, featuring details on aid expenditures and the outcomes of programs. Those programs that fail to produce results should get phased out. …More

June 24, 2010 | The African Governance Crisis

Nikolina-Romana Milunovic: The reason for sub-Saharan Africa’s poor economic performance is the weak system of public administration. Through generalized and unfitting reform movements, the international community has strengthened the status quo of underdevelopment in African LDCs. …More

June 4, 2010 | Advocacy and Transparency as Levers for Aid Effectiveness

Claudia Schwegmann: It is not the lack of knowledge that hampers development aid, but the structure of incentives within the aid system. Aid transparency and civil society engagement are key levers for addressing these problems and improving aid effectiveness. …More


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