Foreign Affairs – In his first four years, George W. Bush presided over the most sweeping redesign of U.S. strategy since the days of F.D.R. Over the next four, his basic direction should remain the same: restoring security in a more dangerous world. Some midcourse corrections, however, are overdue. Washington should remember the art of speaking softly and the need for international legitimacy.

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Daily Telegraph – Niall Ferguson on how Vladimir Putin is fast becoming as big a threat to Western security as he is to Russian democracy.
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Parameters – How water will become a resource that will lead to conflict in the Middle East and North Africa.

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Foreign Affairs – The current turmoil in the Gaza Strip represents the most serious challenge to Yasir Arafat’s authority in decades. Israel’s planned disengagement from Gaza brought to a boil long-simmering tensions among Palestinian factions demanding a change in the status quo. Holding national elections before the pullout may be the only way to avoid chaos and save any chance at Middle East peace.

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C-SPAN – Thomas P. M. Barnett delivers his legendary brief on “The Pentagon’s New Map.” The brief is 90 minutes, followed by 60 minutes of questions and answers. The format for the video is Real Media.
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Foreign Affairs – For 50 years, the United States has maintained its economic edge by being better and faster than any other country at inventing and exploiting new technologies. Today, however, its dominance is starting to slip, as Asian countries pour resources into R&D and challenge America’s traditional role in the global economy.

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Foreign Affairs – Is Pakistan-nuclear proliferator, terrorist incubator, key U.S. ally-on the verge of collapse? In a new book, Stephen Philip Cohen rejects the most alarmist scenarios but warns that, without major reforms, Pakistan’s prospects are indeed grim.

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Naval War College Review – Iceland has always been a ìreluctantî and somewhat prickly ally of the United States and NATO, but for decades it could use the leverage of its critical geographical position to shape the relationship and to have its way in, especially, fisheries disputes. In 1991, however, the whole basis of the alliance changed, and it did so again in September 2001. The nature of the relationship is being redefined today.

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Foreign Affairs – Throughout its history, the United States has made gaining international legitimacy a top priority of its foreign policy. The 18 months since the launch of the Iraq war, however, have left the country’s hard-earned respect and credibility in tatters. In going to war without a legal basis or the backing of traditional U.S. allies, the Bush administration brazenly undermined Washington’s long-held commitment to international law, its acceptance of consensual decision-making, its reputation for moderation, and its identification with the preservation of peace. The road back will be a long and hard one.

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Foreign Affairs – Three long-term trends are threatening to bankrupt America: the burgeoning costs of waging the war on terrorism, the U.S. economy’s increasing reliance on foreign capital, and rapid aging throughout the developed world. Washington must understand that committing the United States to a broader global role while ignoring the financial costs of doing so is deeply irresponsible.
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Parameters – This article seeks to illuminate the commonalities and variations between past Iraq and todayís Iran as well as the strengths and weaknesses of American policy options for dealing with the growing security challenge posed by Tehranís quest for nuclear weapons.
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Air Force – Vast, trackless, and ungoverned, Africaís sprawling desert is now a magnet for terrorists.
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Naval War College Review – The strains in the transatlantic relationship from disagreement about the authorization and justification for the Iraq war arise from failure of national governments to balance the moral, legal, and political elements of which motives in international politics are invariably a mixture. In the 1999 Kosovo intervention, all three imperatives were satisfied; how can such consensus be reached in the future?
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Parameters – Understanding the changes and challenges within Europe could help Americans respond to the changes and challenges facing the transatlantic community.
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Foreign Affairs – The Bush administration has waged an aggressive war against terrorists abroad, but it has neglected to protect the homeland, even though Americans in the United States are the ones most vulnerable to future attacks. The government must do more to safeguard critical U.S. infrastructure and mobilize the American public to help. For starters, it should create a semi-independent federal agency tapping into private resources that would develop and enforce security standards.
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Parameters – A look at the Kurds role in the future of Iraq.
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New Yorker – Since 1965, life expectancy for Russian men has decreased by nearly six years. And now there is AIDS. The military implications for Russia are enormous.
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Parameters – A look at the past Canadian martial decline, and what that may bode for the future.
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New Yorker – Is energy independence an impossible goal?
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Foreign Affairs – The southern Andes, long known for social volatility and economic disarray, is on the verge of chaos. This need not be cause for fatalism, however. By reengaging with the region, Washington could help turn the political crises plaguing Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia into opportunities for change.
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Foriegn Affairs – In The Missing Peace, Dennis Ross provides a fair and clear-headed overview of almost ten years of Middle East peacemaking. Although he finds plenty of blame to spread around, he sees one man as the ultimate impediment: Yasir Arafat.
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Foreign Affairs – Economic journalist Martin Wolf adds sharp insights to the trade-liberalization debate and scores a major victory against critics of globalization.
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Defense and the National Interest – Is the price of oil going to be permanently increased? And how is the insurgency in Iraq contributing to this. An interesting followup to the prior piece from Defense and the National Interest on how the Iraqi insurgents are targeting Iraq’s oil infrastructure???
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Foreign Affairs – An insiders’ view of the deal struck with North Korea in 1994 and a core lesson for the Bush administration: there’s no substitute for negotiation.
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The New Yorker – A look at the civil war in Sudan.
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