Asia & Pacific Archives - Page 128 of 351

United States, Pakistan: The Decade Ahead

by John Feffer, Zia Mian | Nov 3, 2009

The United States has charted out its relationship with Pakistan for the next 10 years. The recently approved multi-billion-dollar U.S. economic and military aid packages for Pakistan, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s recent visit there, suggest that this Pakistan policy will be much like the one Washington followed for the last 50 years. For their part, Pakistanis are unlikely to change their views of the United States and may even become more hostile.

A Call for Clarity on the Afghanistan War

by Sonali Kolhatkar, Emily Schwartz Greco | Nov 2, 2009

While President Barack Obama reviews his strategy on Afghanistan, a perfect moment to send a strong unified message to end the war is slipping through our fingers. Whether it’s because we seem to have bought into the lies about the goals of this war or because we mistakenly feel that a Democratic president is going to come to the right conclusion on his own, one thing is clear: There’s no debate within the Democratic Party or in the White House about whether to end the war. The only thing being debated is how to continue the war.

From Geneva with Love: Breakthrough in U.S.-Iranian Relations?

by Bernd Kaussler, Erik Leaver | Oct 30, 2009

This is part of a strategic dialogue on Iran. You can read Duran Parsi’s piece here.

When U.S. Undersecretary of State William Nicholas Burns, met Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili at the United Nations in Geneva on October 1, it marked the first-ever high-level bilateral meeting between Washington and Tehran in 30 years.

Activist Listeners

by John Feffer, Niels Van Tomme | Oct 29, 2009

Operating from Delhi since the early 1990s, Raqs Media Collective has developed a multifaceted body of work with a unique take on globalized culture. Mixing contemporary art with historical and philosophical theory, their diverse work consists of a wide range of old and new media techniques, including image-text collages, installations, performances, and media objects.

Rethinking Iran

by Erik Leaver, Duran Parsi | Oct 29, 2009

This is part of a strategic dialogue on Iran. You can read Bernd Kaussler’s piece here.

Setting Out the Conditions for ‘Success’ in Afghanistan

by Erik Leaver, Mark Sedra | Oct 28, 2009

President Obama is right to be deliberate in contemplating General Stanley McChrystal’s request for a troop surge in Afghanistan, as that decision may determine the outcome of the eight-year U.S. engagement in Afghanistan and perhaps even the broader state-building process.

60-Second Expert: Torture and the Bomb

by Jon Reinsch, Grace Yoo | Oct 26, 2009

In 1945, the Truman administration’s historic decision to unleash atomic bombs on Japan challenged America’s values and shocked the world’s conscience. More recently, the Bush administration’s use of torture in the "war on terror" presents similar controversies. Despite the difference in era and method, the two stories reveal several disturbing parallels in how the U.S. government made and justified such landmark decisions.

Engaging with the Muslim World Will Require More than a Special Representative

by Anne Hagood, Erik Leaver | Oct 26, 2009

A key facet of the Obama administration’s broader foreign policy strategy has been engaging with the Muslim world. This administration’s willingness to do so was welcomed as a beacon of hope across the globe and Obama’s speeches in the Middle East this spring brought long awaited overtures between America and Muslim communities.

Swing Region

by John Feffer | Oct 20, 2009

In the game of geopolitics, South Asia is the big swing region. It commands the very center of the vast Eurasian heartland, which the founders of geopolitics identified as pivotal to control of the globe.

Turkmenistan: Still Waiting for the Second Step

by John Feffer, Farid Tukhbatullin | Oct 19, 2009

Leading officials in Turkmenistan began a series of meetings this fall with leaders of democratic countries and international organizations, starting with the UN General Assembly in New York. After the death of the dictator and "president-for-life" Saparmurat Niyazov, the new leaders declared a commitment to fundamental change. But all they took was a few first steps before everyone declared Niyazov’s successor, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, a reformer.