All Commentaries
U.S.-India Nuke Transactions Go From Bad to Worse
U.S.-India nuclear transactions are part of a broader set of agreements between the two countries that U.S.-based multinationals are hoping to use as a wedge to further open India to investment and sales.
Right-wing Loonies Support Okinawa Base Relocation
A Japanese cult leader took out a Washington Post ad in which false claims were made about leftists seeking to expel the U.S. military from Japan. In truth, protesters are focused on halting the building of a new U.S. base in Okinawa.
The Surge of Ideas
In recent years, there has been a growing tendency for think tanks and military brass to jointly pursue policy objectives, some of which are opposed by the public or the White House—take, for example, the campaigns to build support for the troop “surges” in both Iraq and Afghanistan. This trend, say critics, raises important questions about the appropriate role of the military in promoting particular policies and whether there is enough transparency and accountability in the work of policy groups. And, just as importantly, will there be a new joint campaign aimed at pressuring the Obama administration to delay troop withdrawal from Afghanistan?
Getting Beyond the Usual Suspects on Foreign Policy
With few exceptions, white pundits, politicians, military brass, think tankers, and academics have long dominated foreign-policy debates. We need to expand the diversity of those deemed foreign-policy experts beyond the usual suspects.
Israel’s Dubious Investigation of Flotilla Attack
Few decisions of the Obama administration have outraged the peace and human rights community as much as its successful efforts to block an international inquiry into May’s Israeli aid flotilla attack. Instead, supported by leading Republican and Democratic members of Congress, the Obama administration has thrown its weight behind an investigative committee handpicked by right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu to examine the incident.
Is Success in Afghanistan Really a Question of Command?
Surely, generals play an important role in winning and losing wars. But it is misleading to imagine that they determine the outcome of a conflict whose causes stem from the underlying political and social system.
Petraeus Harbinger of Peace, Not Another Surge?
Obama has stated that, despite firing Gen. McChrystal, our Afghanistan strategy will remain the same. The appointment of Gen. Petraeus to succeed him suggest otherwise — for better or worse.
Our Global Senate and Its Flaws
They used to be seven. They embodied power and relished it. Other leaders envied their photo ops. They were the cream of the cream, the top of the top. They were the G7.
And now they are 20, and they meet in Toronto this week. The G20 is the Senate of our global government. It sets global economic policy, giving direction to an alphabet soup of global executive agencies, from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Anti-Base Movements in South Korea: Comparative Perspective on the Asia-Pacific
Recent scrutiny of U.S.-Japan base realignment and Okinawan anti-base opposition has overshadowed U.S. military issues in South Korea. As others have argued, the struggle in Okinawa represents only one facet of the larger global struggle against U.S. bases.3
A REALLY BIG Black Swan
Watch out for those “black swans” — like the one paddling up the bayou at this very moment — carefully dodging the oil slicks. We’re so busy looking at old threats and repeating our old prejudices at ever higher volume that we can’t hear the splash of those big, webbed feet.