A panel of experts looks at the U.S. and NATO end game in Afghanistan.
A Focal Points Roundtable: Is the Taliban Losing?
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North America
The Case Against Kerry
President Obama’s selection of John Kerry as the next secretary of state sends the wrong signal to America’s allies and adversaries alike. Kerry’s record in the United States Senate, where he currently chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, has included spurious attacks on the International Court of Justice, unqualified defense of Israeli occupation policies and human rights violations, and support for the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Magnitsky Act and Dima Yakovlev Bill Revive Cold War
If it weren’t for punitive acts by the United States, Russia wouldn’t have banned adoptions by Americans.
How Will Obama’s Reconfigured National Security Team Approach the Middle East?
It will likely use a combination of hard and soft power utilizing diplomacy, coalition building, political pressure, and military power.
Is Israel Proof That an Armed Society Can Work?
Why don’t episodes like Newtown occur in another armed society, Israel?
Conn Hallinan’s 2012 “Are You Serious?” Awards
Each year Conn Hallinan’s blog Dispatches From the Edge awards news stories and newsmakers that fall under the category of “Are you serious?” Here are 2012’s winners. Conn Hallinan at the Foreign Policy in Focus blog Focal Points.
In Mexico, No Matter Which Party Holds the Reins, the People Lose
Part 2 of an interview with Drug War Mexico co-author Peter Watt.
Magnitsky Act Backlash
The Magnitsky Act imposes asset freezes and visa bans on Russian officials suspected to be responsible for the death of Sergei Magnitsky, who accused the Russian IRS of tax fraud and later died in jail.
Deregulation and Free Trade a Win-Win for Mexican Narcotraffickers
The Mexican government’s heavily militarized fight against narcotraffickers has helped keep the country mired in violence and inequality.
President Obama Might Be Time’s Person of the Year, But Not the Middle-East’s
Egypt’s President Morsi made Time’s short list for the person of the year, but his inability to steer Egypt to safety after his election cost him the accolade.