CIAO DATE: 05/2009
Volume: 88, Issue: 3
May/June 2009
The Mushroom Cloud That Wasn't
Michael Krepon
The threat of nuclear armageddon is overblown. Instead of stoking fear, policymakers should focus on securing existing nuclear materials and keeping them out of the hands of potential proliferators.
Amitai Etzioni
Old international institutions must be updated to tackle transnational challenges. The most promising model for doing so is the Proliferation Security Initiative, a recent cooperative effort to interdict weapons of mass destruction.
Elizabeth C. Economy, Adam Segal
A heightened bilateral relationship may not be possible for China and the United States, as the two countries have mismatched interests and values. Washington should embrace a more flexible and multilateral approach.
Deng Undone: The Costs of Halting Market Reform in China
Derek Scissors
Driven by a near obsession with economic growth, Beijing has extended the state's reach into the economy. Instead of urging the Chinese government to resume extensive market reforms, Washington should encourage it to focus on a narrow range of feasible measures.
State Capitalism Comes of Age: The End of the Free Market?
Ian Bremmer
Across the world, the free market is being overtaken by state capitalism, a system in which the state is the leading economic actor. How should the United States respond?
Necessity, Choice, and Common Sense: A Policy for a Bewildering World
Leslie H. Gelb
The United States is declining as a nation and a world power. This is a serious yet reversible situation, so long as Americans are clear-eyed about the causes and courageous about implementing the cures, including a return to pragmatic problem solving.
Diplomacy, Inc.: The Influence of Lobbies on U.S. Foreign Policy
John Newhouse
Lobbies representing foreign interests have an increasingly powerful -- and often harmful -- impact on how the United States formulates its foreign policy, and ultimately hurt U.S. credibility around the world.
Farm Futures: Bringing Agriculture Back to U.S. Foreign Policy
Catherine Bertini, Dan Glickman
Hunger remains one of world's gravest humanitarian problems, but the United States has failed to prioritize food aid and agricultural development. Washington must put agriculture at the center of development aid -- and make it a key part of a new U.S. foreign policy.
The Key to Kiev: Ukraine's Security Means Europe's Stability
Adrian Karatnycky, Alexander J. Motyl
The recent deterioration in relations between Russia and Ukraine should be of great concern to the West, because Ukraine's security is critical to Europe's stability. Ukraine must be placed back on the policy agenda as a player in its own right.
The King and Us: U.S.-Saudi Relations in the Wake of 9/11
David Ottaway
The exchange of oil for security no longer defines the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States. Still, the two countries can restore healthy ties by addressing common concerns such as Pakistan and the Palestinian territories.
The Perils of Apology: What Japan Shouldn't Learn From Germany
Jennifer Lind
Japan should not apologize for its past aggression by emulating the contrition that Germany has displayed since the mid-1960s because it would risk a nationalist backlash. A more promising model is the one set by West Germany in the 1950s, which focuses on the future.