Foreign Affairs

 

January/February 2005

 

Essays

• Grand Strategy in the Second Term by John Lewis Gaddis

  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.

• Iraq: Winning the Unwinnable War by James Dobbins

  American evangelicals have put the fight against AIDS on Washington’s map, even while clashing with other activists over strategy. Now all must unite behind a comprehensive approach stressing effective practices in prevention and treatment.

• Iraq: The Logic of Disengagement by Edward N. Luttwak

  The best strategy for the United States now in Iraq is disengagement. In a reversal of the usual sequence, the U.S. hand will be strengthened by withdrawal, and Washington might actually be able to lay the groundwork for a reasonably stable Iraq. Why? Because geography ensures that all other parties are far more exposed to the dangers of an anarchical Iraq than is the United States itself.
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• The Global Economic Challenge by Jeffrey E. Garten

  Improving U.S. foreign economic policy after four years of neglect will require addressing a series of problems that, if left to fester, will have grave consequences for U.S. domestic interests and U.S. foreign policy as a whole. Above all, the second Bush administration must recognize that geopolitics and geoeconomics are deeply intertwined and must be managed accordingly.
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• A Nuclear Posture for Today by John Deutch

  The nuclear threat has been transformed since the end of the Cold War, but Washington’s nuclear posture has not changed to meet it. The United States should scale back its arsenal while allowing limited nuclear tests, shaping its nuclear force to bolster nonproliferation without undermining deterrence.
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• The Middle East Predicament by Dennis Ross

  The Middle East challenges facing Washington today have never been greater—but there remains a chance for peace. To secure it, the United States must stick with Iraq, pressure Iran into giving up its nukes, foster a moderate Palestinian leadership, and support Muslim reformers. Success in the region has never been more important
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• Re-Envisioning Asia by Francis Fukuyama

  Washington’s system of Asian alliances may have worked during the Cold War, but it ignores today’s political reality. Although the six-party talks now underway on North Korea’s nukes were born of necessity, their format should be made permanent, so the White House can help reshape Asian diplomacy.
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• The North Atlantic Drift by William Drozdiak

  To repair the damaged transatlantic alliance, the second Bush administration must rediscover the values of Republican internationalism. Fortunately, the recent enlargement of NATO and the EU gives Washington a great chance to buttress the allies’ economic ties, security strategy, and foreign policy.
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• Did North Korea Cheat? by Selig S. Harrison

  Two years ago, Washington accused Pyongyang of running a secret nuclear weapons program. But how much evidence was there to back up the charge? A review of the facts shows that the Bush administration misrepresented and distorted the data--while ignoring the one real threat North Korea actually poses.

• Back to the Balkans by Edward P. Joseph

  Since Slobodan Milosevic was sent to The Hague two years ago, the former Yugoslavia has dropped off the international radar. But the Balkans are far from secure: corruption runs rampant, economies are flat, and ethnic hatred continues to simmer. Worst of all, Kosovo remains a flashpoint that could re-ignite the region.
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• Darfur and the Genocide Debate by Scott Straus

  As western Sudan continues to suffer, much international attention has focused on whether to call what is happening there “genocide.” Yet once the term was invoked, it did not trigger outside intervention. Terminology turns out to matter far less than was expected. And once more, the world has dithered while people die.
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• Rebuilding Weak States by Stuart Eizenstat, John Edward Porter, and Jeremy Weinstein

  The turmoil caused by weak and failing states gravely threatens U.S. security, yet Washington is doing little to respond. The United States needs a new, comprehensive development strategy combining crisis prevention, rapid response, centralized decision-making, and international cooperation.
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Reviews & Responses

• Whither Political Islam? by Mohamood Mamdani

  Thinking of modern jihad as simply a cultural extension of Islam is a common, and unfortunate, mistake. Two new books by Gilles Kepel and Olivier Roy offer better historical and sociological explanations, but they are only a start.
  

• The Next Nuclear Wave by Jon B. Wolfsthal

  Thinking of modern jihad as simply a cultural extension of Islam is a common, and unfortunate, mistake. Two new books by Gilles Kepel and Olivier Roy offer better historical and sociological explanations, but they are only a start.
  

• No Size Fits All by Salman Ahmed

  Three new studies of the international community’s attempts at postwar state reconstruction in the 1990s offer valuable lessons about how best to handle the job, but they also overgeneralize and miss critical differences among their cases.
  

• A Matter of Record by Robert Kagan

• A State of Reform? by Nikolas K. Gvosdev

• Nothing to Fear by Ronald D. Asmus, Antony J. Blinken, and Philip H. Gordon

• . . . A Long Way From The Top by John G. Heimann and Kathleen Jennings