CIAO DATE: 10/5/2007
May/June 2007
Comments
China's Space Odyssey: What the Antisatellite Test Reveals About Decision-Making in Beijing by Bates Gill and Martin Kleiber
China's recent antisatellite test, which the military conducted while leaving civilian authorities mostly in the dark, raises a disturbing question: Will Beijing's stovepiped bureaucracies prevent China from becoming a reliable global partner?
Smooth Sailing:The World's Shipping Lanes Are Safe by Dennis Blair and Kenneth Lieberthal
Those who worry about the vulnerability of the world's oil shipping lanes should calm down. Oil tankers are more resilient than often presumed, and only the United States has the capability to seriously disrupt maritime traffic -- which it will not do.
Ending the Trade War in Washington: Saving the Trade Agenda by Protecting Workers by Stuart E. Eizenstat and Marney L. Cheek
Protectionist sentiment on Capitol Hill threatens to scuttle Washington's free-trade agenda. A bipartisan consensus on trade could emerge, but only if the White House and the Democrats can reach a compromise on labor issues.
Essays
Al Qaeda Strikes Back by Bruce Riedel
By rushing into Iraq instead of finishing off the hunt for Osama bin Laden, Washington has unwittingly helped its enemies: al Qaeda has more bases, more partners, and more followers today than it did on the eve of 9/11. Now the group is working to set up networks in the Middle East and Africa -- and may even try to lure the United States into a war with Iran. Washington must focus on attacking al Qaeda's leaders and ideas and altering the local conditions in which they thrive.
How Biofuels Could Starve the Poor by C. Ford Runge and Benjamin Senauer
Thanks to high oil prices and hefty subsidies, corn-based ethanol is now all the rage in the United States. But it takes so much supply to keep ethanol production going that the price of corn -- and those of other food staples -- is shooting up around the world. To stop this trend, and prevent even more people from going hungry, Washington must conserve more and diversify ethanol's production inputs.
Healthy Old Europe by Nicholas Eberstadt and Hans Groth
The population of western Europe is aging steadily, and the region's birthrate is well below the replacement level, but Europe's elderly are exceptionally healthy. That means they could be more productive for longer than their predecessors were. If western European governments learn to tap this potential, healthy aging could become the region's next great economic asset.
Containing Russia by Yuliya Tymoshenko
Russia's imperial ambitions did not end with the fall of the Soviet Union. The Kremlin has returned to expansionism, trying to recapture great-power status at the expense of its neighbors, warns one of Ukraine's most prominent politicians. The United States and Europe must counter with a strong response -- one that keeps Russia in check without sparking a new Cold War.
The End of National Currency by Benn Steil
Global financial instability has sparked a surge in "monetary nationalism" -- the idea that countries must make and control their own currencies. But globalization and monetary nationalism are a dangerous combination, a cause of financial crises and geopolitical tension. The world needs to abandon unwanted currencies, replacing them with dollars, euros, and multinational currencies as yet unborn.
Bush and the Generals by Michael C. Desch
The rift between U.S. military and civilian leaders did not start with George W. Bush, but his administration's meddling and disregard for military expertise have made it worse. The new defense secretary must restore a division of labor that gives soldiers authority over tactics and civilians authority over strategy -- or risk discrediting civilian control of the military even further.
Let Women Rule by Swanee Hunt
Although women have made large strides professionally over the last century, politics remains a man's world. Significant barriers stand in the way of more women assuming positions of political leadership -- not least women's own attitudes. If serious efforts are not made to break down these barriers, the world will miss out on the benefits that women can bring to policymaking.
Reviews & Responses
Atypically French: Sarkozy's Bid to Be a Different Kind of President by Sophie Pedder
Nicolas Sarkozy's Testimony is an unusual work for a French politician in midcampaign: a panegyric to the United States and an unsparing attack on French domestic policy. What kind of a president would Sarkozy be?
The Prophet of Moderation: Tariq Ramadan's Quest to Reclaim Islam by Jonathan Laurence
Depending on whom you ask, Tariq Ramadan is either a brave Muslim moderate or an apologist for terrorism. Either way, his new book, which rethinks the Prophet Muhammad's life for the modern world, is a step in the right direction.
Defying Orders, Saving Lives: Heroic Diplomats of the Holocaust by Richard Holbrooke
Little-known heroes of the Holocaust were the rare diplomats who defied their superiors' orders and issued visas to save lives. With Iraqis now scrambling to leave their own country, those examples are as relevant today as ever.
The Values Debate by John L. Eastman
Risk-Return Profile by Richard Christopher Whalen
The Facts About the Slave Trade by Ronald Weitzer
Immigration and Jobs by Bernard K. Gordon
Diagnoses and Prescriptions by Nancy Aossey