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in Foreign Affairs
by
Scott G. Borgerson, March/April 2008
Borgerson lobbies for the Law of the Sea Treaty as a means for America to assert its national interest in the coming conflict over the Arctic and its resources. Controversially asserting the undeniable truth of global warming, he lists a variety of greenhouse gas precipitated events that will affect the region -- melting ice caps, endangered polar bears, and, more positively, oil -- illustrating the need for a diplomatic solution. Despite the politicized, simplistic rhetoric, and veiled insults, Borgerson nonetheless effectively explores current developments in the Arctic, ranging from new waterways to Russian posturing.
Posted 3:31, 5 March 2008
This abstract was written by
Bethany Stotts
and edited by Brijit.
in Foreign Affairs
by
Larry Diamond, March/April 2008
Democracy's spread in recent decades has been increasingly undermined by corrupt, unconsolidated democratic states who alienate citizens from democratic institutions. Drawing from the works of Samuel Huntington, Robert Putnam, and others, Diamond argues that Bush's Millennium Change Account can be used to strengthen at-risk democracies by rewarding accountability and transparency, but largely digresses into an academic discussion of antecedents for democratic consolidation. Containing little original material, Diamond surveys popular academic democratic theories in broad language, but advances no unique theory of his own.
Posted 2:57, 5 March 2008
This abstract was written by
Bethany Stotts
and edited by Brijit.
in Foreign Affairs
by
Andrei Lankov, March/April 2008
North Korea's economy is in desperate need of reform -- its citizens receive 50 percent of their calories from South Korean aid and black market smuggling is the only alternative to starvation -- yet, ironically, the US, South Korea, and China have a vested interest in bolstering the failing regime. Any liberalization, he argues, which exposes the populace to the wealth disparity between North and South Korea will cause widespread revolt; re-unification, on the other hand, would bankrupt South Korea. In this riveting article Lankov places the country's nuclear developments into perspective, asserting reform -- and implosion -- will likely occur in slow motion, if at all.
Posted 2:16, 5 March 2008
This abstract was written by
Bethany Stotts
and edited by Brijit.
in Foreign Affairs
by
Adam Garfinkle, March/April 2008
Garfinkle a former speechwriter for Colin Powell, reviews three books about the outgoing president, concluding that they satisfy neither readers looking for scandal, nor academics looking for analysis. Fred Kaplan concentrates on the response to 9/11, arguing that neocons prompted an overreaction but failing to explore this theory's consequences. Jacob Heilbrunn explores the Jewish influence on neoconservatism, suggesting its supporters today cast bureaucrats as the oppressors. Jacob Weisburg struggles to back up analogies comparing the Bush family as a Shakespearean tragedy with Freudian undertones. This academically minded review concludes that all three authors concentrate on what Bush has done overseas rather than highlighting his lack of action on federal government issues.
Posted 3:13, 4 March 2008
This abstract was written by
John Lister
and edited by Brijit.
in Foreign Affairs
by
Harry G. Broadman, March/April 2008
In recent years, sub-Saharan Africa has expanded trade faster with Asia than with any other part of the world, Broadman writes. And while much of Africa's exports now comprise raw materials, China's and India's growing middle classes are creating a demand for finished products as well. If all parties make the right decisions, this trend could prove quite fruitful for Africa. Broadman's informative overview of Africa's place in world trade explains how the region is held back, not just by factors like government corruption and poor infrastructure, but also by tariffs on imports.
Posted 3:07, 4 March 2008
This abstract was written by
Danny Kind
and edited by Brijit.
in Foreign Affairs
by
Paul R. Pillar, March/April 2008
Pillar reviews one book about intelligence reform -- Enemies of Intelligence by Richard K. Betts -- by contrasting it with two others. The former CIA officer dismisses Tim Weiner's best-selling Legacy of Ashes as "a lively read not to be trusted as history." He similarly pans Amy Zegart's Spying Blind for its selective inclusion of failures and exclusion of successes. Betts, Pillar argues, sees rightly that some intelligence failures are inevitable because various "enemies" -- internal, external, and inherent to the intelligence community -- thwart even the best spying efforts. Intelligence reformers must consider not only what they can fix, but also what they may unwittingly break.
Posted 2:59, 4 March 2008
This abstract was written by
Tim Merrick
and edited by Brijit.
in Foreign Affairs
by
Robert Kuttner, March/April 2008
Denmark has its own unique take on the welfare state, one that combines assurances for its workers with the flexibility for employers to hire and fire them. This has led to a nation that has not only the world's second-highest tax rate, but also the world's third-most-competitive economy. Those hoping to copy Denmark, though, might find doing so difficult: Danish "flexicurity" has been evolving since a 19th-century dispute between capitalists and labor. Kuttner focuses far more on Demark's labor policies than its corporate taxes, but he also offers a thorough discussion of the challenges posed to Denmark's system by factors like immigration.
Posted 2:54, 4 March 2008
This abstract was written by
Danny Kind
and edited by Brijit.
in Foreign Affairs
by
Jerry Z. Muller, March/April 2008
As the great "melting pot," Americans struggle to identify with the strong ethnic nationalism found in other countries. Historically the nation-state, which unifies people based on political borders rather than ethnicity, is a comparatively new and rare idea. Today many countries have immigration policies which favor "their" ethnicity, for example Spain's preference for those from Latin America. If we believe ethnic groupings and clashes are inevitable, then political geography based on ethnic background may be the least dangerous way of avoiding conflict. Muller's essay will jar with many reader's instincts -- which makes it particularly thought-provoking.
Posted 2:51, 4 March 2008
This abstract was written by
John Lister
and edited by Brijit.
in Foreign Affairs
by
Stephen E. Flynn, March/April 2008
Flynn -- observing a sense of paralysis, partly due to governmental secrecy and fear politics -- sensibly advocates for American preparedness and resilience in the face of inevitable natural disasters, infrastructure failures, and terrorist attacks. The government, he writes, should mobilize the public, typically the victims and first responders to crises. Flynn provides four objectives for accomplishing this task: robustness (strong infrastructure), resourcefulness (emergency planning), rapid recovery (contingency plans and information dissemination), and absorbing new lessons from catastrophe. He also calls on the president, and potentially the media and Hollywood, to engage Americans on these tasks rather than scaring them into cynicism and fear.
Posted 2:50, 4 March 2008
This abstract was written by
Jonathan Pinoli
and edited by Brijit.
in Foreign Affairs
by
Francisco Rodriguez, March/April 2008
Those who say Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has helped alleviate poverty should look again at the evidence, Rodriguez writes. While many tout Venezuela's initiatives combating scourges like illiteracy, such programs show little improvement and even lag behind those in neighboring countries. Venezuelans have long found Chavez's policies inadequate, but now food scarcity and high inflation are buttressing their views -- hence Chavez's recent defeat in attempting to change Venezuela's constitution. Rodriguez's firsthand accounts of working in Chavez's government, describing, for example, how antipoverty programs were shortchanged despite rising oil profits, make this a valuable article.
Posted 2:35, 4 March 2008
This abstract was written by
Danny Kind
and edited by Brijit.