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Iran and Russia Rethinking Their Relationship
It looks like the Iranians have balked on their promise to ship lowly enriched uranium to Russia. One wonders if the whole thing was a ruse to tamp down the criticism that followed Pittsburgh (when it was revealed Iran was operating a secret nuclear facility)—if in fact they never had any intention of letting the Russians enrich their uranium in the first place. After all, a similar proposal was tabled a few years back, and the Iranians scoffed at it then, too. Are Iranian-Russian relations heading south? Read More
November 18, 2009 | In World
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Why Are Opposition Movements So Disorganized?
It’s becoming a familiar theme. An election is held somewhere in the developing world that is hotly contested. The opposition cries foul and demands a recount. Allegations fly as both camps dig in their heels and make their pleas before the international community. Protestors might take to the streets and arrests are made. Yet there is almost something of disputed election fatigue out there after watching the mock elections held in Afghanistan, Iran, and Gabon. Ukraine, whose polls are being held in January, may be the next in line. Read More
November 17, 2009 | In World
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Some Myths About The Afghan War
We need to disabuse ourselves of several untruths being told about our war efforts in Afghanistan. One is that we are fighting for democracy. Democracy is fine for Norway and Denmark but it is bad in war-torn places that are undeveloped because it becomes a patronage system for kickbacks being handed out to corrupt insiders. What we want is a competent government that can secure its own boundaries and streets. There are plenty of undemocratic governments that do this better than democracies—in fact, most do. Before you write me quoting Winston Churchill’s famous line about d… Read More
November 13, 2009 | In World
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Who shot Major Hasan? It sounds like the title of a bad Simpsons episode, were the storyline not so tragic. But what unfolded last week at Fort Hood followed a predictable cable-news-friendly narrative. An “evil” gunman goes on a rampage and would have done more damage were it not for a “heroic” woman who subdued him. This is not to discount the bravery of those who fired back, especially given how chaotic a scene it must have been. But why does America feel the need to always find “heroes” in every tragic event that befalls this nation? Read More
November 12, 2009 | In Politics & Policy
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Obama's Disastrous Af-Pak Policy
It's unbelievable, really. The US military is holding up Iraq as a model for Afghanistan. They'll tell you it took a few years to get right but by golly, Iraq is at peace with itself, with a large armed forces, a democratically elected government, and commerce flourishing. Let's replicate that "success" in Afghanistan. Read More
November 10, 2009 | In World
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Thirty Years Later, Time To Reopen Our Embassy In Iran
Thirty years after Iranian extremists stormed the U.S. embassy and held 52 Americans hostage in Iran it is well worth asking: Isn’t it high time we serious consider reconstituting some kind of American presence in Tehran? Today the shell of the old embassy compound remains, its walls scribbled with anti-U.S. invective graffiti. It would be symbolically important to reopen its doors. As Obama as said, we do not punish our enemies by not talking to them. The same goes for not having formal diplomatic relations. Read More
November 5, 2009 | In World
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The Iranian Revolutionary Guards is getting in on the “smart power” bandwagon. It just announced the launch of a new news agency called Atlas to deliver the day’s news. The head of the basij euphemistically described the venture as “super media power.” Um, that is an understatement. Surely, like U.S. forays on public diplomacy such as Al-Hurrah, it will be fair and balanced. I can only imagine its op-ed page will be brimming with unconventional opinions from abroad, that photos of protest… Read More
November 4, 2009 | In World
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One Year On, Has Obama Kept His Foreign Policy Promises?
To those who thought Obama would end all war, wipe out global poverty, save the environment, and eradicate terrorism in one fell swoop, they will be sadly disappointed by this earthling-like leader of the free world's slacker performance. Read More
November 4, 2009 | In World
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Bosnia War Victims Deserve Swifter Justice
Radovan Karadzic is making a mockery of efforts to strengthen courts’ ability to try and prosecute accused war criminals. Karadzic faces charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, all of which left 100,000 dead in the 1993-1995 war. Yet he has failed to show up when the trial started, claiming he required more time to prepare his defense. Um, he had thirteen years. Is that not enough time? Read More
November 2, 2009 | In World, Truth & Justice
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What Lessons Can We Learn From Sri Lanka's War?
I am in the heart of Tamil territory. I am surrounded by jungles and tea plantations. A few miles north of me is a camp of 250,000 internally displaced Tamil civilians made homeless by the decades-long war. Only months ago, the Sri Lankan government announced that the war was over. It had won and even paraded the dead body of the Tamil Tigers before the cameras. What lessons can we learn from the Sri Lankan model to counterterrorism and counterinsurgency? Read More
October 29, 2009 | In World
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What Ruling Against Stalin's Grandson Says About Russia
In a vindication of sorts for Stalin’s victims – as many as 20 million – a Moscow district court last week ruled against the dictator’s grandson, who sued a Russian newspaper for calling him a “bloodthirsty criminal.” But the verdict, while a welcome sign, does not undo the disturbing fact that many Russians’ still give the Soviet leader high approval ratings. Nor does it reverse efforts by the Kremlin to rehabilitate one of the twentieth century's most ruthless leaders. Read More
October 19, 2009 | In World
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Why Predator Strikes In Pakistan Are A Bad Idea
A burka is visible from 20,000 feet. So is an AK-47. That is not insignificant, as the debate rages on over whether to send more troops to Afghanistan. One alternative to putting thousands of more troops in harm’s way is flying more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as Jane Mayer recounts in this week's New Yorker, which have proven remarkably effective at killing terrorists. But is a pilotless drone the best response to extremists bent on attacking the United States? Read More
October 19, 2009 | In World
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No Surprise From Russia On Iran
Hillary Clinton, her elbow healed up, finally made it to Moscow, only to be rebuffed by her Russian counterpart in her push for stricter sanctions against Iran. Getting from nyet to da in Russia on this issue will be difficult. It was fascinating to see how much every party involved backpedaled on their bargaining positions. But the Russians won this hand of high-stakes poker. Read More
October 14, 2009 | In Politics & Policy
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What Explains All The Biden Coverage?
Let’s hand it to Joe Biden’s savvy press secretary Jay Carney: the guy is EVERYWHERE. There is a full-on media blitz to buff up the veep’s image as he emerges as the main dissenter to the president’s plan to “surge” more troops into Afghanistan. He’s had gushy write-ups in Newsweek and the Read More
October 14, 2009 | In Politics & Policy
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Why The UN's Human Development Report Is So Unpopular
I understand why Americans love lists. It jives with our competitive ethos, not to mention our Trump-like love of superlatives. Ours is a culture of Top Ten Lists, Best-Of Issues, college rankings, and Final Fours. Heck, even the wizards at CNN have figured out a way to rank American heroism somehow. But lists in other countries tend to backfire. Whenever Forbes ranks the world’s richest men, Russian oligarchs always squirm. Similarly, whenever the UN's Human Development Report releases its list of the world’s least desirable countries to live in, a few African nations alway… Read More
October 9, 2009 | In Politics & Policy
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The Importance of Romania's New Holocaust Memorial
Romania just unveiled a new memorial dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of gypsies and Jews killed during the Holocaust. This is no small accomplishment for Romania. The country has many things going for it: its acceptance of gypsies, or Roma, is not one of them. Read More
October 9, 2009 | In Politics & Policy
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I am befuddled. We are handing the Pakistanis a check for $1.5 billion next year and their top military brass is angry, calling it “typical American arrogance?” I agree U.S. foreign policy has been abrasive over the past few years (and the proposed fortress-like embassy there looks like a big middle finger) but Pakistan has shown little appetite in hunting down the Taliban and other terrorists, many of which are in cahoots with Pakistani intelligence. Read More
October 8, 2009 | In Politics & Policy
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Why Are We Cutting Pakistan Another Check?
Um, why is Washington cutting Pakistan another check after it was revealed that only $500 million out of previous $6.6 billion package actually went toward fighting Taliban and other terrorists? Obama appears determined to continue the Bush administration’s failed policies of the past, even as the AP reports that the aid we are sending Pakistan is being misused for other things unrelated to protecting U.S. forces in the region (like fighting India). It goes unstated that several Pakistani politicians are probably lining their pockets with America’s largesse. Even if there ar… Read More
October 6, 2009 | In Politics & Policy
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There are signs of hope trickling in from Gaza. Some say this rump state may have the world's fastest growing economy (though its base point was not very high). There are signs that Fatah and Hamas may agree to an Egyptian proposal aimed at reconciliation between the two groups. Palestinian leaders backed away from seeking war crimes charges in the United Nations against Israel (under American pressure, no doubt). And the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for video footage of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, whose 2006 capture helped spark war in the region, is a positi… Read More
October 2, 2009 | In Politics & Policy
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To No One's Surprise, Iran Talks Go Nowhere
The broken record of diplomacy skips on. Over talks with Iranians in Geneva, negotiators agreed to hold more talks. Hopefully at those talks they can reach some sort of agreement to yet again hold more talks. And so forth and so on. Read More
October 1, 2009 | In Politics & Policy
Lionel Beehner is a term member and former senior writer at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a member of USA Today's Board of Contributors and frequent contributor to the New York Times Sunday Travel section. His writing has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, Guardian Online, International Herald Tribune, Baltimore Sun, New York Daily News, Newsday, New Republic, New York Magazine, Slate, Seed, Foreign Policy, and Foreign Affairs Magazine. He teaches op-ed writing at Mediabistro, and is writing a book about U.S. foreign policy and non-state actors.