Iraq

U.S. Troop

The Future of U.S. Forces in Iraq

Iraq's cabinet approved an agreement that would allow U.S. combat forces to stay in the country until 2011. With a contentious debate expected in the Iraqi parliament, Carnegie provides expert analysis on how to build greater Iraqi autonomy and regional stability.
Stability in Iraq:
U.S. Troop Withdrawal Missing A Political Strategy
Allawi on Political Reconciliation
Iraqi Parliamentarians on Achieving Long-Term Stability

Financial Crisis

U.S. Troop

Lessons from the
Global Financial Crisis

Leaders from the G-20 countries met in Washington this weekend to discuss the global economic crisis. The inclusion of countries like China, India, and Brazil in these talks points to an important redistribution of economic power beyond the traditional industrialized nations. Albert Keidel explains how China's historic decision to fund a $600 billion domestic stimulus package provides a road map for future U.S. policy. David Rothkopf argues that President-elect Obama will need to promote stronger multilateral institutions to govern global markets.
Financial Crisis Fallout:
China's Stimulus Lesson for America (Web Commentary)
G20 Summit in Context (Newsweek)
Understanding the Redistribution of Economic Influence (Telegraph)

Sec. Gates

Gates

Gates: Nuclear Weapons and Deterrence in the 21st Century

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, speaking at Carnegie last month, cautioned that the United States cannot maintain a credible nuclear deterrent without testing or modernizing its aging stockpile. Gates urged the next U.S. president to engage Russia in new arsenal reduction talks and pointed to the loss of top talent in U.S. weapons laboratories as a major source of concern. He stressed that the nuclear weapons complex must be transformed into a "less costly but modern enterprise that can meet our nation's nuclear security needs for the future."

Iran

Khamenei

How to Talk With Iran

Iran continues to be a critical national security challenge for the United States, despite decades of effort to change Tehran's behavior by isolating the country politically and economically. In a new policy brief, Karim Sadjadpour explains that the relevant question is not whether to talk with Iran but how. He prioritizes U.S. engagement with Iran on six critical issues: Iraq, Afghanistan, nuclear proliferation, the Arab—Israeli conflict, energy, and terrorism.
Engaging Iran:
Experts Explain How to Talk With Iran
Iran Says "No"—Now What?
Reading Khamenei

Afghanistan

Afghan villager and U.S. Troop

Stabilizing Afghanistan: Threats and Challenges

Stability in Afghanistan and the future of its government depend on the United States and its Afghan and other allies providing security for the Afghan people. William Maley warns that calls for an Iraq-style “troop surge” ignore the immediate need for a comprehensive political strategy to fix Afghanistan’s fragile security structure, dysfunctional system of government, and unstable borders.
Challenges in Afghanistan:
NATO and Afghanistan: Saving the State-Building Enterprise
Afghanistan: UN Special Representative Addresses Priorities

Nuclear

Nuclear Missile

Nuclear Renaissance: Is It Coming? Should It?

Despite talk of a renaissance, nuclear power will account for a declining percentage of global electricity generation without aggressive financial support and significant policy changes. Sharon Squassoni explains that before committing to a rapid expansion of nuclear energy, the next U.S. administration must address critical questions about the feasibility and safety of nuclear expansion, and act to minimize current proliferation risks.
Nuclear Resources:
Abolishing Nuclear Weapons: Why the U.S. Should Lead
Getting to Zero
Are New Nuclear Bargains Attainable?
More Nonproliferation Resources

More Analysis

Next January, the new U.S. President will be confronted with the longest list of severe challenges any president has faced in decades. Prioritizing among them will be even more important than usual. In its new series, "Foreign Policy for the Next President", the Carnegie Endowment’s experts endeavor to do just that. They separate good ideas from dead ends and go beyond widely agreed goals to describe how to achieve them.

In this series... More on this series ►
Female Muslim Brotherhood Member Women in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Push for Change
Islamist women, increasingly restless with their subordinate status in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, are pushing for greater representation and a wider role. Omayma Abdel-Latif explores the growing impact of young leaders and female activists and examines what type of change is possible, despite major obstacles.

Muslim Brotherhood:
Women in Islamist Movements: Toward an Islamist Model of Women's Activism
The Muslim Brotherhood's Party Platform

Former Jihadist Saudi Arabia’s Successful Counterterrorism Strategy
Saudi Arabia’s increasing use of unconventional, “soft” measures to combat violent extremism is bearing positive results and leading others in the region, including the United States in Iraq, to adopt a similar approach. Christopher Boucek explains that understanding the successes of the Saudi strategy—composed of prevention, rehabilitation, and aftercare programs—will be important in the fight against radical Islamist extremism.

Saudi Counterterrorism:
Courts Open New Chapter in Counter-Terrorism
A Solution to Detaining Foreign Nationals?

Commentary

Barack Obama Next Steps for the President-Elect
President-elect Barack Obama recently outlined a broad agenda for dealing with the economy. In an interview with PRI’s The World Jessica T. Mathews explains that the agenda must include a re-assessment of the international financial infrastructure. Obama’s drive to make key appointments early suggests that he will likely revolutionize the presidential transition process much like he did the campaign.
Israel-Syria Can Syria and Israel Be Serious About Peace?
Syria and Israel have reached the threshold of signing a peace agreement twice in the past twelve years. An agreement between the two countries would have a transformative effect on a number of states and issues in the Middle East. Paul Salem explained at a recent Carnegie event how the next U.S. administration can devise a strategy that would maximize the chances of a Syrian-Israeli breakthrough while guarding against the pitfalls of appeasement or failure.

Middle East Peace:Hope in the Levant
The Middle East: Evolution of a Broken Regional Order
Sunset for the Two-State Solution

Saudi Leaders Sovereign Wealth Funds: International Framework Needed
The financial interdependence that sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) created between the West and the Arab world could help stabilize multilateral relations and promote economic development and political stability in the Middle East. In a new Carnegie Paper, Sven Behrendt studies the rise of Arab SWFs, assesses their investment strategy, and evaluates the policies of Arab investors and Western nations.
Russian Ambassadors U.S.-Russia Relations: The Long View

With U.S.-Russia relations at a crossroads, Carnegie convened a group of former ambassadors to Russia and the United States who urged Washington and Moscow to make every effort to relieve the immediate tensions surrounding the unstable situation in the Caucasus. In a joint statement they outlined steps to help both governments work together more effectively on key issues of mutual interest, including arms control, Euro–Atlantic regional security, terrorism, and financial issues.

U.S.-Russia Relations:
Ambassadors' Statement
Ambassadors' Event
One Way to Save the Relationship

Carnegie Programs

RSS Feeds

RSS FeedsSubscribe now to receive free updates from Carnegie.


E-Newsletters

Click on the publication names below if you would like to review past issues.

Doing Research?

The Carnegie Middle East Center was awarded the silver medal by the Lebanon Web Awards for website innovation and creativity
© 2008 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All Rights Reserved.
1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW - Washington, DC 20036-2103
Phone: 202.483.7600 | Fax: 202.483.1840 | Contact: info@CarnegieEndowment.org
Home   Site Map   Contact Us
Created by Matrix Group International, Inc.