US DIPLOMACY march 2009

Foreign Policy ‐‐ Defense ‐‐ Documents on the web ‐‐ March 2009
Previous issues of Foreign Policy -- Defense -- Documents on the Web are available at: http://france.usembassy.gov/web-alert.html


NATO, EUROPE

SECRETARY CLINTON'S EUROPEAN TOUR: A NATO-FIRST AGENDA
By Sally McNamara. The Heritage Foundation. March 3, 2009.

As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton embarks on an extensive international tour -- which will include visits to Egypt, the Palestinian territories, Israel, Brussels, Geneva, and Ankara -- she will be confronted with fierce competition for her time and attention. Her agenda in Europe, however, will likely be dominated by three interwoven issues: Afghanistan, Russia, and NATO's upcoming Strasbourg-Kehl summit.

A CBO STUDY -- OPTIONS FOR DEPLOYING MISSILE DEFENSES IN EUROPE
Congress of the United States , Congressional Budget Office. February 2009. 82 pages.

As part of ongoing efforts to protect the United States and its allies from attack by ballistic missiles, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is working to deploy a missile defense system in Europe. MDA’s proposed system is controversial however. In this study, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) assesses and comments several possible options.

NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE: A STATUS REPORT
By Greg Bruno. Council on Foreign Relations. March 18, 2009.

The United States has pursued missile defense technologies since the end of World War II. Since the election of President Barack Obama, however, the future of anti-missile defense has grown less certain. Missile defense experts suggest the pace of development will slow, whereas congressional leaders speculate the days of unfettered spending on missile defense would come to an end (CQ) with Obama in the White House.

TOWARD A NEW DETERRENT
By the New Deterrent Working Group, Air and Space Power Journal, the professional journal of the United States Air Force. March 1, 2009.

Analysis and recommendations about the U.S. nuclear deterrent policy, for the Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States.

STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA WELCOMING FRANCE’S RETURN TO NATO’S MILITARY STRUCTURE
The White House, Office of the Press Secretary. March 21, 2009.
FRENCH MILITARY STRATEGY AND NATO REINTEGRATION
By Michael Moran. Council on Foreign Relations. March 17, 2009.
The French government's decision to rejoin the integrated military command structure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) formalizes a decade-long rethink of French military strategy and foreign policy. In this article the author examines the roots of this policy shift and assesses what sort of reception President Sarkozy’s decision gets among the French policymaking community, military and opinion, but also from the rest of the alliance. He also foresees the foreign policy implications.


REMARKS WITH NORTHERN IRELAND FIRST MINISTER PETER ROBINSON AND DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER MARTIN MCGUINNESS
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State. Peter Robinson, Northern Ireland First Minister. Martin McGuiness, Deputy First Minister. March 17, 2009.

REMARKS WITH IRISH FOREIGN MINISTER MICHEAL MARTIN AFTER THEIR MEETING
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State. Michael Matin, Irish Foreign Minister. March 16, 2009.

VIDEOTAPED REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN CELEBRATION OF NOWRUZ
The White House, Office of the Press Secretary. March 20, 2009.

REMARKS WITH RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEY LAVROV
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State. Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister. March 6, 2009.

RUSSIA'S DRIVE FOR GLOBAL ECONOMIC POWER: A CHALLENGE FOR THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
By Ariel Cohen and Lajos F. Szaszdi. The Heritage Foundation. January 30, 2009. 16 pages.

Until the recent global financial crisis, Russia’s economic prosperity under Vladimir Putin had helped restore the country as a major world player and as a challenger to Western influence. Russia’s economic comeback is largely the result of its high-priced oil, natural gas, and metals, and its arms exports, construction, and consumer boom. The Kremlin has used energy exports to Europe as a foreign policy tool, most notoriously through threats to disrupt oil and gas exports to countries that oppose Russia’s national interests. The U.S. should increase cooperation with allied intelligence services, law enforcement agencies, and independent experts to track Russian money laundering, corruption, and unfair competition practices. The Obama Administration should make gathering actionable intelligence on questionable Russian activities a priority.

ALLIANCE REBORN: AN ATLANTIC COMPACT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: THE WASHINGTON NATO PROJECT
By Daniel Hamilton (lead author), Charles Barry, Hans Binnendijk, Stephen Flanagan, Julianne Smith, James Townsend (co-authors). Atlantic Council of the United States,
Center for Strategic and International Studies, Center for Technology and National Security Policy NDU, Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins University SAIS. February 2009. 69 pages.

There is an open but fleeting moment to forge a more effective Atlantic partnership. It must be seized now. European and North American allies have allowed their relations become discordant, yet the times demand vigor and unity. Courageous decisions need to be taken to breathe new life and relevance into the Atlantic partnership, which must be recast to tackle a diverse range of serious challenges at home and abroad. Reaching consensus on long term strategy should be of high priority. Leaders should go beyond providing direction to the NATO institution and take a higher plane, charting in an Atlantic Compact the future of their partnership in ways that relate the security, prosperity and freedom of their people and their nations to the world as a whole.

DEVELOPING A PROCESS TO BUILD PARTNER CAPACITY FOR COMBATING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
By Jennifer D. P. Moroney, Joe Hogler, Benjamin Bahney, Kim Cragin, David R. Howell, Charlotte Lynch, S. Rebecca Zimmerman. RAND Corporation. February 2009. 3 pages.

This report summarizes a project that examines how the United States can better coordinate its approach to enhance partners' border security, detection, and interdiction capacity to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

REVITALIZING THE TRANSATLANTIC SECURITY PARTNERSHIP: AN AGENDA FOR ACTION
By F. Stephen Larrabee and Julian Lindley-French. RAND, A Venusberg Group and Rand Corporation Project. February 2009. 48 pages.

During the course of 2008, the RAND Corporation and the Bertelsmann Foundation's Venusberg Group sponsored a series of U.S.-European discussions examining future security challenges confronting the United States and Europe in the context of the election of a new American president. This report, published by Bertelsmann Stiftung, refers to those discussions and seeks to define the substance and parameters of a new security partnership between the United States and Europe as well as to outline an agenda for action for the new partnership.


***********************************************************************

>MIDDLE EAST
REMARKS OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA -- RESPONSIBLY ENDING THE WAR IN IRAQ</span>

Remarks of President Barack Obama -- As prepared for delivery. Responsibly ending the war in Iraq. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Friday, February 27, 2009.

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON AFGHANISTAN
The White House, Office of the Press Secretary. February 17, 2009.


ISLAMIC PEACEMAKING SINCE 9/11
By David Smock and Qamar-ul Huda. United States Institute of Peace. January 2009. 12 pages.

Muslims in general and Muslim leaders particularly have often been severely criticized for not more energetically condemning the violent acts of Muslim extremists. The uninformed often assume that extremists represent Islam’s mainstream. But Islam comes in many forms and interpretations. Violent extremists are on one edge of the Muslim community, but they are counterbalanced by a growing movement of Muslim peacemakers. The purpose of this report is to explore the extent to which Muslim leaders have spoken out publicly to condemn the violent acts committed by extremists, and to identify growing efforts within Muslim communities to reach out peacefully to other communities and to reinforce the peaceful message of Islam.
Congressional Research Service Reports for Congress


TALKING WITH INSURGENTS: A GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED
By Daniel Byman. The Washington Quarterly. Center for Strategic and International Studies. Brookings Institution. March 26, 2009. 13 pages.

Talking with insurgents is often a necessary first step toward defeating them or reaching an acceptable compromise. There are indeed costs involved when engaging with insurgents. Some successful attempts, however, indicate that sometimes the advantages may outweigh the costs. Can the lessons drawn from the successes in the past be applied in Afghanistan? If so, what are the consequences for Afghanistan and U.S. counterinsurgency strategy?


TOWARD RECONCILIATION IN AFGHANISTAN
By Michael O’Hanlon. The Washington Quarterly. Center for Strategic and International Studies. Brookings Institution. March 26, 2009. 9 pages.

The situation in Afghanistan has been fairly bad, but future prospects are reasonably good. The year 2009 is likely to be bloody as the additional U.S. forces establish themselves in the country. Will the additional troops, however, bring about a turning point in the war? In other words, will the extra forces enable the United States and its allies to cap the violence and also to focus more on the development of the security sector of Afghanistan and the political reconciliation process?


THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES NUCLEAR PROGRAM AND PROPOSED U.S. NUCLEAR COOPERATION By Christopher M. Blanchard, Paul K. Kerr. Congressional Research Service. March 10, 2009. 17 pages.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has embarked on a program to build civilian nuclear power plants and is seeking cooperation and technical assistance from the United States and others. During 2008 and early 2009, the Bush Administration and the UAE government negotiated and signed a memorandum of understanding and a proposed bilateral agreement on peaceful nuclear cooperation. The Obama Administration has not submitted the proposed agreement to Congress for the required review period. Under the AEA, Congress has the opportunity to review such a proposed agreement for 90 days of continuous session, after which the agreement becomes effective unless, during that time, Congress adopts a joint resolution disapproving the agreement and the resolution becomes law.

AFGHANISTAN: POST-TALIBAN GOVERNANCE , SECURITY, AND U.S. POLICY By Kenneth Katzman. Congressional Research Service. March 4, 2009. 82 pages.

As U.S. and outside assessments of the effort to stabilize Afghanistan became increasingly negative throughout 2008, the Bush Administration conducted several reviews of U.S. strategy, and began a plan to build up U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The new Administration has authorized adding 17,000 U.S. forces to Afghanistan while conducting its own “strategic review,” which will be used to formulate new policies to be discussed at an April 3, 2009 NATO summit. Obama Administration policy in Afghanistan is facing an expanding militant presence in some areas previously considered secure, increased numbers of civilian and military deaths, growing disillusionment with corruption in the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and an inability of Pakistan to prevent Taliban and other militant infiltration into Afghanistan.

THE AFGHAN-PAKISTAN CONFLICT: U.S. STRATEGIC OPTIONS IN AFGHANISTAN
By Anthony H. Kordesman. Center for Strategic and International Studies. March 16, 2009. 41 pages.
The Afghan-Pakistan War has not been a “forgotten war,” but it has been a war that the U.S. has allowed to slip from apparent victory into serious crisis. Initial military victories against Al Qa’ida and Taliban forces have turned a war of political attrition. Tactical victories in Afghanistan have been offset by a steady increase in the levels of violence, casualties, and Taliban influence and control. At the same time, the war has spread to Pakistan and shifted Al Qa’ida -- and the war’s center of gravity -- to another country. At this point in time, the Afghan and Pakistani governments, NATO/ISAF, and the U.S. do not face a stalemate; they are losing the war. However, the situation may well be reversible. The question now is whether the U.S. can change its strategy and react decisively enough to reverse this situation. That’s what this report tries to assess.


FEW IN PAKISTAN SUPPORT EXTREMISTS -- BUT FEW FAVOR MILITARY CONFRONTATION
By Richard Wike, Kathleen Holzwart. Pew Global Attitudes Project. March 12, 2009.

In recent months extremist groups have increasingly demonstrated their ability to strike throughout the country. These headline-making assaults have, however, been perpetrated in a country where public support for extremism has declined sharply in recent years. Surveys by the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project have found progressively lower levels of acceptance of suicide bombing as well as waning confidence in Osama bin Laden. There is only modest support among Pakistanis for al Qaeda or the Taliban. And few agree with their widely noted tactic of preventing education for girls. Nonetheless, while the trends are positive, sizeable minorities still embrace extremism.

IRAQ: POST-SADDAM GOVERNANCE AND SECURITY
By Kenneth Katzman. Congressional Research Service. March 2, 2009. 66 pages.

As it took office, the Obama Administration was presented with a security environment in Iraq that is vastly improved over that which prevailed during 2005-2007. A major issue is that President Obama has indicated that stabilizing Afghanistan should be a higher priority for the United States than Iraq. U.S. officials worry that the many political disputes that remain, and some that are escalating, pose a threat to stability. Mounting U.S. casualties and financial costs stimulated debate within the 110th Congress over whether a stable Iraq could ever be achieved, and at what cost. With an apparent consensus within the Administration to wind down the U.S. combat in Iraq, there is growing U.S. support in Congress for compelling Iraq to fund key functions now funded by the United States.

IRAN: U.S. CONCERNS AND POLICY RESPONSES
By Kenneth Katzman. Congressional Research Service. February 20, 2009. 64 pages.

The Bush Administration characterized Iran as a “profound threat to U.S. national security interests. But amid widespread recognition that most U.S. goals on Iran have not been accomplished, the President Obama has said the United States will look for opportunities to expand direct engagement with Iran. His Administration also appears to be de-emphasizing potential U.S. military action, although without ruling that out completely, and efforts to promote democracy in Iran. The policy decisions come as Iran enters its run-up to June 12, 2009 presidential elections. If pressures and sanctions are beginning to weaken Iran’s economy, it is also likely that legislation will be introduced to support the Obama administration’s emphasis on enhanced direct diplomacy with Iran.

IRAN AND THE FUTURE OF AFGHANISTAN
By Greg Bruno. Council on Foreign Relations. February 6, 2009.

In crafting a new approach to the war in Afghanistan, U.S. military and political leaders say Iran -- once dubbed a member of the "axis of evil" by former President George W. Bush -- could play a key role. Yet bringing Iran into the fold, and judging Tehran's willingness to do so, is complicated by Iran's historic relationship to its eastern neighbor.


IRAQ’S ELECTIONS: A WIN FOR PRIME MINISTER MALIKI AND THE UNITED STATES
By James Phillips. The Heritage Foundation. February 9, 2009.

According to preliminary results, the big electoral winner was Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law coalition. While 10 percent of the votes must still be counted, it is apparent that the relatively peaceful atmosphere on Election Day was a triumph for U.S. policy and a vindication of the Bush Administration's surge strategy. But it remains to be seen whether all the contending factions will peacefully accept the provincial election results and, more importantly, the results of national elections slated for December. The Obama Administration must be careful to maintain adequate U.S. troops in Iraq to safeguard the prospects for continued political progress.


THE FRACTURED SHIA OF IRAQ: UNDERSTANDING THE TENSIONS WITHIN IRAQ’S MAJORITY
By Matthew Duss and Peter uul. Center for American Progress. January 28, 2009. 25 pages.
On January 31, 2009, Iraqis will vote in the country’s first provincial elections in four years. These elections will deliver a preliminary verdict on the vigorous and often violent competi­tion between Iraq’s contending political factions, and help shape the contours of Iraq’s future politics as the Obama administration begins to redeploy U.S. military forces from the country. Religious Shia political parties are likely to shape Iraqi politics at the national level and at the provincial and local levels in central and southern Iraq. It remains to be seen which, if any, of these factions will dominate. This report examines the ongoing competition among rival Shia factions, which may well determine how and how well the United States exits Iraq. It will also examine the religious and political legacy of perse­cution of the Shia in Iraq over the past half-century and then trace the development of the dominant religious political parties and other power centers within the Shia community. This will be followed by a detailed examination of complex inter-Shia contests for power after the U.S. invasion and amid the current occupation, and conclude with some policy suggestions on how to handle what promises to be an extremely fluid and probably dangerous Shia political landscape in 2009. The success of U.S. policymaking in Iraq will hinge on understanding these Shia dynamics.

ISRAELI-ARAB NEGOCIATIONS: BACKGROUND, CONFLICTS, AND U.S. POLICY
By Carol Migdalovitz. Congressional Research Service. March 9, 2009. 47 pages.

After the first Gulf war, in 1991, a new peace process consisting of bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon achieved mixed results. Congress is interested in issues related to Middle East peace because of its oversight role in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy, its support for Israel, and keen constituent interest. It is especially concerned about U.S. financial and other commitments to the parties, and the 111th Congress is engaged in these matters. Congress also has endorsed Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, although U.S. Administrations have consistently maintained that the fate of the city is the subject of final status negotiations.

IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME: TURKEY-U.S. RELATIONS AFTER BUSH
By Sinan Ulgen. Center on the United States and Europe. Brookings Institution. February 19, 2009. 9 pages.
/0219_turkey_ulgen.pdf
The past eight years witnessed a sharp evolution of the Turkey-U.S. relationship. The polarizing foreign policy approach that alienated so many of Washington's partners around the globe was also instrumental in shaping Washington’s relations with Ankara. The predominance of Iraq in U.S. foreign policy and the proclivity of the first Bush administration to judge its allies on the basis of their contribution to the campaign in Iraq, coupled with the two countries’ significantly divergent visions for the future of Iraq, prevented any concrete improvement in bilateral ties in the near term. The election of Barack Obama as the new U.S. President provides an opportunity for Ankara and Washington to put behind their differences and past grievances decisively and to concentrate on advancing a more ambitious transatlantic agenda.



*********************************************************************************

FAR EAST

REASSURING ALLIES: SECRETARY CLINTON’S MOST IMPORTANT MISSION
By Ralph A. Cossa and Brad Glosserman. Pacific Forum CSIS. Center for Strategic and International Studies. February 6, 2009. 2 pages.

The authors welcome the news that Hillary Clinton’s first overseas trip as Secretary of State will be to Japan, Korea, and China (appropriately in that order). While her visit to Beijing will likely garner the lion’s share of attention, her visits to Tokyo and Seoul are equally if not more important. As discovered during a recent visit, anxieties about the Obama administration’s Asia policy are running high among government officials and foreign policy elites in both capitals. A certain amount of anxiety is present every time a new administration takes power -- Obama ran on a platform of “change” but it is not clear what changes, if any, his administration has in store for East Asia. But there is also a great deal of anxiety about current trends, which many in Tokyo and Seoul fear will not be reversed and might even be accelerated.


PREPARED STATEMENT BEFORE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE ON ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
By Bruce Klingner, Senior Research Fellow, Northeast Asia. The Heritage Foundation. March 3, 2009.

Prepared Statement before Committee on Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment
United States House of Representatives.
The author summarizes some of the key points in his oral remarks, particularly some recommendations for reformulating U.S. policy toward North Korea. The views expressed in this testimony are his own, and should not be construed as representing any official position of the Heritage Foundation.


REMARKS AFTER SECRETARY CLINTON’S MEETING WITH CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER YANG JIECHI
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State. March 11, 2009.

STRATEGIC PERSISTENCE: HOW THE UNITED STATES CAN HELP IMPROVE HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA
By William F. Schulz. Center for American Progress. January 2009. 56 pages.

The relationship between the United States and China may well be the most important bilateral relationship in the world. In recognition of that fact, this survey is designed to provide both fundamental principles that should guide U.S. policymakers in their efforts to effect positive change in China’s human rights practices and concrete recommendations to advance those efforts. It outlines eight principles that should inform the U.S. approach to improving human rights in China, and then applies these principles in a series of recommendations designed to increase the coherence of U.S. strategy and address openings provided by U.S. efforts to boost several points. These eight principles and the recommendations that follow should enable the new Obama administration and the 111th Congress to make substantial progress on human rights in China and in China’s human rights-related foreign policy.

CHINA'S MILITARY POWER
By Jayshree Bajoria. Council on Foreign Relations. February 4, 2009.
Since the 1990s, China has dramatically improved its military capabilities on land and sea, in the air, and in space. Looking decades ahead, U.S. military planners clearly see the potential for China to develop as a "peer competitor." The U.S. Defense Department's 2008 report on China's military power says "much uncertainty surrounds China's future course, in particular in the area of its expanding military power and how that power might be used." But experts say China is still decades away from challenging U.S. military's preeminence. The author here assesses the Chinese military threat to the U.S., the China’s modernization agenda and the U.S. policy response.


NORTH KOREAN BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES
By Steven A. Hildreth. Congressional Research Service. February 24, 2009. 9 pages.
This report briefly reviews North Korea’s ballistic missile program. In summer 2007, North Korea tested modern, short-range missiles. In February 2009, South Korea reported the DPRK had deployed a new intermediate-range missile.

JAPAN’S NUCLEAR FUTURE: POLICY DEBATE, PROSPECTS, AND U.S. INTERESTS
By Emma Chanlett-Avery, Mary Beth Nikitin. Congressional Research Service. February 19, 2009. 16 pages.
Japan, traditionally one of the most prominent advocates of the international non-proliferation regime, has consistently pledged to forswear nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, evolving circumstances in Northeast Asia, particularly North Korea’s nuclear test in October 2006 and China’s ongoing military modernization drive, have raised new questions about Japan’s vulnerability to potential adversaries and, therefore, the appeal of developing an independent nuclear deterrent. This paper examines the prospects for Japan pursuing a nuclear weapons capability by assessing the existing technical infrastructure of its extensive civilian nuclear energy program. It explores the range of challenges that Japan would have to overcome to transform its current program into a military program.

NORTH KOREA’S NUCLEAR WEAPONS
By Mary Beth Nikitin. Congressional Research Service. February 12, 2009. 23 pages.
This report summarizes what is known from open sources about the North Korean nuclear weapons program and assesses current developments in achieving denuclearization.

IS A NUCLEAR DEAL WITH NORTH KOREA FEASIBLE? KIM JONG IL RATTLES THE SABER TO GET THE MOST OUT OF A NEW US ADMINISTRATION
By Peter M. Beck. YaleGlobal. February 27, 2009.

North Korea is getting ready to launch a satellite again, using a long-range rocket that could reach Alaska. Analysts wonder if this is an attention getter for the new U.S. administration or an attempt by a fading leader to prepare the population for succession while warning foreign enemies. The leader of the struggling nation, Kim Jong Il, could be testing out an old trick on a new administration, leveraging their nuclear arsenal and missiles to secure recognition and aid, suggests American University professor Peter Beck.


*************************************************************************

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY

MOUNTING U.S. DEBT BURDEN THREATTENS POORER NATIONS -- BUT DRYING UP FOREIGN CREDIT TO THE US COULD BE BAD FOR ALL
By David Dapice. YaleGlobal. March 2, 2009.

As economist David Dapice suggests, the U.S. faces two challenges: knowing when to switch from stimulus funding to controlling deficits and inflation, as well as controlling expenses of hefty entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security.

TWO LOST DECADES? WHY JAPAN’S ECONOMY IS STILL STUMBLING AND HOW THE U.S. CAN STAY UPRIGHT
By Derek Scissors and J.D. Foster. The Heritage Foundation. February 23, 2009.
Japan's lost decades stem partly from an inability to reconfigure their economy away from export reliance. The U.S. risks its own prolonged period of weakness if it fails to correct the policies that have contributed to excessive trade deficits and reliance on foreign saving. And in the case of American stagnation, the consequences would be far worse.

SLUMDOG PARADOX
By Sadanand Dhume. YaleGlobal. February 4, 2009.

“Slumdog Millionaire” is a rag-to-riches love story that has captured the world’s imagination. Even as international audiences cheer the orphan’s goal -- not securing wealth or escaping roots, but rather finding a lost love -- Indian audiences are less than enthusiastic. The film is a metaphor for a globalized India, explains author Sadanand Dhume, underscoring the promises and pitfalls of international collaboration and the painful fact that though India has come a long way, it still has far to go. The international attention that accompanies an appealing film, with universal themes, reveals both the good and the ugly of an India in transition. Denial prolongs the difficulties, while openness inspires change. This report explains why the response to the film has been so ambivalent inside the country.


**********************************************************************************
LATIN AMERICA

CUBA: ISSUES FOR THE 111TH CONGRESS
By Mark P. Sullivan. Congressional Research Service. February 25, 2009. 56 pages.

As in past years, the main issue for U.S. policy toward Cuba in the 111th Congress will likely be how best to support political and economic change in Cuba. In light of Fidel Castro’s departure as head of government, many observers have called for a re-examination of U.S. policy toward Cuba. In this new context, two broad policy approaches have been advanced: a status-quo that would maintain the U.S. dual-track policy of isolating the Cuban government while providing support to the Cuban people; and an approach aimed at changing attitudes within the Cuban government and Cuban society through increased contact and engagement. President Barack Obama vowed during the electoral campaign to change U.S. policy by allowing unlimited family travel and remittances to Cuba, although he also pledged to maintain the embargo as a source of leverage to bring about change in Cuba.


U.S. MEXICO RELATIONS: COMMENTS ON THE EVE OF PRESIDENT OBAMA’S INAUGURATION
By Sydney Weintraub. Center for Strategic and International Studies, Simon Chair in political economy. January 2009. 2 pages.

The number 109 of Issues in International Political Economy reports that the situation in Mexico has deteriorated during the past several months, largely because of contagion from the U.S. financial and credit meltdown. Mexico’s economy is projected to decline in 2009, the violence spawned by the drug trade is unacceptable, and the country has become the kidnapping capital of the world. This is happening in a populous country with about 110 million people that shares a 2,000 mile border with the United States, and which will always be next door. Mexico’s domestic developments are an integral part of U.S. foreign and domestic policy, just as U.S. domestic actions have immediate reverberations in
Mexico.

U.S.-BOLIVIA RELATIONS: LOOKING AHEAD
By Peter DeShazo. Testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. Center for Strategic and International Studies. March 3, 2009. 9 pages.

The relationship between the United States and Bolivia has traditionally been close but complex. In the future Bolivia will continue to be a country in flux. The implementation of the new constitution will present many challenges to a political system in which confrontation often trumps consensus and deep ethnic and regional divisions exist. The Obama administration should approach Bolivia with patience and realistic expectations, seeking constructive engagement with the people of that country and, to the extent possible, with its government.

**********************************************************************************


OBAMA FACES FAMILIAR DIVISIONS OVER ANTI-TERROR POLICIES
By the Pew Research center for the people and the press. February 18, 2009.

President Obama receives positive ratings for his handling of terrorism and most Americans say his administration’s policies will reduce the likelihood of another major attack on the United States. But as in recent years, the public remains deeply divided over how best to defend the nation against the threat of terrorism.
COMBATING MARITIME PIRACY
By Stephanie Hanson. Council on Foreign Relations. January 27, 2009.

Maritime piracy has been on the rise for years, according to the International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) Piracy Reporting Center. But until 2008, the crime drew limited international attention. By early 2009, more than a dozen countries had deployed their navies to the Gulf of Aden to counter piracy, and the United Nations passed four resolutions in 2008 on the issue. There are a range of measures available to combat piracy. Yet analysts agree the complexities of international maritime law make it difficult to prosecute pirates once they are caught. Some observers are cautiously optimistic about naval cooperation in the Gulf of Aden, but many experts say they anticipate further increases in piracy -- not just off East Africa, but worldwide.

FILM PIRACY, ORGANIZED CRIME, AND TERRORISM
By Gregory F. Treverton, Carl Matthies, Karla J. Cunningham, Jeremiah Goulka, Greg Ridgeway, Anny Wong. RAND Corporation, Safety and Justice Program and the Golbal Risk Security Center. February 2009. 182 pages.
This report presents the findings of research into the involvement of organized crime and terrorist groups in counterfeiting. Piracy is high in payoff and low in risk, often taking place under the radar of law enforcement. The case studies provide compelling evidence of a broad, geographically dispersed, and continuing connection between film piracy and organized crime, as well as evidence that terrorist groups have used the proceeds of film piracy to finance their activities. Counterfeiting is a threat not only to the global information economy, but also to public safety and national security. Cooperation among law enforcement and governments around the world is needed in the battle against intellectual-property theft, and meaningful progress will require increased political will, strong legislation, consistent enforcement, deterrent sentencing, and innovative solutions. The report lays out an agenda of measures.




INTERNATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY
By Liana Sun Wyler. Congressional Research Service. February 9, 2009. 37 pages.

This report provides an overview of U.S. international drug control policy. It describes major international counternarcotics initiatives and evaluates the broad array of U.S. drug control policy tools currently in use. The report also considers alternative counterdrug policy approaches to current initiatives and raises several counterdrug policy issues and considerations for policy makers.

2009 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE AWARDS
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State. Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan, Malaysian Bar Council President. March 11, 2009.

RAPPORTS PUBLICS SUR LA DEFENSE

Source Bibliotheque Rapports publics

Haut comité d'évaluation de la condition militaire - 1er rapport
http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/rapports-publics/074000116/index.shtml?xtor=EPR-526


Rapport d'information […] sur le démantèlement des navires de guerre
LAMOUR Marguerite
Assemblée nationale. Commission de la défense nationale et des forces armées
http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/rapports-publics/074000117/index.shtml?xtor=EPR-526


Rapport d'information […] sur les armes à sous-munitions
PLANCADE Jean-Pierre, GARRIAUD-MAYLAM Joëlle
Sénat. Commission des affaires étrangères, de la défense et des forces
armées
http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/rapports-publics/074000020/index.shtml?xtor=EPR-526

BEST SELLERS DE LA RAND CORPORATION

The books listed below are RAND's top-ten, best sellers during January 2007. You can find these and other RAND publications in bookstores; they may also be ordered through RAND. Also see RAND Book Reviews.
1.
Cover: Air Power in the New Counterinsurgency Era
Air Power in the New Counterinsurgency Era: The Strategic Importance of USAF Advisory and Assistance Missions
United States has engaged in counterinsurgency around the globe for more than a century. But insurgencies have rarely been defeated by outside powers. Rather, the afflicted nation itself must win the war politically and militarily, and the best way to help is to offer advice, training, and equipment. Air power, and the U.S. Air Force, can play an important role in such efforts, which suggests making them an institutional priority.

2.
Cover: America's Role in Nation-Building
America's Role in Nation-Building: From Germany to Iraq
In Iraq, the United States is facing its most challenging nation-building project since the 1940s. The authors draw lessons from seven case studies—Germany, Japan, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan—then apply these to the Iraq case. The results suggest that nation-building will be difficult but possible. Success will, however, require investing sufficient financial, military, and political resources—and time.


3.
Cover: Beyond al-Qaeda: Part 1
Beyond al-Qaeda: Part 1, The Global Jihadist Movement
Examines al-Qaeda’s evolution and the emergence of the broader global jihadist movement-groups affiliated, associated, or inspired by al-Qaeda-and the threat that they pose to the United States and U.S. allies and interests. The authors conclude by setting out a four-pronged strategy to counter the jihadist threat.


4.
Cover: Learning Large Lessons
Learning Large Lessons: The Evolving Roles of Ground Power and Air Power in the Post-Cold War Era
The relative roles of U.S. ground and air power in warfighting have shifted since the end of the Cold War. To assess this shift (i.e., between the Army and Air Force, respectively), the author of this report analyzed post–Cold War conflicts in Iraq (1991), Bosnia (1995), Kosovo (1999), Afghanistan (2001), and Iraq (2003).


5.
Cover: Early Childhood Interventions
Early Childhood Interventions: Proven Results, Future Promise
Considers the potential consequences of not investing additional resources in children's lives, the range of early intervention programs, the demonstrated benefits of interventions having high-quality evaluations, the features associated with successful programs, and the returns to society associated with investing early in the lives of disadvantaged children. The findings indicate the existence of a body of sound research that can guide resource allocation decisions.


6.
Cover: The UN's Role in Nation-Building
The UN's Role in Nation-Building: From the Congo to Iraq
Reviews UN efforts to transform eight unstable countries into democratic, peaceful, and prosperous partners, and compares those missions with U.S. nation-building operations. The UN provides the most suitable institutional framework for nation-building missions that require fewer than 20,000 men-one with a comparatively low cost structure, a comparatively high success rate, and the greatest degree of international legitimacy.


7.
Cover: Helping a Palestinian State Succeed
Helping a Palestinian State Succeed
A summary of two RAND studies on options for facilitating successful Palestinian development, MG-146-DCR and MG-327-GG. The former examines options for strengthening governance, security, economic development, access to water, health and health care, and education. The latter examines options for addressing housing, transportation, and related infrastructure needs. Both studies estimate the financing needed for successful development.


8.
Cover: New Challenges, New Tools for Defense Decisionmaking
New Challenges, New Tools for Defense Decisionmaking
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War—and then the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001—transformed the task of American foreign and defense policymaking. This book outlines the dimensions of that transformation and sketches new tools for dealing with the policy challenges—from modeling and gaming, to planning based on capabilities rather than threats, to personnel planning and making use of "best practices" from the private sector.


9.
Cover: Evolutionary Acquisition
Evolutionary Acquisition: Implementation Challenges for Defense Space Programs
This monograph presents findings of a RAND Project AIR FORCE research project documenting lessons learned by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and other Department of Defense (DoD) cost analysis and acquisition community members from the implementation of evolutionary acquisition (EA) strategies for major Air Force defense space acquisition programs. In May 2003, DoD mandated EA strategies relying on spiral development as the preferred approach to satisfying operational needs.


10.
Cover: A New Direction for China's Defense Industry
A New Direction for China's Defense Industry
As part of a larger RAND Project AIR FORCE study on Chinese military modernization, this document analyzes the individual strengths and weaknesses of four specific defense-industrial sectors—missile, aircraft, shipbuilding, and information technology—to explain variations in performance among those sectors, with a focus on differences in institutional arrangements, incentives, and exposure to market forces, and to evaluate the prospects for China's defense industry and its ability to contribute to military modernization.

Voir BIBLIOGRAPHIE DE L'INTERNATIONAL