  |
|
February 12, 2009 |
Afghanistan: Right War, Wrong Place
 U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke visits Kabul this week in the
wake of Taliban offensives in the Afghan capital that have left at
least 19 dead and 50 wounded. Gilles Dorronsoro explains that instead of spreading U.S. troops thin to confront Taliban
strongholds in southern and eastern regions, Washington should focus on
securing Kabul. | MORE>
|
More on Afghanistan
|
|
|
|
Also in this issue...
|
Nobel Laureate Calls for Talks with Iran
Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, speaking at Carnegie in advance of the 30th anniversary of the Iranian revolution, called for dialogue between Iranian and American citizens even if the Obama administration’s anticipated overture to Iran fails. “There is no difference that cannot be resolved,” Ebadi said. She stressed that a single international standard of human rights should apply to all nations. | MORE> |
|
 Focusing U.S. policy in the Caspian on containing Russian and Chinese influence has done little to advance U.S. security interests in the region. Martha Brill Olcott writes in a new policy brief that the United States needs a new approach that provides opportunities for economic and political development in cooperation with local leaders.
 Moscow confronts the prospect of serious economic, social, and political turmoil as Russia's economic crisis deepens and anti-government protests are staged throughout the country. Two of Carnegie's leading Russian scholars debate whether the impetus for changing Russia's economic and political system must come from within, or if the West can play a constructive role in that evolution.
 China's exports dropped 18 percent in January, raising fresh concerns that its economy is headed for a sustained downturn. At a recent Carnegie event, experts discussed the causes and remedies for China's rising unemployment rate, the consequences of its dependency on the U.S. economy, and how this economic data should be interpreted.
|
The invasion of Iraq has surfaced long-suppressed nationalist aspirations among the Kurds. If ignored or mishandled, Henri Barkey warns in a new report that Kurdish aspirations have the potential to
ignite violence and instability in Iraq and the region at a
particularly delicate time.
More on Kurdistan and Iraq:
 In their first meeting since President Obama took office, officials from the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China gathered last week to discuss Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Thérèse Delpech, Ariel Levite, and George Perkovich explain that the U.S. should hold direct talks with Iran, but place a time limit on negotiations and establish procedures to induce Iran to proceed in good faith.
 The U.S. Office of Management and Budget has reportedly ordered a 10 percent cut in defense spending for the coming fiscal year. Robert Kagan argues in the Washington Post that at a time of trillion-dollar stimulus packages, such a cut does not make fiscal sense, and will only serve to diminish the global standing of the United States. |
| |
|
|
|
Subscribe to Carnegie RSS Feeds
Carnegie experts and analysis straight to your desktop or mobile device. Subscribe by topic, region, media type and publication.
|
|
|
|
|
You are currently subscribed to the Carnegie eNews newsletter, a biweekly update
of the Endowment's recent reports, publication, and events.
Subscribe or unsubscribe from any of Carnegie's newsletters, www.carnegieendowment.org/signup.
Visit the eNews archive. |
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20036-2103
Phone: 202.483.7600 | Fax: 202.483.1840 | Email: webmaster@carnegieendowment.org
|
|
Caspian Region