POLICY BRIEFS
AP Photo
December 2008
Policy Options: The Obama Administration and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
By Shai Feldman, Member of the Board, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Khalil Shikaki
This document constitutes a first attempt by two experts — one Israeli, the other a Palestinian —to examine these assets and liabilities, these opportunities and constraints, and to evaluate the various options available to the next administration for solving or ameliorating the Palestinian- Israeli conflict.
February 4, 2009
"European Proposal For a Global Pact on Climate Change"
By Sasha Talcott, Director of Communications and Outreach
The January 23, 2009, release of the European Union (EU)'s proposal for a global pact on climate change marks a major step on the road to the 15th Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen. The European blueprint raises several interesting issues for further discussion and consideration.
The Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements, as a matter of course, does not endorse individual countries' negotiating positions. Nevertheless, the European climate platform discusses several issues that will be important moving forward. The Harvard Project's 26 research teams have examined these issues closely.
October 6, 2008
The 2008 Ibrahim Index of African Governance
By Robert Rotberg, Director, Program on Intrastate Conflict and Conflict Resolution and Rachel Gisselquist, Research Director, Index of African Governance
Small states, island states, and Botswana, and South Africa are the best governed countries in sub-Saharan Africa according to this year’s Index of African Governance
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July 10, 2008
"Indo-Israeli Relations: Key Security Implications"
By Ronak D. Desai and Xenia Dormandy, Former Senior Associate, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Following more than forty years of diplomatic estrangement, the last decade has witnessed India and Israel embark on a new multidimensional "strategic partnership." What are the implications of growing ties between these two countries for India and the United States?
May, 2008
Generative Infrastructural Urbanism in Dubai
By Stephen J. Ramos, Research Fellow, The Dubai Initiative
In a policy brief published by the Dubai School of Government in May 2008, DI fellow Stephen Ramos gives his recommendations on how the most recent round of infrastructure planning in Dubai will spatially impact the city's form and functionality, and how the Emirate can best prepare for these changes.
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April 7, 2008
"India's Key Foreign Policy Issues"
By Xenia Dormandy, Former Senior Associate, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
In recent years, India's military, diplomatic and economic energies have expanded far beyond Nehru's Non-Aligned position. But what does that mean for India, its region, and the United States?
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March 24, 2008
"India-Iran Relations: Key Security Implications"
By Ronak D. Desai and Xenia Dormandy, Former Senior Associate, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
While India and the United States have embarked on a campaign to strengthen their bilateral relations, as symbolized by the proposed US-India civilian nuclear deal, it appears as though New Delhi has similarly begun to pursue a more robust relationship with another major power: Iran. The two states have recently expanded cooperation in a number of key areas, including counterterrorism, regional stability, and energy security. What are the implications of this "New Delhi-Tehran Axis" for the United States, and how should Washington respond to growing ties between India and Iran?
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March 2008
Saving Afghanistan
By General (ret.) James L. Jones, USMC, Former Senior Advisor, Preventive Defense Project and Kristin Krohn Devold
This issue brief warns that without urgent policy changes U.S. and international efforts may fail in Afghanistan. The brief addresses the current situation in Afghanistan and offers several policy recommendations to ensure future success there.
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February 11, 2008
Pakistan Political Stability
By Xenia Dormandy, Former Senior Associate, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Since March 2007, tensions in Pakistan have been rising: the political instability surrounding both the presidential and parliamentary elections is commingling with the increase in militant activity within Pakistan proper, which led to around 60 suicide attacks in Pakistan in 2007. Following Benazir Bhutto's assassination on December 27, the extremists have upped the ante, perhaps hoping to disrupt the February 18 elections. Is Pakistan becoming the world's "most dangerous nation"?
January 2008
"Results Based Government in Arab States: Drivers, Barriers and Tensions"
By Nesrine Halima, Former Research Associate, The Dubai Initiative, 2006-2007
The transnational movement of goods, services and ideas-the
process known as globalization-has had profound impact on national
government structures and how their administrations are managed.
In many respects, globalization has dissolved both material and
immaterial economic, social and even cultural boundaries. The
interplay between both these factors has made globalization an area of
interest and concern within the area of public administration. This policy
brief examines the relationship between globalization and resultsbased
government, and how global processes and trends have affected
the public sector in Arab states. The brief concludes that the variance
between the levels of progress in adopting and applying these tools of
public administration across the Arab world cannot be attributed to lack of political commitment alone, but also resides within the specific institutional and sociocultural histories of Arab states.
