CASPIAN SEA REGION
October 4, 2006
"Beware a New Bush Doctrine"
Op-Ed, Boston Globe
By Seyom Brown, Former Senior Fellow, International Security Program, 2006-2007
"IN A DEFT move to divert the political debate away from the embarrassing National Intelligence Estimate on the impact of the war in Iraq on terrorism, President George W. Bush has been prematurely touting the "successes" of NATO's beefed-up counterinsurgency campaign against the resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan...."
August 31, 2006
"Globalization, Terrorism, and the U.S. Relationship with Russia"
Book Chapter
By Graham Allison, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Douglas Dillon Professor of Government; Faculty Chair, Dubai Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School
"Following the September 11 attacks on America, the great power relationship between the United States and Russia changed significantly...."
August 31, 2006
"The Failure of Chechen Separatism"
Book Chapter
By John Reppert, Former Executive Director for Research, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Alexei Shevchenko
"The prospects for independence of nationalist movements which reject globalization are quite poor...."
July 2006
The Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign Policy
Book
By Brenda Shaffer, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1999-2000; Former Research Director, Caspian Studies Project, 2004-2007
The contributors to The Limits of Culture find that, contrary to the currently popular view, culture is rarely more important than other factors in shaping the foreign policies of countries in the Caspian region.
Read the Foreign Affairs review.
July 2006
"Introduction: The Limits of Culture"
Book Chapter
By Brenda Shaffer, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1999-2000; Former Research Director, Caspian Studies Project, 2004-2007
"In recent decades, area studies and international relations specialists have conducted and published research with little dialogue between their respective fields, especially concerning the impact of culture on states...."
July 2006
"The Islamic Republic of Iran: Is It Really?"
Book Chapter
By Brenda Shaffer, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1999-2000; Former Research Director, Caspian Studies Project, 2004-2007
"The Islamic Republic of Iran could conceivably be the poster child for the proponents of cultural explanations of foreign policy and of those who claim that Islam is the guiding force of foreign policy formation for Muslim-populated states...."
July 2006
"Conclusion"
Book Chapter
By Brenda Shaffer, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1999-2000; Former Research Director, Caspian Studies Project, 2004-2007
"This study examined the foreign policies of the states of the greater Caspian region throughout the first decade after the Soviet Union's demise and attempted to identify the role of culture in the foreign policy decisions of these states...."
June 2, 2006
"Iran's Volatile Ethnic Mix"
Op-Ed, International Herald Tribune
By Brenda Shaffer, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1999-2000; Former Research Director, Caspian Studies Project, 2004-2007
Western policy makers should consider the response of ethnic minorities when assessing regime stability in Iran. Policy toward Iran should include strategies to deal with the political demands of Iranian ethnic groups — demands that are only likely to grow.
AP Photo
April-June 2006
"Turkey's Energy Policies in a Tight Global Energy Market"
Journal Article, Insight Turkey, issue 2, volume 8
By Brenda Shaffer, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 1999-2000; Former Research Director, Caspian Studies Project, 2004-2007
Despite this extensive activity in the energy sphere, it seems, however, that Ankara's energy policy has been undertaken without a strategic plan and with little integration of energy issues into Turkey's overall foreign and security policies.
Spring 2006
"Democracy, Human Rights and Market Development in Turkey: Are They Related?"
Journal Article, Government and Opposition, issue 2, volume 41
By Demet Yalcin Mousseau, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 2005-2006
Some studies suggest that market-based economic development with state policies based on the rule of law are essential in stabilizing democracy and protecting civil and political rights. This article explores a possible association between weak civil and political rights, democratic instability and the delay in a state-regulated market development under the rule of law in Turkey. Despite its experience with democratic institutions since the 1950s, Turkey can be characterized as an 'illiberal' democracy because of its poor record on human rights. The lack of a relatively autonomous and competitive market economy may be explained by clientelist and inegalitarian forms of state intervention. These in turn contribute to the perpetuation of low income levels, a clientelist rent-seeking political and economic culture and unstable and illiberal democracy.
