SOUTH ASIA
AP Photo
March 30, 2009
"The Real Afghan Issue Is Pakistan"
Op-Ed, Wall Street Journal
By Graham Allison, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Douglas Dillon Professor of Government; Faculty Chair, Dubai Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School and John M. Deutch, International Council Member, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Mr. Obama took a giant step beyond the Bush administration's "Afghanistan policy" when he named the issue "AfPak" -- Afghanistan, Pakistan and their shared, Pashtun-populated border. But this is inverted. We suggest renaming the policy "PakAf," to emphasize that, from the perspective of U.S. interests and regional stability, the heart of the problem lies in Pakistan.
March 2009
Afghanistan: Changing the Frame, Changing the Game
Discussion Paper
By Yll Bajraktari and Peter Roady
At a crucial moment, this paper analyzes the challenges the international community faces in Afghanistan and finds that five problems have crippled the effort from the beginning – ambiguous objectives, poor coordination, a mismatch of goals and resources, unrealistic expectations about centralized institutions, and inattention to regional dynamics. The authors offer practical, actionable recommendations that will help the international community achieve a positive outcome in Afghanistan and the region.
March 13, 2009
"India: America's Indispensable Allies"
Op-Ed, Christian Science Monitor
By Xenia Dormandy, Former Senior Associate, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Presidential terms are a marathon of effort, but the Obama administration has started with a full sprint. Between the financial crisis and events in Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, and elsewhere, it's had to. Xenia Dormandy argues that in rushing ahead to confront one crisis after another, it risks forgetting a crucial friend: India.
AP Photo
March 10, 2009
"Taking Seriously the Situation in Pakistan"
Op-Ed
By Azeem Ibrahim, Research Fellow, International Security Program
"The Defence Secretary, John Hutton, has argued that the war in Afghanistan was important because the country had provided Al-Qa’ida with territory in which to train and plan attacks, and that Pakistan mattered because the Taliban were directed and supplied from across its 1,500 mile open border. Whilst that was the accepted picture, few gave any credence to the idea that Pakistan posed a bigger security challenge to the world than Afghanistan. Now, that very idea has been voiced by the top US diplomat in Kabul. According to this new understanding, allied strategy must engage with Pakistan's fate as a matter of urgency."
AP Photo
March 6, 2009
"Pakistan in Denial is its Biggest Security Obstacle"
Op-Ed, Middle East Times
By Azeem Ibrahim, Research Fellow, International Security Program
"...[M]ost of the Pakistani elite are in denial. Too many authoritative figures simply refuse to face the extent to which the terrorist threat from Islamist radicals comes from within Pakistan....Many Pakistanis believe that America wants the destruction of Pakistan because it is the only Muslim country with nuclear weapons, and that it is trying to enlist Pakistani help in Afghanistan only in order to trap it in a pincer movement between India and American troops there."
AP Photo
March 4, 2009
"Keep the Pressure on Pakistan"
Op-Ed
By Appu Soman, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program/Project on Managing the Atom, 2007–2009
"The current wave of terrorism in South Asia began nearly two decades ago. The failure of successive administrations in Washington to take a firm stand against this terrorism has allowed the problem to fester to the point where it is now the most critical American security concern."
Winter 2008/09
"Correspondence: Misunderstanding Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Area?"
Journal Article, International Security, issue 3, volume 33
By Kimberly Marten, Thomas H. Johnson and M. Chris Mason
Kimberly Marten replies to Johnson and Mason's Spring 2008 International Security article, "No Sign until the Burst of Fire: Understanding the Pakistan-Afghanistan Frontier."
AP Photo
January/February 2009
"Priorities Before the President"
Magazine or Newspaper Article, India & Global Affairs
By Xenia Dormandy, Former Senior Associate, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
In order to create a truly strategic relationship, the Obama administration will need to go beyond the civil nuclear cooperation, drawing on areas of common concern and interest.
AP Photo
February 5, 2009
"Behind the Headlines: Azeem Ibrahim, Research Fellow at the International Security Programme at Harvard University"
Op-Ed, The Scotsman
By Azeem Ibrahim, Research Fellow, International Security Program
"ALL the attention on Barack Obama's attempts to increase international troop numbers in Afghanistan threatens to obscure the grave situation facing Pakistan. Increasing threats to its integrity on the economic, political, and military fronts may constitute the biggest existential risk it has faced in its 61-year history. The Obama administration must factor this into its foreign policy strategy...."
February 4, 2009
"European Proposal For a Global Pact on Climate Change"
Policy Brief
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.
