SOUTHEAST ASIA
AP Photo
Winter 2010/11
"Who Lost Vietnam? Soldiers, Civilians, and U.S. Military Strategy"
Journal Article, International Security, issue 3, volume 35
Scholars have long argued about why the United States pursued a conventional military strategy during the Vietnam War rather than one based on counterinsurgency principles. A recent article in this journal by Jonathan Caverley presents a bold challenge to the historiography of the Vietnam War. Rejecting the standard historical focus on the organizational culture and strategic perspective of Gen. William Westmoreland and the U.S. Army, Caverley argues that the roots of the United States' strategy in Vietnam can be traced to the direct influence of civilian leaders and the strong constraint of public opinion. Caverley's main arguments are a welcome challenge to the established wisdom, but they are not supported by the historical evidence.
FULL TEXT OF THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE HERE UNTIL FEBRUARY 15.
November 15, 2010
Robert Kaplan warns of increased competition in the Indian Ocean and the “arrival of the Asian Century”
Media Feature
By Vilas Rao, Research Assistant, India and South Asia Program
The Indian Ocean will become a critical area of influence over the next century, according to journalist and author Robert Kaplan, reflecting on the findings of his new book Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power.
November 9, 2010
Future of Diplomacy Project announces new resident and non-resident fellows
Press Release
By Cathryn Clüver, Executive Director, The Future of Diplomacy Project
The Future of Diplomacy Project, the newest research initiative to be launched by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School, announces its resident and non-resident research fellows for Fall 2010. "Our research fellows bring a blend of practical and academic expertise in diplomacy to the Harvard community, which is instrumental to the critical examination of international conflict resolution mechanisms today," said Future of Diplomacy Project Director Nicholas Burns.
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July 2010
"Diplomacy Derailed: The Consequences of Diplomatic Sanctions"
Journal Article, Washington Quarterly, issue 3, volume 33
By Tara Maller, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 2010–2011
"Diplomatic sanctions...entail a number of often overlooked consequences for the United States. The potential costs of diplomatic sanctions include not only a substantial loss of information and intelligence on the target state, but also a reduction in communication capacity and a diminished ability to influence the target state. Ironically, diplomatic sanctions may even undermine the effectiveness of other coercive policy tools, such as economic sanctions. These adverse effects ought to cause policymakers to reassess the value of diplomatic isolation as a tool of foreign policy and recognize the inherent value of diplomatic engagement."
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September 5, 2010
"Afghanistan: The Diem Moment?"
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Charles G. Cogan, Associate, International Security Program
"...[A] removal of Mr. Karzai might turn out to be more straightforward. Karzai is wholly reliant, for election victories and even his own security, on a small cabal of power-brokers. If persuaded that it is in their interest, these men might convoke Mr. Karzai and offer him and his family members and relatives safe passage out of Afghanistan to a country of his choice — perhaps one of those McMansions in Dubai that were paid for out of Kabul Bank funds."
September/October 2010
"Graham T. Allison: The Congenital Optimist"
Magazine or Newspaper Article, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
By Graham Allison, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard Kennedy School
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Graham Allison, director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School, has consistently warned policy makers about the dangers of a nuclear weapon falling into the hands of terrorist groups such as al Qaeda. Allison spoke with the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists about what he thinks needs to be done today to turn rhetoric about tightening nuclear security into stronger action.
August 9, 2010
Graham Allison Calls for Citizen Follow-up to "Countdown to Zero"
Memorandum, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
By Graham Allison, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard Kennedy School
The Belfer Center is honored to have a number of our scholars and alumni prominently featured in the film Countdown to Zero. It is a testament to our long-standing commitment to providing leadership in advancing policy-relevant knowledge about the threat of nuclear terrorism and proliferation. Translating words into deeds, however, will require private citizens to take action. For her work in pushing nations around the world to sign a treaty banning land mines, Jody Williams won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997....Someone asked one of my colleagues here at the Center, what would a nuclear Jody Williams do? Colleagues here have developed a list.
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April 2010
"U.S. Interagency Regional Foreign Policy Implementation: A Survey of Current Practice and an Analysis of Options for Improvement"
Paper
By Robert S. Pope, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 2009–2010
The United States has a complex, multi-agency structure to plan, synchronize, and execute foreign policy and national security. By statute, the State Department is the lead agency for foreign policy. However, in practice, the much larger and better-funded Department of Defense conducts much of America's foreign policy activity, often with little coordination with the State Department or other relevant agencies. Over the past two decades, the military's Geographic Combatant Commands have taken an increasing lead in planning and executing foreign policy activities around the world. This has often effectively put a military face and voice on America's foreign policy, sometimes to the detriment of broader U.S. goals and relationships. More effective U.S. foreign policy requires greater interagency coordination at all levels and a greater role for the State Department as America's lead agency for foreign policy.
May 2010
"A Pillar's Progress: How Development's History Shapes U.S. Options in the Present"
Discussion Paper
By David Ekbladh, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 2009–2010
With the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the "War on Terror" that followed, development aid was shoved back into the spotlight. Many ideas and institutions that had lain dormant in international affairs, insinuated their return into U.S. strategy and the agenda of the international community. "Nation building" in Afghanistan and Iraq along with a hope that development would stifle the appeal of extremist ideologies and the movements that they stirred has returned development to a prominent place in U.S. grand strategy.
April 2010
Securing the Bomb 2010
Book
By Matthew Bunn, Associate Professor of Public Policy; Co-Principal Investigator, Project on Managing the Atom
Associate Professor of Public Policy and Project on Managing the Atom Co-Principal Investigator Matthew Bunn provides a comprehensive assessment of global efforts to secure and consolidate nuclear stockpiles, and a detailed action plan for securing all nuclear materials in four years. Securing the Bomb 2010 was commissioned by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). The full report, with additional information on the threat of nuclear terrorism, is available for download on the NTI website.
