US FOREIGN POLICY
June 2008
Military Elements in a Strategy to Deal with Iran's Nuclear Program
Paper Series
By Dr. Ashton B. Carter, Co-Director, Preventive Defense Project, Harvard & Stanford Universities
PDP Co-Director Ashton B. Carter explores military elements in the U.S. strategy for addressing Iran's nuclear program.
May 6, 2008
"U.S. Worry Grows over Pakistan's Tribal Peace Deal"
Media Feature
By Xenia Dormandy, Director of the Belfer Center's Project on India and the Subcontinent
Jackie Northam of NPR interviews Xenia Dormandy, Director of the Project on India and the Subcontinent, regarding the new Pakistani government's negotiations with militants tied to al Qaeda.
April 7, 2008
"India's Key Foreign Policy Issues"
Policy Brief
By Xenia Dormandy, Director of the Belfer Center's Project on India and the Subcontinent
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?
April 1, 2008
Is NATO Dead or Alive?
Op-Ed, The Huffington Post
By Dr. Elizabeth D. Sherwood-Randall, Founding Senior Advisor, Preventive Defense Project
PDP Senior Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall examines the future of NATO and asks: Will the Alliance, established to fight the Cold War, survive the 21st century?
March 30, 2008
"Is Bush Our Woodrow Wilson?"
Op-Ed, The Los Angeles Times
By Joseph S. Nye, Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations
"Bush and Wilson have many similarities. Both were highly religious men who came to office without any foreign policy experience and who responded to a crisis — Wilson to World War I, Bush to 9/11 — with a bold, moralistic vision. Wilson vowed to make the world safe for democracy, and Bush tried to transform the Middle East by imposing democratic government on Iraq. Many of Bush's speeches about promoting democracy abroad could have been given by Wilson. The expressed ideals in both men's proposed visions of changing other countries were unachievable given our nation's capacities."
March 24, 2008
"India-Iran Relations: Key Security Implications"
Policy Brief
By Xenia Dormandy, Director of the Belfer Center's Project on India and the Subcontinent and Ronak D. Desai
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?
March 18, 2008
"America Must Learn the Hard Facts of Soft Power"
Op-Ed, The South China Morning Post
By Joseph S. Nye, Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations
"Soft power is not good per se, and it is not always better than hard power. Nobody likes to feel manipulated, even by soft power. But soft power allows followers more choice and leeway.
Hard power has not become irrelevant, but leaders must develop the contextual intelligence to combine hard and soft power resources into a "smart power" strategy. The next US president will need to learn that lesson."
March 14–March 20, 2008
"Hard vs Soft Power: Contenders in the US Presidential Race Must Respond to a Changed World"
Op-Ed, Nepali Times
By Joseph S. Nye, Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations
"The fact that the final three contenders in the US election race are a woman, an African-American, and an older man who often challenged his own party suggests that the United States, after a decline in popularity during the Bush years, retains some capacity to reinvent itself. But the next president will need to recognise that the nature of leadership also is changing."
March 12, 2008
Burns Calls for More US Engagement with Iran
Event Summary
Nicholas Burns spoke March 11 in the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, labeling the top challenges facing the world today as global climate change, trafficking in women and children, international drug and crime cartels, and terrorist groups with access to chemical and biological weapons. This last challenge motivated the focus on Iran.
March 11, 2008
Nicholas Burns, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, speaks on the future of the U.S.-Iran Relationship
Press Release
Ambassador Nicholas Burns addresses the Forum in a talk entitled, "Clash with Iran: Inevitable or Avoidable?"
