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November 1, 2011
Must Read
Abdul Raziq and his men have received millions of dollars’ worth of U.S. training and equipment to help in the fight against the Taliban. But is our ally--long alleged to be involved in corruption and drug smuggling--also guilty of mass murder?
See more in Afghanistan
October 4, 2011
Op-Ed
Bloomberg.com
Peter Orszag recommends tax incentives for investors who buy empty housing properties and rent them out.
See more in United States
October 5, 2011
Analysis Brief
Syria's upheaval has entered a new, perilous phase. Tougher regime crackdowns risk splintering the country into sectarian war, say experts, while debate over international action intensifies.
See more in Syria
October 2011
Other Report
Paul D. Williams assesses Africa's growing strategic importance to the United States, while clarifying how the African Union (AU) is poised to be a U.S. partner on the continent. Citing numerous challenges facing the AU regarding conflict management capabilities, this working paper enumerates practical policy recommendations for capacity-building in this area.
See more in African Union
October 4, 2011
Video
Jendayi Frazer and EJ Hogendoorn discuss the short- and long-term challenges in East Africa for regional governments, international institutions, and U.S. policy.
See more in Horn of Africa
October 4, 2011
Audio
Jendayi Frazer and EJ Hogendoorn discuss the short- and long-term challenges in East Africa for regional governments, international institutions, and U.S. policy.
See more in Horn of Africa
September 2011
Essential Documents
The fourth White House Quarterly Report on Afghanistan and Pakistan was released in September 2011. President Obama's letter accompanying the report states,
"This report covers the period from January 1, 2011, through June 30, 2011. To the extent possible, the report also provides an assessment through August 31, 2011. Events continue to evolve since that time, for example in our relationship with Pakistan, but these developments fall outside the scope of this report. As I noted in my remarks on the way forward in Afghanistan on June 22, we have seen great progress in our fight against al-Qa'ida; we have reversed the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan; and we continue to see progress in training the Afghan National Security Forces. This will allow us in the coming year to fully recover the 33,000 U.S. troop surge I announced at West Point in December 2009. Beyond that change, we continue to implement the strategy and do not believe further modifications or adjustments to the metrics, resources, or authorities are required at this time. Huge challenges remain, and this is the beginning -- but not the end -- of our effort to wind down this war."
See more in Afghanistan, Pakistan
October 4, 2011
Analysis Brief
While Greece has failed to meet the budget requirements mandated by the EU and the IMF, experts say eurozone leaders will likely continue to bailout the country because the costs of letting it go are far greater.
See more in EU
October 4, 2011
Video
Sebastian Mallaby, Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies and Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics, says Greece is nearing a turning point in its debt crisis. Mallaby predicts that "Greece is going to have to default, it's going to have to be restructured in its debt," and argues that policy-makers need to "prevent the fire from spreading out of Greece and causing trouble all across the eurozone."
See more in Greece, Western Europe
October 3, 2011
Op-Ed
Foreign Policy
Stuart Levey and Christy Clark argue that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the world's premier standard-setting body for combating terrorist financing and money laundering, and it should develop and enforce standards for sanctions implementation.
See more in United States
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Paul B. Stares and Micah Zenko assess the strengths and weaknesses of international institutions and provide a set of practical recommendations for how the United States can strengthen the global architecture for preventive action by partnering with those organizations.
Michael Spence describes how the recent period of growth in developing countries is leading to a convergence with the developed world.
Stewart Patrick challenges the conventional wisdom about failed states through systematic empirical analysis that traces the connections between state failure and transnational security threats.
Gayle Lemmon tells the remarkable story of a young entrepreneur whose business created jobs and hope for women in her Kabul, Afghanistan, neighborhood during the Taliban years.
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Copyright © 2011 by the Council on Foreign Relations, Inc. All rights reserved.