Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Iraq and Afghanistan are the main battle grounds for the clash of two great narratives: the Global War on Terror narrative, and the Jihad through Martyrdom narrative. Not only does the failure of those two narratives pose new challenges to the Obama administration, but it also brings to light Europe’s role in today’s discussion on democratization.
Carlo D'Este looks at the life of Winston Churchill as a solider and a political leader who spent the better part of his life fending off increasingly dire threats to Britain’s place in the world, and then to its very existence as an independent nation.
Jessica T. Mathews, Tom Burke and Laurence Tubiana on what the EU and the U.S. need to do to address climate change.
Panel of experts, including Kemal Dervis, on the global implications of the financial crisis.
European policy experts and government officials discussed the futre of the Europe-U.S. realtionship.
The Russia-Georgia conflict is a watershed for a new era in geopolitics. As America scrambles to react to the crisis, Russia will continue to challenge Western influence in the former Soviet space. In turn, both will turn to Europe, and Europe’s ability to defend its own interests will be the most severe test yet for the Union. All the while, China, Iran and others watch with keen interest.
The search for a way for all parties in the Russia-Georgia conflict to sit down at the negotiating table is gradually beginning. There is real promise that an EU forum can establish an acceptable format and most likely, Russia is ready to make some concessions. Nevertheless, excessive pressure on Moscow will only strengthen its internal conservative forces and thus exacerbate its hard line stance.
Despite President Bush's condemnation of Russia's continued attacks on Georgia, the international community has yet to form a united response to the crisis. Western powers must make it clear that Russia will pay a high price for its actions through political and economic sanctions and possible suspension of the NATO-Russia relationship.
Russia’s response to Georgia’s large-scale military operation in South Ossetia transformed the conflict from a regional dispute over an obscure ethnic group into an emerging international crisis between Russia and the West. While Georgia may have succeeded in causing Russia to move in with heavy forces, the United States and Europe need to pause and think before following Saakashvili's script.
Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Stubb, discusses the prospects and challenges of the EU becoming a superpower in the international arena.