Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The deterioration of the situation in Iraq this month raised many people's hopes that the United States would get seriously bogged down there. While some openly gloated at America's misfortunes, others argued that maybe the United States would tone down its arrogance and -- perhaps under a new president -- start to listen to other people's advice.
Michael Swaine evaluates the presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan, and their implications for cross-strait relations and U.S.-Taiwan relations.
Madrassas are a major source of radical influence on the thinking of the world's 1 billion Muslims. Rather than focus narrowly on madrassa reform, as the U.S. has done, the Muslim world needs to be encouraged to embrace modern education and undertake ijtihad (mental exertion to find solutions to problems) on its own.
Russia's stances toward the U.S., NATO and the EU have also become more contentious. Many of these discussions are replete with dubious interpretations of revisionist history and patently unconstructive approaches from both sides, especially concerning the future of Russia's role in the G-8 and its ties with the newly expanded NATO.
Discussants explain the current political and security situation in Iraq and its consequences for the broader Middle East.
The frequency of terrorist acts worldwide attributed to Al Qaeda has increased, compared to the pre-9/11 period. U.S. politicians and analysts have said much about how the war against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan should have been finished before starting another war in Iraq. But the conduct of the war in Afghanistan itself is also to blame.
Since the declaration of war against terror, America and its allies have detained or killed 70 per cent of Al Qaida's senior leaders. But the frequency of terrorist acts has increased. This is because US strategy in Afghanistan assumed that terrorists couldn’t operate without state sponsorship. Ideological motivation is now more important for Al Qaida recruitment than a state sponsor.