The National Interest - NUMBER
106, MARCH/APRIL 2010
by Richard BurtPresident Obama came to office promising a new era in international affairs. So far, he’s been big on rhetoric and has accomplished little. Obama’s inability to prioritize foreign policy risks destroying his presidency.
by Matthew AlexanderThe former head interrogator in Iraq goes undercover in Indonesia to learn the secrets of their top-notch interrogation program. To win the battle against terrorism, violent extremists must be converted into antijihad advocates. Learn how a country can become terror free.
by David KayThe leader of the search for WMD in Iraq says weapons inspections will not stop Iran from going nuclear. An effective inspection regime would be more intrusive than a full-body search. The West doesn’t have the capacity or unity to make it happen.
by Jacob HeilbrunnGermany was once the most powerful nation on the Continent. Now it is spiraling toward mediocrity. Bloated entitlements, declining industry and a long-held love of the Left have plunged the country into a deep malaise. Only if Chancellor Angela Merkel can rouse her nation from its torpor will Germany again become the motor of Europe and a strong ally to America.
by Paul R. Pillar and John NaglKabul is set to become the primary focus of Obama’s strategic agenda. But is this the right choice? Pillar, former national intelligence officer for the Near East and South Asia,
argues that a just intervention has devolved into a worthless quagmire, while Iraq War veteran Nagl
believes al-Qaeda must be vanquished in the borderlands of AfPak.
by Gilles KepelAmerica is facing its first homegrown Islamic-extremism event. At the end of the day, whether violence comes from within our own borders will depend on nothing so much as assimilation. Washington has much to learn from its European ancestors, who have struggled with, fallen victim to and at times overcome jihadists in their own lands.
by John DunnTwenty years ago, all and sundry proclaimed the victory of West over East. The inevitability of republicanism as the answer to infinite governmental woes seemed clear. Yet the belief that the world abhors an ideological vacuum was mistaken. The United States is best served not by exporting democracy to others but by honing its institutions to more perfectly embody the liberal ideal.
by Liaquat AhamedWhat was so awfully odd about the recent economic crisis was that it took so many people by surprise. Now comes the great rethink. The chances of another cycle of optimism, overconfidence, hubris, panic and a long period of pessimism are high. The world is fast becoming a place bereft of economic leadership. The United States must act quickly to resume the mantle of financial guarantor or pass it on to a worthy successor.
by David G. VictorAs the debate over global warming gets vicious yet again, climate expert David Victor explains the real unknowns and real solutions.
by Anthony PagdenEuropeans came to believe everything beautiful emanated from the Caucasus. The journey of their swarthy Mediterranean forebears was transformed into a caricature of the white marble statues they left behind. Race science followed, and we have remained mired in a culture that slices and dices ethnicity ad nauseam and to our detriment.