British soldiers patrol the streets of Basra, Iraq, July 15, 2008. Britain plans to substantially scale back its troop numbers in Iraq during 2009. (AP Photo)
OP-ED
We Have Military to be Proud of — So Give Them Money They Need
January 8, 2009
Research Fellow Azeem Ibrahim on the underfunding of the British military: "As a country, we must face the fact our armed forces have reached the limit of what they can afford to do... we claim to be proud of the dedication and professionalism of ourarmed forces, but we spend half as much on them per head as the Americans do."
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FEATURED BLOG POST
Cold War Analogies Do Not Apply to the Gaza Strip Conflict
Bryan Early reacts to commentary on the Gaza conflict.
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FEATURED VIDEO
AP Photo
December 24, 2008
"Obama and the Muslim World"
Agence Global
By Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow, The Dubai Initiative
Barack Obama should quickly understand that the same principle applied to what he calls "the Muslim world" -- that there is no Muslim world, any more than there is a monolithic Christian or Black world in the United States.
AP Photo
December 23, 2008
"Obama Meets the World"
Daily News Egypt
By Joseph S. Nye, Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations
"Many people will try to set President Barack Obama's priorities, but one person is sure to have a major effect. George W. Bush has bequeathed an unenviable legacy: an economic crisis, two wars, a struggle against terrorism, and problems across the Middle East and elsewhere. If Obama fails to fight these fires successfully, they will consume his political capital, but if all he does is fight them, he will inherit Bush's priorities. The new president must deal with the past and chart a new future at the same time."
AP Photo
December 27, 2008
"Needing Coercive Diplomacy to Deal with Iran"
The Huffington Post
By Joshua Gleis, Associate, International Security Program
"The United States must re-examine the manner in which it has dealt with Iran's nuclear program. For too long, U.S. administrations have let their counterparts take the lead in Iranian negotiations. In the meantime, many of those involved in talks with the Iranians have themselves greatly benefited from economic cooperation with the Shiite Islamist regime. Russian assistance, for instance, will allow the Iranians to make their first nuclear plant operational by January 2009. The Germans continue to be the largest trading partner with the Iranians, a country it is supposedly trying to pressure. And NATO ally Turkey recently announced a $12 billion deal to invest in Iran's South Pars offshore gas field. Adept negotiators, the Iranians have used this time to secretly advance their nuclear weapons program while still turning a profit...."
AP Photo
December 29, 2008
"Bush's 'Orphans' Haunt the World"
Toronto Star
By Thomas M. Nichols, Research Fellow, International Security Program/Project on Managing the Atom
"Presidents are often remembered for the things they did, but like many administrations before his own, a significant part of George W. Bush's legacy might well lie with the things he failed to do. The Bush administration essentially "orphaned" several foreign policy issues after 2000 (relations with Mexico and Canada, and the environment, among others) but two are particularly important: tensions with Russia and the future of nuclear arms control."
AP Photo
December 30, 2008
"Lessons Learned from the 2006 War Being Implemented in Gaza"
The Huffington Post
By Joshua Gleis, Associate, International Security Program
"While many have spoken about the lessons Hamas has learned from Hezbollah over the years, it appears the Israeli political and military establishment has learned one or two of its own. When the 2006 war began, for instance, Olmert vowed to fight on until Israel's two kidnapped soldiers were released, the katyusha rockets being fired from Lebanon were stopped, and Hezbollah was pushed back from the Israeli-Lebanese border. These unrealistic goals were never achieved, and his comments made it all too easy for Hezbollah to claim victory when the fighting ceased."
December 24, 2008
Memo to the Next President: Restoring Diplomacy (Part 2 of 2)
By R. Nicholas Burns, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics
In the second part of this exclusive web video, Nicholas Burns, Harvard Kennedy School Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics and former under secretary of State for Political Affairs (2005 to 2008), outlines steps the Obama administration should take to improve U.S. diplomacy and discusses the diplomatic successes of the outgoing Bush administration.
Fall/Winter 2008 Photo Gallery
Each week, the Belfer Center welcomes government officials, policymakers, and experts from around the world to share their insights and diverse views on critical current issues. See who joined us in the fall and winter of 2008.
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BELFER CENTER HIGHLIGHTS
Winter 2008-09 Belfer Center Newsletter
The Winter 2008-09 issue of the Belfer Center newsletter features recent and upcoming research, activities, and analysis by Center faculty, fellows, and staff on critical global issues. "What should the next president do first?" is a question answered by Belfer Center experts with advice on what they consider priority issues of national security, climate/energy policy, and the economic crisis.
| MOST VIEWED PUBLICATIONS | NEW BOARD MEMBER | BELFER IN THE NEWS |
|---|---|---|
Former U.S. Diplomat R. Nicholas Burns Appointed to Harvard Kennedy School Faculty R. Nicholas Burns, formerly the highest-ranking career diplomat at the U.S. Department of State, has been appointed Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics. He will serve on the Board of Directors at Belfer Center. |