Report
18 September 2009
Yesterday President Obama unveiled a plan to deploy proven systems that can defend against short and medium range missiles – the missiles Iran actually possesses – as opposed to wasting a decade and billions of dollars developing Bush’s ground based missile defense system that is intended to counter a threat – long range ballistic missiles - that doesn’t exist.Domestically, the fallout from the Obama administration’s decision has been clarifying. This debate has exposed that while President Obama is seeking to deal with 21st century challenges, conservatives remain firmly focused on those of the 20th.
Report
3 April 2009
As NATO leaders meet in Strasbourg-Kehl to mark the alliance’s sixtieth anniversary, they bring great hopes for its renewal after eight years of discord. Today the Alliance will admit Albania and Croatia as members, and return France to full participation after 43 years; both are signs of the vital role the Alliance still plays in binding up Europe’s old wounds – and binding all of Europe to the United States. But substantive challenges lie ahead.
Report
30 March 2009
Tomorrow’s conference at The Hague – bringing together almost one hundred countries, international and non-governmental organizations – represents an important step in implementing a comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan that recognizes that American interests cannot be secured through military force alone. Afghanistan’s neighbors including Pakistan, Iran, Russia, India, China and the Gulf States all have significant interests in the country. If they are not engaged to play a productive and positive role, there is little chance that Afghanistan can be stabilized.
Report
13 March 2009
This week marked the 10th anniversary of NATO’s expansion into the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Their inclusion into NATO helped stabilize the region, consolidate democracy, and firmly put these countries on the path to membership in the European Union. Yet, after eight years of neglect from Washington, the Alliance is struggling to redefine itself to address the challenges of the 21st century.There were important signs this week that efforts to reinvigorate the Alliance are beginning
Report
6 March 2009
Today, Secretary Clinton presented Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov with – literally – a “reset button” for the US-Russia relationship. Her gesture at their first meeting capped forty days of positive signals to Moscow on the need to forge a new relationship based around “mutual respect” and the urgent need for cooperation on a range of issues including Iran, Afghanistan, nonproliferation, and European – Russian relations.
Report
9 February 2009
This year’s Munich Security Conference saw a change in tone from Americans and Europeans alike, as US leaders pledged to forge a new cooperative relationship and Europeans reciprocated appreciatively.
Report
18 September 2008
John McCain last night refused to say whether he would invite Spain’s Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to the White House. The interview - conducted in English and translated into Spanish – was with the Florida affiliate of Spain’s Union Radio. In the interview McCain appeared to have no idea who Prime Minister Zapatero was, apparently assuming he was a Latin American leader who might or might not be a friend of the United States.
Press Release
Washington, D.C. 18 September 2008
News
Congressional Quarterly 16 September 2008
Report
27 August 2008
Russia’s recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states is an escalatory step that attempts to lock in its recent military gains through political action. Russia continues to hold the military and political initiative, and U.S. and its NATO allies have been able to do little to counter it.
