Synopses & Reviews
This Twenty-Ninth Edition of ANNUAL EDITIONS: WORLD POLITICS provides convenient, inexpensive access to current articles selected from the best of the public press. Organizational features include: an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites; an annotated table of contents; a topic guide; a general introduction; brief overviews for each section; a topical index; and an instructors resource guide with testing materials. USING ANNUAL EDITIONS IN THE CLASSROOM (ISBN 0073301906)is offered as a practical guide for instructors. ANNUAL EDITIONS titles are supported by our student website, www.dushkin.com/online.
Table of Contents
UNIT 1. The International System and Changing World Order of the Twenty-First Century
1. 47166 The New World Order, Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, March/April 2007
The twenty-first century will see China and India emerging as economic and political heavyweights in international affairs. “This tectonic shift will pose a challenge to the U.S. dominated global institutions that have been in place since the 1940s,” ”But unless the rising powers are incorporated into this framework, the future of these international regimes will be uncomfortably uncertain.”
2. 39316 China Views Globalization: Toward a New Great-Power Politics?, Yong Deng and Thomas G. Moore, The Washington Quarterly, Summer 2004
Globalization has become a lens through which Beijings grand strategy is filtered. For Chinese strategic thinkers, globalizationas manifested in transnational forces, international institutions, and a great need for multilateralismis a means to “democratize” the U.S. hegemonic order and to minimize unilateralist power.
3. 45280 Indias Path to Greatness, Martin Walker, Wilson Quarterly, Summer 2006
India is emerging as an important strategic partner of the United States. Potentially, India may be one of the dominant future world powers, along with the United States and China. How welland whether India manages its rise to poweralong with relations with other rising and status quo powerscould well determine the future of the whole region,” and the world.
4. 47167 The Power of Green, Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times Magazine, April 15, 2007
America can regain its international stature by taking the lead In alternative energy and environmentalism. Such a shift includes electing the first Green President and launching a bi-partisan massive push, much like Eisenhowers interstate highway initiative or FDRs New deal, to develop a multi-prong effort to develop alternative energy sources. Friedman advocates implementing both free-market strategies, high governmental standards and consumption taxes.
UNIT 2. Managing Interstate Conflicts and the Proliferation of Weapons
Part A. Alliances, Balance of Power, and the Use of Force
5. 47168 Americas Asia-Pacific Strategy Is Out of Kilter, William T. Tow, Current History, September 2007
“The Asia-Pacific region is shaping up as the most important in the world for the United States evolving strategic interests and force postures.” “If Washington is effective in linking its Asia-Pacific and global security postures, it can maintain its status as a preeminent power in the region. But achieving balance depends on the United States transforming itself from a hierarchical player in the Asia-Pacific region into one more comfortable with sharing power and negotiating compromises.
6. 47169 Iran Flexes Its Muscles, Adel Darwish, The Middle East, May 2007
Irans long term strategy of imposing its hegemony on the Middle East is complicated by a national psyche that hovers between conflicting identities: ancient Persian nationhood...and its craving for a place at helm of global radical Islam." The capture of 15 British Royal Navy and Royal Marines in March, 2007 reflects these competing identities. The Pasdaran, the radical army formed by Ayatollah Khomeini to help export the Shia Islamic revolution, puts a higher value on propaganda than strategic objectives. The British soldiers were released by leaders of the Iranian government who are motivated by longer terms strategic goals such as regional hegemony.
7. 39302 Pakistan: Its D´ejà Vu All Over Again, Leonard Weiss, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May/June 2004
Leonard Weiss reviews how Pakistan lied, stole, and conned its way to becoming a nuclear weapons power. Now, the father of Pakistans nuclear bomb program, A.Q. Khan, is doing the same as a nuclear broker. Weiss questions what the United States can do about the A.Q. Khan network now that Pakistan is a major United States ally.
8. 47170 Israeli Military Calculations Towards Iran, Military Technology, January 2007
Israel shares the worries of Western countries about Irans quest for nuclear weapons but has unique concerns as well. Three-quarters of Israels population is concentrated "on a narrow strip of coastline from Ashkelon to Haifa. " This demographic fact makes Israel "extremely vulnerable to nuclear strikes. Israels presumed second-strike capability might severely damage its attacker, but there would be no Israeli state left to take satisfaction." While a preemptive strike on Irans nuclear facilities would be difficult, “Israel has reshaped its air force for deep strike missions of this kind
9. 45287 Evolving Bioweapon Threats Require New Countermeasures, Helen Purkitt and Virgen Wells, The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 6, 2006
Past covert bio warfare activities in Iraq and South Africa as well as current civilian biotechnology research and development trends illustrate why control strategies will fail. Today, it is impossible to control the equipment, supplies, and knowledge needed to develop sophisticated or naturally occurring biological agents as biological weapons. The time has come to design public policies that will promote new transparency norms.
UNIT 3. Foreign Policy Decision Making
10. 47171 Strategy and the Search for Peace, Gregory D. Foster, The Futurist, November/December 2006
Much about the future is unpredictable but foreign policy and military planners need strategic objectives to plan for the future. “Strategy is a philosophy of global conduct, a collective set of assumptions and beliefs that underlie our interpretation of the world and approach to dealing with it,” It also about managing perceptions, linking ends closely with means, exercising different types of power effectively, recognizing certain strategic imperatives, and effectively using moral ideas such as balanced reciprocity, principled consistency, and disciplined restraint.
11. 45288 The War Over Israels Influence, John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy, July/August 2006
Every year the United States provides Israel with more aid than any other state even though Israel is an industrial power equal to Spain or South Korea. Mearsheimer and Walt argue that this special relationship is not in the United States national interest and is the product of actions of a highly influential Israeli lobby.
12. 47172 After Musharraf, Joshua Hammer, The Atlantic, October 2007
“Many Pakistani military officers-and certainly the privileged upper echelons-have grown accustomed to the perks and privileges of political life.” This societal fact is why many Western planners are betting that the military will intervene before permitting an Islamic Revolution in Pakistan to succeed.
13. 47173 Lebanese Identity and Israeli Security in the Shadows of the 2006 War, Shibley Telhami, Current History, January 2007
Israels invasion of Lebanon was designed to enhance Israeli deterrence against Lebanon and other countries in the region. However, a Zogby International public opinion poll taken in November 2006 confirms deep divisions within the Lebanese public that is “not necessarily good to for the effectiveness of Israels deterrence” or for the prospects for political stability in Lebanon.
UNIT 4. Great Power Interstate Conflicts and Rivalries
14. 47174 Europe and American in the Middle East, Charles A. Kupchan, Current History, March 2007
Divergent approaches to the Middle East are aggravating other tensions between the U.S. and the EU. The allies have different strategic priorities and policy differences on a host of issues ranging from global climate change, the International Criminal Court, and the desirability of European unity. While failure in Iraq and Afghanistan will hurt the U.S. and European governments, substantive disagreements are obstacles to more transatlantic cooperation.
15. 45357 The Death of Enlargement, Gideon Rachman, The Washington Quarterly, Summer 2006
The European Community is facing some of the most difficult choices ever related to the future status of Turkey, the Balkans and Ukraine. “Brussels does not want to admit the difficulties the enlargement process is now facing because to do so would involve acknowledging the deep troubles faced by the EU.
16. 47175 Moscow is Elbowing Into its Place in the Sun, Theo Sommer, The Atlantic Times, August 8, 2007
Russia is “a rough capitalist reality powered by private interest, which sometimes poses as the state interest.” Russias assertive behavior in international affairs is because it is back fighting for its place in the sun as a great power. Theo Sommer argues that the West should attempt to “anchor Russia in Europe and align it with Western Standards and to keep relations competitive, not antagonistic.”
17. 45358 How Japan Imagines China and Sees Itself, Masaru Tamamoto, World Policy Journal, Winter 2005/2006
Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations are at their worst since the 1970s despite the economic recovery in Japan. How the relationship evolves will “affect he global balance of capitalism and geopolitics, of integration and conflict.”
18. 47176 A Blueprint for Change, James L. Jones, Joint Force Quarterly, Summer 2007
The former Supreme Allied Commander Europe and head of US Forces describes recent efforts of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to transform Allied Special Operations. The goal is to improve the Alliances operational capability and to enhance the collective ability of the Alliance to deal with a new strategic environment.
UNIT 5. North-South Interstate Conflicts and Rivalries
19. 47177 The Return of the Idiot, Alvaro Vargas Llosa, Foreign Policy, June 2007
A new generation of self-styled revolutionaries are trying to revive the misguided methods of their populist predecessors. Two leaders in particular inspire todays Idiot: President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and President Evo Morales of Bolivia. Alvaro Vargas Llosa outlines the key elements of the symbiosis between Western intellectuals and the new Latin AmericanCaudillos.
20. 47178 How a "Good War" in Afghanistan Went Bad, David Rohde and David E. Sanger, New York Times.com, August 12, 2007
Many factors contributed to the current situation in Afghanistan including: unrealistic assumptions about victory in Afghanistan after the U.S. invasion in 2001. The diversion of scarce intelligence and reconstruction resources to Iraq at critical moments, lack of U.S. expeditionary nonmilitary forces on at the local level to help stabilize the country, a piecemeal approach to U.S. contributions to the NATO multinational peacekeeping and a failure to pressure Pakistans General Musharraf to join the fight until 2006 all contributed to the Talibans ability to regain control in many rural areas in Afghanistan in recent years. As conditions on the ground have deteriorated, Gen. James L. Jones, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, warned that the consequences of failure "are just as serious in Afghanistan as they are in Iraq."
21. 47179 Taking Africa Seriously, Lieutenant Commander Pat Paterson, Proceedings, October 2007
“The volatility of the African continent has led the United States to combine three regions under one command: AFRICOM” in 2007. The “new headquarters dedicated solely to operations in Africa recognizes the urgency of preventing “the continent from careening into collapse and conflict and simultaneously, serving U.S. interests abroad and at home.” The new emphasis on prevention strategies is a “monumental foreign policy shift for the United States on the continent of Africa, long avoided because of its myriad problems and lack of Strategic value. But now U.S. government leaders have to realize the value of a proactive approach to solving Africas problems.
22. 47180 Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea, Patrick J. Paterson, Joint Force Quarterly, Second Quarter, 2007
"Security conditions are deteriorating in one of the most important energy regions in the world. As the United States tries to wean itself from its Middle East oil dependence, areas such as the Gulf of Guinea off the West African coast are emerging as potentially the most important regions on the globe for access to this diminishing resource. The United States has recently declared the Gulf of Guinea an area of strategic national interest and thereby one that could require military intervention to protect its resources." At the same time, concerns are mounting that the most important state in the region, Nigeria, may collapse.
UNIT 6. Conflicts Among Nation-States in the Global South, Sub-National Conflicts, and the Role of Non-State Actors in an Independent World
23. 47181 Blowing the Horn, John Prendergast and Colin Thomas-Jensen, Foreign Affairs, March/April 2007
The Greater Horn of Africa-a region half the size of the United States that includes Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, and Uganda, is the hottest conflict zone in the world. The region continues to be unstable due to two interlocking conflicts in Sudan and Somalia. The United States focus on stemming terrorism in the region is overshadowing U.S. initiatives to resolve conflicts and promote good governancewith disastrous implications for regional stability and U.S. counter-terrorism objectives.
24. 45301 Carriers of Conflict, Daniel L. Byman and Kenneth M. Pollack, The Atlantic Monthly, November 2006
The recent exodus of Iraqi refugees to neighboring countriesincluding Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, and Turkeymay be a preview of future instability and war in the Middle East.
UNIT 7. Asymmetric Conflicts: Trends in Terrorism and Counterterrorism
25. 45305 Al-Qaedas Far-Reaching New Partner, Craig Whitlock, Washington Post Foreign Service, October 5, 2006
Al Qaedas Ayman al-Zawahiri recently declared that Al-Qaeda had joined forces with an obscure Algerian underground network and would work in tandem with the group to “crush the pillars of the crusader alliance.” The Algerian partner, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), re-emerged in 2003 as an umbrella for radical Islamic factions in neighboring countries and Europe. Today, many GSPC followers are motivated by events in Iraq and large numbers are alleged to be fighting there.
26. 45359 Three Pillars of Counterinsurgency, David J. Kilcullen, Paper Presented at the United States Government Counterinsurgency Initiative Conference, September 2006
Last time the United States produced an inter-agency counterinsurgency doctrine was in 1962 and it didnt work very well. The conflict environment today is even more complicated as the USG must mobilize all agencies of the USG, along with host nations, multiple foreign allies and coalition partners, non-government organizations, media, community groups, and business. To cope and prepare for a long-term victory, Kilcullen proposes an inter-agency counterinsurgency framework based on three integrated pillarseconomic, political and security activities.
27. 47182 Allahs England?, Daniel Johnson, Commentary, November 2006
“Britain today is a nation torn between defiance and appeasement, led by a political elite that with few exceptions seems to be intimidated by Islam and reluctant to address…anti-Semitism. The British people are not lost to the West, but the battle to preserve liberty in their country is only just beginning. ”
28. 47183 Toy Soldiers, Cheryl Benard, Current History, January 2007
“Membership in a clandestine terrorist cell” and the opportunity “to belong to a feared and seemingly heroic movement complete with martyrs” is inherently appealing to young people. Cheryl Benard explores some of the developmental and societal factors that may explain why the young, especially young men, join radical Jihadist terrorist cells and for that matter thearmies that fight terrorists in Iraq, as well as the implication of the “massive demographic tsunami” growing in much of the developing world.
UNIT 8. Contemporary Foreign Policy Debates
29. 47184 The Endgame in Iraq, Kurt Campbell and Shawn Brimley, Foreign Policy, July/August 2007
The authors take a 40-year old CIA memo on losing a war and replace the word “Vietnam” with the word “Iraq”? The result is a set of conclusions that are just as true today.
30. 47185 What Should Be Done About Iraq, Marina Ottaway, Current History, January 2007
The de facto partition of Iraq into largely autonomous regions is a real possibility and may be impossible to prevent at this point. “The mounting tensions between Sunnis and Shiites in the region guarantee that neighboring countries, in particular Saudi Arabia and Iran, will be central actors in any solution in Iraq.
31. 45306 Hunkering Down, Fred Kaplan, The Atlantic Monthly, June 2006
America faces four options if Iraq shatters. The easiest option may be to reduce troop levels and hunker down-especially since were doing that already. The political trick will be to make a case that the mission still makes sense.
UNIT 9. International Organizations, International Law, and Global Governance
32. 47186 Running the U.N., James Traub, Foreign Policy, January/February 2007
The article is a memorandum to the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. James Traub recommends chopping deadwood and cutting red tape within the organization. He also advises the Secretary General to accept that you cant fix the Human Rights Council-or the Security Council or the General Assembly, recognize that his speeches matter, and take U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to a Redskins game!
33. 45309 Might Really Can Be Right, Luiza Ch. Savage, Macleans, July 18, 2005
Canadas former Foreign Minister, Lloyd Axworthy, has been floating an idea that is picking up support among American neo-conservatives and evangelical Christians. The Canadian government is now supporting the plan to prevent genocide using a new doctrine called “responsibility to protect”a proposal to impose upon the United Nations an obligation to shield people all over the world from genocide and ethnic cleansing.
34. 45310 International Courts, Helena Cobban, Foreign Policy, March/April 2006
“Criminal tribunals in places such as Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia were supposed to bring justice to oppressed peoples. Instead, they have squandered billions of dollars; failed to advance human rights, and ignored the wishes of the victims they claim to represent. Its time to abandon the false hope of international justice.
UNIT 10. The International Economic System
35. 47187 China Makes, the World Takes, James Fallows, The Atlantic, July/August 2007
“So far, Americas economic relationship with China has been successful and beneficial … for both sides. Free trade may not always be good for all participants, but in the long run trade with China may hold perils for the United States. ”
36. 47188 A Continent Embraces the Cell Phone, Brian J. Hesse, Current History, May 2007
Cell phone networks are changing the how political and economic actors do business in Africa. “The mobile phone holds the promise of being a tool for widespread, sustained economic development from the grassroots level up.” At the same time, “corrupt government officials now demand bribes in the form of transferred airtime minutes.” Even the World Bank and donor nation-states are using cell phones network to keep track of which former enemy combatants have been paid for turning in their weapons.
UNIT 11. Globalizing Issues
37. 45313 Thinking Ahead, Jerome Glenn, RSA Journal, September 2006
For ten years the Millennium Project has been assessing the future state of the world by tracking changes in the set of 15 Global Challenges identified and updated by over 2,000 futurists, business planners, scholars, and policy advisers. They provide a framework to assess global and local prospects, and make up an interdependent system: an improvement in one challenge makes it easier to address others; deterioration in one makes it more difficult. The first Human Security Report, published this year, found that while the world is plagued with unprecedented economic, ecological and security threats, it is also wealthier, better educated, healthier, and more peaceful than ever.
38. 47189 Global Warming: Who Losesand Who Wins?, Gregg Easterbrook, The Atlantic, April 2007
“Climate change in the next century (and beyond) could be enormously disruptive, spreading disease and sparking wars. It could also be a windfall for some people, businesses, and nations. Gregg Easterbrook presents data and some insights useful for understanding “how we all might get along in a warming world."
39. 45315 The Coming Resource Wars, Michael T. Klare, TomPaine.common sense, March 7, 2006
British Defense Secretary John Reid warned that global climate change and dwindling natural resources are combining to increase the likelihood of violent conflict over land, water, and energy. The inadequate capacity of poor and unstable countries to cope with the effects of climate change is likely to result in state collapse, civil war, and mass migration. While military superiority may aid Americans in struggles over vital resources, it cannot protect us against the ravages of global climate change.