Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

Iraq and Afghanistan Eroding Transatlantic Bonds

By Magnus Nordenman

Wars fundamentally change militaries. For example, the bloody and muddy stalemate of World War I led defeated Germany to invest in the innovative use of armor and firepower to break that stalemate. The U.S. experience in Vietnam led to the rise of the professional and all-volunteer force that is now fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. […]

China’s Economic Miracle Has Limits

By Mohan Guruswamy

The inexorable growth of China’s GDP has now taken it past Japan and it now takes aim at surpassing that of the USA, whose economy is at present more than two and a half times bigger. It took China a little less than a decade to make a similar leap to overtake Japan. But then […]

Pakistan: Assessing the Tragedy

By Mohsin Khan and Shuja Nawaz

The floods in Pakistan have affected one-fifth of the country (an area roughly the size of England) and engulfed large parts of all four provinces—Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (formerly the North West Frontier Province). The vast scope of the damage makes this a truly national disaster with long-term economic and political consequences. With waters […]

Afghan Officials Back Conway: Withdrawal Date “Invigorates” Taliban

By Hamid Shalizi, Reuters: U.S. plans to begin drawing down forces in Afghanistan from next July are "invigorating" insurgents, Afghan officials said on Wednesday, agreeing with a blunt assessment given by the top U.S. Marine.

Eurasia Reimagined

By Samuel Charap and Alexandros Petersen

As Kyrgyzstan descended into chaos after President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted in April 2010, most observers were focused on the fate of the key U.S. airbase there. They feared that Moscow had orchestrated the unrest as revenge for Bakiyev reneging on his alleged promise to shut down the base and would now demand that the […]

Iraq: Mission Accomplished…Again

By Derek Reveron

Pakistan At Risk: Rains or Guns of August?

By Harlan Ullman

As the rains continue and floodwaters roar into Sindh and Punjab, the future of Pakistan as both a state and nation is in grave doubt. To understand the magnitude of this catastrophe, imagine if in the United States much of the landmass from Boston to New Orleans east of the Mississippi was under 20 feet […]

Pakistan Flooding of Biblical Proportions

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

Pakistan Flood Recovery: Can Zardari Deliver Aid?

By Shuja Nawaz

The current flood in Pakistan is the worst ever-natural disaster to strike that country even as it is fighting an existential threat from a major Taliban insurgency inside its Western border. The grim situation: 20 million homeless, a fifth of the country affected by floodwaters, and a government that was unprepared, despite warnings from its […]

When National Security Overlaps with Human Security

By Derek Reveron

For the second time this year, naval forces have been involved in major operations that have little to do with combat at sea. Instead, Sailors and Marines operating from dozens of warships have responded to natural disasters. Earlier this year in Haiti, traditional warships delivered food, water, and medical supplies. On amphibious ships, the large […]

Pakistani SOS

By Harlan Ullman

If Shakespeare were to write a tragedy today, it could well begin: “Alas poor Pakistan. I knew it well.” Facing existential economic and security threats, it hardly needed a third, in this case the catastrophic “super flood” that became a massive water sword slashing through Pakistan’s underbelly. Estimates are that as many as 20 million […]

What Battle for Hearts and Minds?

By Raymond Pritchett

I spent some of the day going over the figures regarding the damage in Pakistan, and the damage that has taken place over the last several days of the monsoon season is beyond what any single nuclear weapon is capable of. Even more interesting, the areas impacted in Pakistan are the areas that every single […]

Flood Gives Pakistan, U.S. Chance to Build Bridges

By Shuja Nawaz

The fierce flooding in northwest Pakistan is a catastrophe that’s killed more than 1,000 people, left thousands homeless and millions more in desperate need of aid. Does the disaster also create an opportunity for Pakistan and the United States to win hearts and minds with food and assistance? NPR’s Scott Simon talks with Shuja Nawaz, […]

Case for Military Jointness Throughout Government

By Sebestyen L. V. Gorka

Sooner or later it was bound to happen, as even a hyperpower has limits. After nine years, the United States is reassessing its commitment to the longest war it has to date prosecuted.

Helping Pakistan Helps Ourselves

By James Joyner

As my colleague Shuja Nawaz has eloquently argued, massive American aid to help Pakistan recover from the humanitarian disaster of the recent flooding "may help improve America’s image among a population that generally resents the United States."  But the converse is true, too:  doing too little will bolster the Taliban.

Hope Amid Pakistan’s Tragedy

By Shuja Nawaz

The rains that have for the past two weeks caused the worst flooding in northwest Pakistan in eight decades have shifted attention from the country’s battle against insurgency and militancy and the fragility of its relationship with the United States.

When Sanctions Work

By David Kramer and Damon Wilson

Almost as soon as the United Nations Security Council voted in June for a new sanctions resolution against Iran, doubters questioned whether it would have any real impact on Iran’s behavior. Indeed, some analysts have argued, sanctions never really work against their intended targets; they only harm average citizens, sometimes inadvertently help the targeted regime […]

Should Turkey Join the EU? The View from Europe

By Scott Bleiweis

During his recent visit to Ankara, British Prime Minister David Cameron made his stance on Turkish accession to the European Union plain and clear. “I will remain your strongest possible advocate for EU membership,” he said. “Together I want us to pave the road from Ankara to Brussels.” The Belgian government also supports such a […]

NATO: What’s in a Name?

By Harlan Ullman

As the dog days of summer head toward autumn, NATO is in the process of what could be considered a major face lift. To the degree the surgical analogy fits, there is no guarantee that the patient will be transformed into a more beautiful or handsome creature or that infection can be ruled out. Indeed, […]