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August 5, 2008
Op-Ed
New York Times
“Having recently returned from a research trip to Iraq, we are convinced that a total withdrawal of combat troops any time soon would be unwise,” write Stephen Biddle, Michael E. O’Hanlon and Kenneth M. Pollack. Although recent success in Iraq has prompted more calls for withdrawal, a continued American presence is needed to preserve the fragile peace in that country.
See more in Iraq
July 23, 2008
Op-Ed
Washington Post
Max Boot writes that Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki’s ambiguous statements about a timetable for troop withdrawal from Iraq are an attempt at political posturing before the upcoming presidential elections.
See more in Iraq
July 17, 2008
Op-Ed
Wall Street Journal
Congressional delegations can be illuminating despite the obvious limitations imposed by time and security concerns, writes Daniel Senor, giving Barack Obama a list of people he ought to meet on his upcoming trip to Iraq.
See more in Iraq
June 19, 2008
Op-Ed
Washington Post
Iran’s goals of building a mutually beneficial relationship with Iraq and of undermining the American occupation are at odds with each other, writes Vali Nasr. These conflicting objectives have resulted in Tehran’s first major setback in Iraq.
June 11, 2008
Op-Ed
Los Angeles Times
“For every two steps forward in Iraq, there is also a step backward,” says Max Boot, referring to the faltering negotiations between the U.S. and Iraqi governments over the conditions of the United States’ continued presence in Iraq. Sticking points include whether U.S. soldiers and private security contractors will maintain immunity from Iraqi prosecution, and whether the U.S. will continue to have the freedom to detain terrorist suspects without Iraqi approval.
Updated: May 21, 2008
Daily Analysis
Lebanese leaders agreed on steps toward political reconciliation, but experts say the road ahead contains many potholes.
See more in Middle East, Lebanon
May 20, 2008
Op-Ed
The Nation
Mohamad Bazzi criticizes the Bush Administration’s “flawed understanding of basic forces in the Middle East,” by pointing out his inaccurate grouping of Al-Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah in his speech to the Israeli Knesset. This is not the first time the President has made this mistake, says Bazzi. In his January 2007 State of the Union, he lumped Sunni and Shiite extremists as the same “totalitarian threat” with the “same wicked purposes.”
See more in Middle East
Updated: May 23, 2008
Interview
Michael Young, a political analyst in Lebanon, says the recent "Doha compromise" is not necessarily a cave-in to Hezbollah, but rather a "classic Levantine compromise."
See more in Iran, Lebanon, Sovereignty
May 10, 2008
Op-Ed
The National
Lebanon’s political future is uncertain, the country is on the verge of civil conflict, and Hizbollah is playing an increasingly larger role, says Mohamad Bazzi.
See more in Lebanon
May 9, 2008
Podcast
CFR’s Mohamad Bazzi describes the scene in Beirut, where fierce fighting has broken out between Hezbollah fighters and supporters of Lebanon’s government.
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Republican Convention (9/4): Michael Gerson writes that John McCain must challenge his party in his convention speech, in the Washington Post.
U.S. Politics (9/3): Amity Shlaes warns against “character campaigns,” arguing they leave little time to develop economic or foreign policy goals, on Bloomberg.com.
Campaign 2008 (9/3): Michael Gerson writes that John McCain’s sense of social justice combines “a religious concern for the weak and the oppressed with a military conception of national honor,” in Newsweek.
Middle East (9/2): Steven Cook looks at how the next U.S. president can be successful in the Middle East, in the American Interest.
Democratic Convention (8/30): Michael Gerson writes that Barack Obama's acceptance speech squandered opportunities to transcend partisan divides, in the Washington Post.
Democratic Convention (8/27): Michael Gerson argues that Barack Obama should use this historic moment to address America's divisions, in the Washington Post.
Presidential Campaign (8/27): Amity Shlaes writes that in America, politics is a contest between hope and fear, on Bloomberg.com.
In this report, CFR Fellow Brad W. Setser recommends addressing the U.S. current account deficit in order to strengthen the United States’ position abroad.
This report, written by CFR Senior Fellow Daniel Markey, outlines the nature of the challenges in Pakistan's tribal areas, formulates strategies for addressing those challenges, and distills the strategies into realistic policy proposals worthy of consideration by the incoming administration.
Complete list of Council Special Reports.
In Termites in the Trading System, Jagdish Bhagwati reveals how the rapid spread of preferential trade agreements endangers the world trading system.
America Between the Wars explores how the decisions and debates of the years between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Twin Towers shaped the events, arguments, and politics of the world we live in today.
In The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State, Noah Feldman tells the story behind the increasingly popular call for the establishment of the sharia—the law of the traditional Islamic state—in the modern Muslim world.
Complete list of CFR Books.
Adjunct Senior Fellow for National Security Studies
Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies
International Affairs Fellow
Adjunct Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies
Adjunct Senior Fellow for Military Affairs and Director of the Military Fellows Program
Senior Fellow and Director, Program on International Institutions and Global Governance
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