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CRITICAL POLICY CHOICES
Critical Policy Choices (CPCs), formerly called Council Policy Initiatives, are undertaken when a subject of critical importance divides policymakers, experts, and the broader public. CPCs aim to foster debate on these critical international issues by laying out arguments for each of the main policy alternatives in the form of policy memos or presidential speeches.
September 2006
This book, in the form of a memorandum to the president, suggests two alternative approaches the United States could take to trade policy.
See more in United States, Trade
June 2004
Climate change is one of the most complex issues facing policy-makers today. David G. Victor, a leading expert on environmental policy, takes a fresh look at this issue and persuasively marshals arguments for three distinct approaches to combat the problem, casting each as a presidential speech. A must-read for environmentalists, educators, and anyone else interested in the issue, Climate Change is a most useful reference in the growing public debate about how best to meet this environmental challenge.
See more in Climate Change, Health, Science, and Technology
May 2003
Almost exactly a year after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush released to Congress and the American public his National Security Strategy, the most detailed and comprehensive statement of how his administration intends to protect the security of the United States in the post-September 11 world. While few have disagreed with the goals of the strategy, a great deal of controversy has arisen about how these goals should be implemented. This innovative paper, written by Senior Fellow Lawrence Korb, an expert with decades of experience on national security issues, lays out the best case for three different ways in which the administration could implement the president’s strategy.
See more in National Security and Defense
July 2002
In the wake of the September 11 attacks and the ensuing war on terrorism, the United States began a massive buildup in its defense budget. There was little public debate, however, about the possible alternatives to the sweeping budget increases proposed by the Bush administration. Written as presidential speeches, this book lays out the best case for four different options, each of which could serve as the organizing principle for future U.S. defense plans and budgets.
See more in U.S. Strategy and Politics, National Security and Defense
October 2000
Americans have spent much time in the last ten years arguing whether to intervene in places like Kosovo, Rwanda, and East Timor—and there will almost certainly be no policy consensus in future humanitarian crises of that nature, according to this report. Instead of phony consensus, this Council Policy Initiative lays out three separate arguments that would support distinct policy emphases on humanitarian intervention.
See more in Humanitarian Intervention
September 2000
Though threats to American security have changed dramatically in the last decade, U.S. defense policy and military forces look a lot like they did during the closing days of the Cold War. The new administration has promised to make significant changes to U.S. defense spending, yet no book, until now, has explored the options and implications of each approach.
See more in Defense Policy & Budget
July 1999
Backed by strong international support, the formation of a permanent International Criminal Court (ICC) will soon replace the use of ad hoc tribunals such as those for Yugoslavia and Rwanda. The United States, originally a proponent of the ICC treaty negotiated in Rome in 1998, now stands with the small minority opposing the ICC. With the court likely to come into existence, the terms of U.S. participation in the treaty are now a vital question.
See more in International Law
March 1998
With fast-track trade authority sidetracked, at least for now, experts believe it is time to take a hard look at the alternatives in order to sustain momentum for increasing world trade. In Future Visions for U.S. Trade Policy, the experts cite three ways out of the deadlock: first, provide new presidential leadership to gain some support for regional and multilateral trade liberalization; second, pause strategically to develop a better way of dealing with the inevitable challenges of globalization (including displaced workers, the U.S. trade deficit, the environment, and workers' rights); or third, accept the elimination of fast track and make Capitol Hill more responsible and thus accountable for trade policy.
See more in Trade
In The Closing of the American Border, Edward Alden goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the Bush administration’s struggle to balance security and openness in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
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.
Complete list of CFR Books.
This report argues that the United States must lead with domestic action on climate change and proposes a U.S. negotiating strategy for a global UN climate agreement that includes commitments from all major economies, while also promoting a less formal Partnership for Climate Cooperation that would focus the world's largest emitters on implementing aggressive emissions reductions.
This Task Force report examines changes in Latin America and in U.S. influence there, while taking account of the region's enduring importance to the United States. The Task Force offers an agenda for U.S. policy toward Latin America and identifies four critical areas that should provide the basis of a new U.S. approach.
About Independent Task Forces at CFR.
In this report, CFR Senior Fellow Michael A. Levi analyzes the potential use of deterrence in preventing terrorist groups from acquiring nuclear weapons and recommends a new approach to U.S. declaratory policy, as well as ways to improve U.S. capabilities to determine the sources of terrorist attacks.
In this report, Bruce W. MacDonald illuminates the strategic landscape of military space competition between the United States and China and highlights the dangers and opportunities the United States confronts in space.
Complete list of Council Special Reports.
“ The Latter-Day Sultan:” Akbar Ganji says that blaming Iran's problems on President Ahmadinejad inaccurately suggests that Iran's problems will go away when Ahmadinejad does.
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