COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS ARCHIVE :

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Christian Science Monitor, 26 Feb 10, by editorial board
Obama and India-Pakistan talks: US can be a better go-between
'The Feb. 25 India-Pakistan talks, while welcome, did not go well. The US must intervene in this South Asian rivalry to keep it from affecting the Afghanistan war.'

Christian Science Monitor, 24 Feb 10, by Daniel A. Bell
China’s alternative to Communism and democracy
'In China, Communism has lost the capacity to inspire. Enter Confucianism.'

Christian Science Monitor, 16 Feb 10, by Martin Jacques
US vs. China: a dangerous phase has begun
'China is a formidable adversary whose ultimate strength is not its military hardware but its economic prowess, and whose diplomatic weapon is not saber rattling but great patience.'

PBS NewsHour, 19 Feb 10, with Judy Woodruff
In Afghanistan, Forces Face Tough Task of Extracting Taliban From Marjah
'Several NATO deaths have been reported as the fight in the Taliban in stronghold of Marjah wraps up its first week. Judy Woodruff gets an update on progress in the region from a marine reserves staff sergeant who served in Afghanistan and a military journalist.'

New York Times 'At War', 18 Feb 10, by Timothy Hsia
Success in Marja Will Hinge on Civilian Surge
'While the Battle of Marja has so far displayed how the ongoing troop surge in Afghanistan has given Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal additional flexibility in manpower by pushing into Taliban-held territories, the forthcoming months will indicate if the proposed complementary civilian surge was merely a talking point or an actual enabler.'

New York Times 'At War', 19 Feb 10, by C.J. Chivers
Just Who Are We Fighting in Marja?
'Many leaders were said to have left ahead of the American-led attack, although several pre-assault raids and reconnaissance patrols into the enclave by Special Operations units had found that the Taliban had left a significant ground force of gunmen within the territory ...'

Washington Post, 20 Feb 10, by editorial staff
Clamping down on Iran's nuclear ambitions
'There are ... two pieces of good news amid all the bad -- something the Obama administration and its allies are badly in need of at a time when the effort to stop Tehran's nuclear program is showing little progress.'

Washington Post, 20 Feb 10, by R. Jeffrey Smith and Peter Finn
How spy technologies foil old-school political killings
'The practice of secretly assassinating purported enemies of the state -- an age-old tool of foreign policy -- has run up against steadily improving international police collaboration and the global proliferation of surveillance technologies that make it harder for anyone anywhere to surreptitiously conduct a high-profile killing on foreign soil.'

Christian Science Monitor, 19 Feb 10, by Marisa L. Porges
What happens after Guantánamo?
'President Obama must ensure that US detention is a tactical necessity, not a strategic liability.'

Washington Post, 12 Feb 10, by Michael Gerson
Guantanamo prison: Ugly but necessary
'Gitmo has cost America its symbolism, but getting rid of it could cost even more.'

Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb 10, by Gregory M. Lamb
The pros and cons of a robot army
'The question of whether to deploy on the battlefield armed robots that would make their own decisions has raised many ethical questions ...'

Washington Post, 11 Feb 10, by editorial staff
Showdown in Tehran
'The regime would like to avoid new sanctions that could deepen the popular unrest and so tries, successfully so far, to drive a wedge between Western governments and China.'

PBS NewsHour, 10 Feb 10, with Margaret Warner
Should the U.S. Be Talking to the Taliban?
Even as the U.S. ramps up its military campaign in Afghanistan, American and Afghan officials are pursuing political solutions to reconcile with the Taliban and end eight years of violence. Though Taliban leaders say they aren't open to negotiation, Afghan and U.N. officials have forged ahead with private talks.

New York Times, 10 Feb 10, by editorial staff
The Challenge of China
'There is little hope of progress — on the global economy, global warming or Iran’s nuclear ambitions — unless Washington and Beijing work harder to manage their differences.'

New York Times, 09 Feb 10, by editorial staff
Time’s Up
'If the Security Council can’t act swiftly, or decisively, to impose sanctions on Iran, the United States and its allies must come up with their own tough resolutions.'

New York Times, 08 Feb 10, by Adam B. Lowther
Iran’s Two-Edged Bomb
'... we should admit that Washington’s approach to countering the Islamic Republic is leading nowhere.'

New York Times, 04 Feb 10, by editorial staff
The Defense Budget
'The Quadrennial Defense Review, released this week, finally catches up with the current world, one where the United States confronts a host of different adversaries on a variety of different battlefields.'

New York Times, 04 Feb 10, by Mikhail Gorbachev
Soviet Lessons From Afghanistan
'What began after Sept. 11, 2001, as a seemingly appropriate military response aimed at rooting out terrorism could end in a major strategic failure. We need to understand why this is happening and what can still be done to turn around a nearly disastrous situation.'

New York Times, 04 Feb 10, by John Hutton and Klaus Naumann
Defending Our Defense
'Defense and security policies are entering a critically important phase of development. ... Change is in the air, and inevitably a mood of uncertainty has developed.'

Washington Post, 05 Feb 10, by Benjamin Wittes and Robert Chesne
The courts' shifting rules on Guantanamo detainees
'President Obama's decision not to seek additional legislative authority for Guantanamo detentions, along with Congress's lack of interest in taking on the subject, means that, for good or for ill, judges must write the rules governing military detentions of terrorist suspects.'

Christian Science Monitor, 02 Feb 10, by Cristian DeFrancia
How Obama could change the game on Iran
'If the Iranian people can more clearly see the benefits offered by negotiations, Iran's leaders will be more likely to compromise to get talks going again.'

Christian Science Monitor, 01 Feb 10, by editorial board
Obama’s new hardball with China, Iran
'The White House shifts from conciliatory diplomacy to get-tough actions, notably in arms sales to Taiwan and in stiffer sanctions on Iran for its nuclear deceit. Obama can no longer appear to be weak, but then again, there are risks to adopting a confrontational style.'

Christian Science Monitor, 03 Feb 10, by Walter Rodgers
Survivors know best: Torture is always wrong
'It’s immoral and it doesn’t make anyone more secure. Just ask those who’ve been tortured.'

Christian Science Monitor, 12 Nov 09, by John Hughes
Why Hillary Clinton babies Indonesia and bullies Pakistan
'Indonesia has shown it can develop democracy and confront extremists on its own. Pakistan clearly needs sharp reminders.'

New York Times 'Opinionator', 28 Jan 10, by Erik Malmstrom
A Loss of Faith in Afghanistan
'... a fatal flaw plagues the counterinsurgency strategy adopted by the president: the more the U.S. and its allies deepen their involvement and commitment in Afghanistan, the more they undercut the Afghan sense of ownership, accountability and sustainability that will determine the long-term fate of the mission.'

The Times (London), 28 Jan 10
Karzai’s Question Time
'Britain is paying a heavy price for its effort in Afghanistan. The least it can expect of the London conference is a clear programme from the Afghan President.'

New York Times, 28 Jan 10, by editorial staff
Japan and the American Bases
'It took the United States and Japan a decade to negotiate a deal that would reduce the number of American troops on Okinawa and reposition those that remain. Japan’s new prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, is refusing, so far, to commit to the agreement, and the Obama administration is being less than patient. Before any serious damage is done to this important alliance, both countries must work harder to find a compromise.'

Christian Science Monitor, 25 Jan 10, by Micah Zenko and Michael Levi
Three steps to reducing nuclear terrorism
'America’s nuclear weapons and the threat of nuclear terrorism are interconnected. How the US handles its arsenal must change.'

New York Times, 22 Jan 10, by editorial staff
Pakistan Hesitates, Again
'During his visit to Pakistan this week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates pressed Pakistan’s military leaders to open a new front against Afghan militants using Pakistani territory to stage attacks into Afghanistan — and was promptly rebuffed.'

Christian Science Monitor, 27 Jan 10, by Robert Marquand
Interview: former French diplomat Hubert Védrine on China and a West 'in disarray'
'Former Foreign Minister Hubert Védrine, author of History Strikes Back, offers a realist view on a central challenge for Europe and the United States: the rise of China.'

Washington Post, 19 Jan 10, by Scott Wilson
One year later: How Obama has learned to become a wartime commander in chief
'[Obama] has emerged as a president uncomfortable with the swagger and rhetoric traditionally used to rally troops, favoring an image of public solemnity as he wrestles with the moral consequences of war.'

Christian Science Monitor, 20 Jan 10, by Michael Horton
Q&A: Is Yemen the next Afghanistan?
'... the regional offshoot of Al Qaeda appears to have no ties with rebels and secessionists challenging Yemen’s central government.'

Christian Science Monitor, 14 Jan 10, by Suat Kinkiloğlu
Israel must get used to the new Turkey
'Unless Israel improves the humanitarian situation in Gaza, tension between Turkey and Israel will remain.'

Christian Science Monitor, 14 Jan 10, by editorial board
Obama's second try at Mideast peace talks
'He follows a risky strategy by pushing Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate "final status" issues such as borders and Jerusalem. He’s also showing commitment.'

Washington Post, 14 Jan 10, by John Pomfret
U.S. faces long odds in improved relations with Asia
'... the Obama administration faces tough odds as it seeks to improve the standing of the United States in a vast region that does more trade with America than any other and that is the home to the biggest U.S. airbase outside the United States.'

New York Times, 13 Jan 10, by Richard Bernstein
Intelligence Has Its Limitations
'... the truth is that we’ve known for at least 48 years that intelligence alone is never going to stop attacks on the United States.'

New York Times, 12 Jan 10, by Scott Shane
A Year of Terror Plots, Through a 2nd Prism
'The enemies on American soil in 2009 were a scattered group of amateurs who displayed more fervor than skill.'

Christian Science Monitor, 08 Jan 10, by Oliver Roy
Connecting the terrorist dots of 2009
'They show that Al Qaeda does not have a political strategy for establishing an Islamic state.'

Christian Science Monitor, 12 Jan 10, by Jean-Louis Bruguiere
What Obama could learn from France about stopping terrorists
'To defend itself from terrorist attacks, the US should go on the offensive with a proactive strategy, like France.'

New York Review of Books, 04 Jan 10, by David Shulman
Gaza & the Israeli Peace Movement: One Year Later
'It’s easy to be cynical about Gaza, cynical about whatever you choose to focus on: Israeli policy, the misery of Hamas rule, the fortunes acquired by the tunnel-smugglers, the suppression of dissent within Israel, the gratuitous cruelty of the ongoing siege. None of it makes sense unless you bring in the larger picture of the occupation and the steadfast reluctance of Israeli governments to make peace.'

Christian Science Monitor, 23 Dec 09, by Jordan Michael Smith
What the Soviets learned in Afghanistan about assumptions
'As the US escalates a new war in Afghanistan, it should consider how easy it is to mistake desperation for aggression.'

New York Review of Books, 23 Dec 09, by David Cole
Obama & the Guantanamo Mess: A Way Out?
'“War on Terror” advocates complain that we shouldn’t be bringing dangerous terrorists into the United States, and that to do so, especially when coupled with the decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed for the 9/11 attacks in a civilian criminal court in New York, is to abandon the “war paradigm” that should govern our approach to dealing with al Qaeda.'

Stratfor, 04 Jan 10, by George Friedman
The Christmas Day Airliner Attack and the Intelligence Process
'... three things emerge. First, although the capabilities of jihadist terrorists have declined, their organizations remain functional, and there is no guarantee that these organizations won’t increase in sophistication and effectiveness. Second, the militants remain focused on the global air transport system. Third, the defensive mechanisms devised since 2001 remain ineffective to some degree.'

Christian Science Monitor, 05 Jan 10, by Howard LaFranchi
Yemen sharpens debate: Are wars the answer to terrorism?
'Critics say the US has put too much emphasis on large-scale military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yemen shows that Al Qaeda is too agile to be defeated by such a 'whack a mole' strategy, they say.'

Washington Post, 05 Jan 10, by Anne Applebaum
Still throwing money at doubtful tools for airport security
'... since the hurried and heavily politicized creation of the Department of Homeland Security and its junior partner, the Transportation Security Administration, neither their priorities nor their spending patterns has been subject to serious scrutiny.'

New York Times 'Room for Debate', 04 Jan 10, by the editors
Will Profiling Make a Difference?
'Does it make sense to concentrate security efforts on more limited populations — through profiling, behavioral or otherwise? Is profiling effective, compared to other strategies?'

2009 Commentary and Analysis archive
2008 Commentary and Analysis archive
2007 Commentary and Analysis archive