Blog posts from June 2009

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Policing Pakistan

Jun 30, 2009

Wall Street Journal Asia

The United States has spent some $12 billion trying to help Pakistan save itself. Unfortunately, Washington has lavished most of the aid on the Pakistan army. It is time to reconsider that decision and focus instead on improving the country's police force, writes C. Christine Fair.

Recidivism

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Can Gitmo's Terrorists Be Rehabilitated?

Aidan Kirby Winn

Jun 29, 2009

The Christian Science Monitor

Before he closes Guantánamo, Obama must take a clear-eyed look at the record – and anticipate the next chapter of the fight against terrorism. What happens to terrorist suspects after they leave the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, writes Aidan Kirby Winn.

Health Insurance Cost Sharing

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The Public Option: Sorting Rhetoric from Reality

Elizabeth A. McGlynn

Jun 24, 2009

ABC News

President Obama and several Congressional leaders have recently expressed support for the idea of allowing citizens to buy into a public insurance program as part of any health reform legislation. The intensity of the ensuing debate has been fascinating given the lack of specifics that have been offered by either side, writes Elizabeth A. McGlynn.

Health and Wellness Promotion

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Improve Health, Not the Health Care System

Dana P. Goldman

Jun 23, 2009

NYTimes.com

One reason that health reform proposals always seem to fail is that proponents promise too much. Reformers declare they will improve quality, lower costs and increase access — all at the same time. This mantra is repeated so often that the public tends to believe it is possible, when really it isn't, writes Dana P. Goldman.

Iran

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Iran's Real Winners: The Revolutionary Guards

Alireza Nader

Jun 22, 2009

RAND.org

Despite the huge protests on the streets of Tehran, Iranian President Ahmadinejad has once again triumphed. A relative newcomer to Iranian politics, Ahmadinejad's re-election and subsequent crackdown on the demonstrators suggest that the Iranian political system is moving in a new and potentially dangerous direction, writes Alireza Nader.

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The Science of Health Care Reform

Robert H. Brook

Jun 17, 2009

The Journal of the American Medical Association

It is time for physicians to commit as a profession to helping the President and Congress achieve the vision of a new health care system by improving the way medicine is practiced, writes Robert Brook.

Security Cooperation

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Getting Value from the U.S.-ROK Summit

Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett

Jun 15, 2009

The Korea Herald

For months, North Korea has been trying to upstage the summit between South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President Barack Obama that is scheduled for June 16. Almost all Americans I know have heard of these North Korean provocations. But few have heard anything about the U.S.-ROK summit, writes Bruce Bennett.

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BRIC-à-Brac

Andrew S. Weiss

Jun 15, 2009

ForeignPolicy.com

The leaders of the BRIC countries—Brazil, Russia, India, and China—hold their first stand-alone summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on Tuesday, June 16. The timing of the BRIC summit, just a few weeks before U.S. President Barack Obama's arrival in Moscow and the G-8 meeting in L'Aquila, Italy, is hardly accidental, writes Andrew S. Weiss.

Security Cooperation

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Lebanon Vote Tilts to the West

Aram Nerguizian, Ghassan Schbley

Jun 10, 2009

The Washington Times

The result of Sunday's parliamentary elections in Lebanon is a boon for the United States, but it also presents a challenge. The U.S. would be well-advised to play for the long term in Lebanon with a pragmatic policy that deals with the reality of Hezbollah's political power while continuing to strengthen moderate forces and national institutions, write Aram Nerguizian and Ghassan Schbley.

Lebanon

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Living with the Outcome: Elections in Lebanon

Aram Nerguizian, Ghassan Schbley

Jun 5, 2009

GlobalSecurity.org

Lebanon is scheduled to hold elections Sunday [June 7], and the pro-Western political alliance favored by the United States may lose. If it does, the Obama Administration should not consider the result a triumph for Hezbollah, but a challenge, write Aram Nerguizian and Ghassan Schbley.

Nuclear Deterrence

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No Surprise in Failure to Deter N. Korea

Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett

Jun 2, 2009

Chicago Tribune

North Korea's latest misbehavior highlights an uncomfortable truth: the failure of the United States and the international community to deter North Korean actions. In this case, it is pretty easy to see why North Korea has not been deterred, writes Bruce Bennett.

International Diplomacy

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