U.S. Role in the World

For my weekly blog recommendation I’d like to call your attention to the Counterterrorism Blog, a group blog dedicated to providing a one-stop gateway to the counterterrorism community. From their About page:

We envision the blog’s audience to be the policymakers in Congress and the Executive Branch, as well as serious students elsewhere, who want to visit a single site to access (1) overnight and breaking news, with realtime intel and commentary by operational experts (”Contributing Experts”); (2) discussions of long-term trends in counterterrorism; (3) summaries of and discussions about US and international law; and (4) a calendar of upcoming events, hearings, and seminars featuring the Contributing Experts. We want to highlight those experts who are or have been deeply involved in counterterrorism cases, and thus enable them to expand their opportunities to bring their expertise to the attention of policymakers. The site is intended to provide fresh information and various perspectives (sometimes opposing), as presented by the Contributing Experts and in the news articles, columns, and website links posted on the blog. Contributing Experts are responsible only for the content of their posts and links. The editor is responsible for sidebar content and design.

I like the site for the mix of news and analysis it offers, particularly the finer details and specifics that may be overlooked in mainstream media coverage. If you are looking for an update on where things stand with the War on Terrorism, the Counterterrorism Blog is a great resource.

It’s Friday and I’ve developed a tradition of closing the week with a recommendation to a blog or other internet resource that will help my readers gain insight into world affairs. Today I’d like to recommend the blog of the Asia Policy Debate 2008. According to their about statement:

The purpose of this site is to promote NBR’s Asia Policy Debate 2008: The Next President’s Strategy for Engagement, to be held September 22 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, between top foreign policy advisors to the presidential candidates, and to encourage discussion of American foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific more generally. From this site you can get updated information about the debate including the webcast, request an invitation, suggest an Asia policy-related debate question, and post comments.

I like that list of post categories includes a link to posts specifically about U.S. Policy in Asia. Other posts deal with Asia in the News, Economic Issues, Energy Issues, Environmental Issues, and Security Issues. Two category areas are devoted to the upcoming election and feature posts on Where the Candidates Stand and Your Top 10 Debate Questions. If you are interested in the foreign policy of the next President in general and Asia policy in particular, I recommend this blog as a starting point.

I’d like to recommend Foreign Policy Digest as a resource for information and analysis. Here is how they describe themselves on their About page:

FPD focuses exclusively on world affairs and provides a platform designed specifically for the new social media generation. The purpose of the digest is to provide greater access to international issues for a new generation of Americans who have grown up online.  Every month we publish a series of articles for each of five regions of the world: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe/Russia, and the Middle East.  Each article highlights a significant news event and features a clear explanation of the issue involved, the appropriate level of background to provide readers with necessary context, and an analysis of how the issue is likely to impact the lives of Americans. 

This week they are highlighting a video interview with Prof. Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, discussing the international legal response to the George-Russia crisis and the future of liberal internationalism.

I’d like to recommend the Strategic Security blog of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) to you as a resource for keeping up with national security issues, particularly arms control of proliferation issues. The successful signing of the missile defense deal with Poland this week means that this issue has now returned to the forefront of the international agenda and it’s important that Americans understand this issue. Here is how FAS describe themselves from their About page:

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) was founded in 1945 by scientists who had worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bombs. These scientists recognized that science had become central to many key public policy questions. They believed that scientists had a unique responsibility to both warn the public and policy leaders of potential dangers from scientific and technical advances and to show how good policy could increase the benefits of new scientific knowledge.

I like this blog because it offers more technical information than the standard mainstream news media reports, it’s written by scientists and allows you to appreciate some of the complex issues that get forgotten in the popular debate over these issues. If we are headed toward a new Cold War, we will need to be educated all over again about nuclear weapons, warheads, ICBMs, MIRVs, and all the other terms that have faded from our national consciousness over the last few decades and this is a great place to start.

I’ve been searching for an authoritative review of U.S. options in the Russia-Georgia Crisis, but so far I’ve not found one. The blogosphere is filled with wild speculation and suggestions from both the left and the right, and I share the dismay voiced by Michael Cohen of Democracy Arsenal, that commentators seem quick to offer pronouncements on the crisis even if they appear to have little credibility for doing so (No Good Answers):

A couple of people have asked me why I haven’t written anything on Russia/Georgia war: the bottom line is that I’m a bit out of my element here. I am not an expert on Georgia or Russia and, as is often the case, I’m constantly amazed by the assuredness by which some bloggers have made pronouncements about how the United States should respond; as if this crisis lends itself to a simple black and white analysis. Even if you buy the notion that the Georgians are the white hats and the Russians the black hats (a persuasive argument indeed) that barely illuminates the situation or offers a road map going forward.

He goes on to note several broad U.S. response themes he has picked up on, including rearming Georgia, reaffirming Georgia’s sovereignty, and restarting the Cold War tradition of U.S.-Russian summits.

For now, it appears that the U.S. is still in the consultative phase, we are meeting with our allies and seeking to forge a consensus on how to respond to this crisis. Secretary Rice met today with NATO foreign ministers, and the official statement reveals the tension between the cautious older NATO members (who have vital energy interests at stake) and the newest members eager to safeguard their new autonomy from Russia. NATO foreign ministers agreed to:

1. welcome and endorse the ceasefire agreement
2. support humanitarian assistance
3. create a NATO-Georgia Commission to chart a path toward closer partnership with Georgia, including reconstruction assistance
4. suspend meetings of the NATO-Russia Council until Russian troops withdraw from Georgia
5. reconsider the question of Georgia membership in December

This is, I think, a thoroughly bureaucratic response, though it has the virtue of at least buying time to see what the Russians will do next. After the NATO meeting Secretary Rice departs for Poland to sign the new missile defense deal. It may be that as this day ends, it has been the U.S. and not NATO that has offered the most direct strategic response to an expansionist Russia.

Where do you get your international news? What are your trusted sources for finding out what the U.S. is doing on the world? The MountainRunner blog (devoted to public diplomacy and strategic communication) recently examined a new study about the amount of international news coverage in the mainstream American media. The study found that the amount of time devoted to international news was declining. This at a time when the U.S. is fighting two wars and (depending on who you talk to) contemplating a third. I like to recommend a mix of media sources, from standard MSM TV news (NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams will interview Iranian President Ahmadinejad today, that will be worth watching) as well as traditional newspapers and international news websites like the BBC and the varied sources listed in Google News (which offers great international links).

I’d like to think that the readers of FPA blogs are well informed and savvy consumers of international news. What can we do to encourage mainstream news to increase the amount of international news they offer? Probably the best strategy would be to simply let them and their sponsors know that you appreciate their international news coverage, using everything from traditional letters-to-the-editor to posting comments on their websites. Please join me in letting them know that there is indeed an audience for international news.

Did you know that the U.S. State Department has a blog? It’s called DipNote (short for diplomatic note) and according to the “About” page the blog, “offers the public an alternative source to mainstream media for U.S. foreign policy information. This blog offers the opportunity for participants to discuss important foreign policy issues with senior Department officials.” Two bloggers, an editor, and guest bloggers from various offices at State provide short breezy posts that highlight recent news and diplomatic initiatives. Recent posts noted the changing status of Kosovo, calls for the expansion of the G8, U.S. policy toward Iran, and a festive 4th of July photo gallery. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, it’s not the personal blog of Secretary Rice, but really, when would she have time to blog with her busy global travel schedule and high profile meetings, not to mention those early morning workouts. Still, for a large bureaucracy like the State Department, the blog is a welcome breath of fresh air and represents a serious attempt to engage with a public that all to often seems uninterested in foreign affairs.

I’d like to recommend one of my favorite foreign policy blogs. FP Passport is a group blog by the editors of Foreign Policy magazine. They describe themselves as:

Equal parts scout and translator, we draw on the world’s leading journalists, thinkers, and professionals to analyze the most significant international trends and events of our times, without regard to ideology or political bias. Whether dissecting George W. Bush’s national security strategy, hunting for the real identity of the “international community,” or investigating the rise of Japanese pop culture, we strive to combine original thinking with real-world examples of ideas in action.

This group of 20 bloggers post on an eclectic mix of topics, recent posts have considered Russian opposition to U.S. missile defense plans, the ebbing tide of the global democracy wave, and an odd story about an ex-congressman turned arms trader. I particularly like their Morning Brief feature, a topical roundup of links to the major news stories of the day. Take a look, I think you’ll find it both entertaining and informative.

Shawn Brimley at Democracy Arsenal argues that America is suffering from strategic myopia and strategic amnesia, afflictions that blind us to the time-tested tools and strategies we have successfully used in the past to chart a winning foreign policy. Is there a danger that Iraq and the War on Terrorism are distracting the U.S. from our larger duties as global hegemon and challenges posed by emerging global powers?