In early August 2008, Russian officials ordered air strikes against Georgia, a republic directly south of it and bordered by Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, and sent tanks and troops into South Ossetia, a region in northern Georgia that had claimed its independence from the central government in Tbilisi. The Russians explained that peacekeeping units they [...]
6/23/09: SHAFR Blogs and Op-Eds will resume with new contributors in the fall.
| Teaching | Research |
| Syllabus: The Cold War |
Diplomatic History article: Toward A Global History of Modernization |
| Secondary Education: Call for Lesson Plans | Passport article: The Manufacture of Fear |
| Classroom Document: Dollar Bill |
Financial Award: Stuart L. Bernath Dissertation Research Grant |
Foreign policy inspiration often comes from unlikely places. In 1946 George Kennan, the painfully shy, little-known number two at the US Embassy in Moscow, articulated a concept - containment - that guided American policy toward the Soviet Union through the Cold War. During the Bush administration it was Paul Wolfowitz, the number two at the Pentagon, who provided the most influential rationale for war against Iraq. Might the Obama administration’s big ideas come from similarly second tier sources? Read more…
In one respect, at least, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao was shockingly honest in his appraisal of China’s current economic situation last Friday. Referring to China’s heavy accumulation in U.S. Treasury bonds - more than $1 trillion - he expressed concern over the future value of this investment.[1] Such worries are understandable: over the next few years, the value of the dollar may not hold up well under the impact of soaring American budget deficits and a trade deficit that, while falling steeply, still ran $36.9 billion in January 2009 alone.[2] Still, precisely because China is so invested in the current value of the U.S. currency, talking down the dollar would appear to be a rather self-defeating strategy. Read more…
On March 6, in conjunction with his administration’s celebration of International Women’s Day, President Obama nominated Melanne Verveer to fill the new State Department post of Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues. Following on the heels of his promise to push for U.S. ratification of the 1979 United Nations Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), his signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and his repeal of the Mexico City Agreement, also known as the global gag rule, Obama’s decision to create such a post is a reflection of the new administration’s commitment to advancing women’s rights and calling international attention to global issues that affect women. Read more…
