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SHAFR Opinion

Why Do We Fight in Afghanistan?

by Susan Brewer

More people have been asking that question lately. For years Americans have been told that despite setbacks we are making progress there. Making progress toward what, people wonder. What is the mission of the United States in Afghanistan? After more than a decade since the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom, it is worth revisiting what [...]

Posted in Afghanistan War: 2001-present, Biographies / Memoirs / Diaries, Central Asia, George W. Bush administration: 2001-2008, United States | No Comments »

A Center-Left Leader, Missed Opportunities, and Anti-Americanism: A Possible new Direction in U.S. Policy Towards the Western Hemisphere?

by James Siekmeier

I received an email from a former colleague and friend of mine recently who concluded that Lula’s (Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva) two terms in office as President of Brazil (2003-2010) represented a missed opportunity for the United States–and United States-Latin American relations in general. Here was a center-left leader, in one of the world’s [...]

Posted in Americas, Brazil, South America, Uncategorized | No Comments »

A New Cold War at the Water’s Edge?

by Andrew Johnstone

An essential rule for politicians: always make sure the microphone is off.  On March 26 at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, Barack Obama was overheard discussing missile defence with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. With an open mic, Obama told Medvedev “This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.”[1] Russia currently [...]

Posted in Barack Obama administration: 2009-present, Domestic politics, Mitt Romney, Post-9/11: 2001-present, Ronald Reagan administration: 1981-1989, Russia | No Comments »

Is the System the Solution? Past Policies, Current Dilemmas, and Inter-American Relations in the 21st Century

by James Siekmeier

More than 20 years have passed since the last full-fledged U.S. military intervention in Latin America (Panama, 1989, in case your memories are hazy).  Starting in the 1980s, democratization flowered in the region for numerous reasons—but mostly internal reasons based in Latin American history and society. Starting in the 1990s, with the end of the [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Visions of War

by Susan Brewer

On December 15th President Barack Obama welcomed home U.S. troops from a war he once had called “dumb.” His speech avoided the reasons why the Iraq War was fought and focused instead on honoring the American servicemen and women who fought it.  Inspiring words–“extraordinary achievement,” “honor,” “sacrifice,” “finest fighting force,” “unbroken line of heroes,” “progress [...]

Posted in Barack Obama administration: 2009-present, Iraq, Iraq War: 2003-present, Middle East, Post-9/11: 2001-present | No Comments »

Newt Gingrich and the (ab)Uses of History

by Andrew Johnstone

It is an honor to join the SHAFR blogging team for 2011-12.  While SHAFR is (as the name makes perfectly clear) a society that focuses on the history of American foreign relations, there is no doubt that we are as well placed as anyone to make connections between historical events and contemporary issues in American [...]

Posted in Presidency, Public Opinion | No Comments »

Issues for the 2012 Presidential Election

by Nick Sarantakes

The United States of America is about to enter a presidential election year.  Actually, it already has entered the political season.  The election of 2012 will most likely turn on economics, but as Andy Johns pointed out in his blog, foreign policy is always important and next year’s contest will be no different.  In addition, [...]

Posted in Barack Obama administration: 2009-present, China, India, Middle East, North Korea, Pakistan, Policymaking--American | No Comments »

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Weekly Digest – 2/22/2010

by Nick Ducote
Monday, February 22nd, 2010

When it comes to Guantánamo, President Obama is still stuck. It’s clear the detention facility won’t close any time soon. That leaves many people, in and out of the administration, in the United States and overseas, wondering: What’s next for Guantánamo? [more]
Just how unpopular are President Barack Obama’s anti-terrorism policies with his Republican critics? Even [...]

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Posted in Afghanistan War: 2001-present, Anti-War Efforts, Around the Web, Barack Obama administration: 2009-present, Cultural Transfer, Culture and international relations, Eastern Europe, Ideology, Mass Media, National Security, Peace and dissent | No Comments »

Weekly Digest — 12/14/09

by Nick Ducote
Monday, December 14th, 2009

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown unveiled an eminently sensible proposal this week: to place a 50 percent tax on all bankers’ bonuses in his country. But another, even more sensible idea of his last month was shot down by other nations, notably the United States. [more]
President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize speech Thursday is drawing [...]

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Posted in Afghanistan, Afghanistan War: 2001-present, Anti-War Efforts, Arms Control, Around the Web, Barack Obama administration: 2009-present, Central America & Caribbean, Corporate Relations, Disarmament, Environmental Concerns, George W. Bush administration: 2001-2008, Human Rights, India, International Economic Relations, International Trade and Economics, Mexico, Narcotics Trade, National Security, Nuclear policy & WMD, Pakistan, Peace and dissent, Policymaking--American, South America | No Comments »

The Peace Prize in Historical Perspective

by Molly Wood
Friday, October 23rd, 2009

On October 9, 2009, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the recipient of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize: President Barack Obama.  The initial reaction was largely one of surprise, followed quickly by criticism.  Some suggested that Obama should turn down the prize.  Others began to interpret the award as a non-too-subtle indictment of former President George [...]

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Posted in Anti-War Efforts, Barack Obama administration: 2009-present, Disarmament, Domestic groups and organizations, Peace and dissent, Public Opinion, Theodore Roosevelt administration: 1901-1909, Vietnam: 1961-1975, Wilsonian Era: 1913-1921 | No Comments »

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