ForeignPolicy.com

Think Again: Green China

Erin Drankoski — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:42:00 -0500

Two years ago, the New York Times reported that China was "choking on growth," with rapid economic development ravaging its environment. But in a recent column, the Times' Tom Friedman declared that "Red China [has] decided to become Green China," writing that the developing country now outpaces the United States in its pursuit of alternative energy.

Caijing Editor Resigns

Erin Drankoski — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:41:00 -0500

The editor of China's most influential financial muckraking journal, Hu Shuli, has resigned. For several months, Hu had been under pressure to tone down the aggressive, investigative tone of the magazine from Caijing's business partners, who in turn had come under pressure from government officials. Hu will assume a new post as dean of Sun Yat-sen University's School of Communication and Design, and is expected to launch another editorial venture, likely involving several of her top editorial staffers, who quit alongside their editor-in-chief.

Energizing Peace

Erin Drankoski — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:07:00 -0500

The lessons of geography appear to be ignored by policymakers in Washington D.C. these days. The Obama administration is pursuing tenuous negotiations with Iran regarding its supply of low-enriched uranium, in the hopes of taking the first step to erase the longstanding animosity between the two countries. It is also rethinking its Afghanistan and Pakistan policy to emphasize reconstruction and economic development. These two strategies are unfortunately disconnected -- despite the fact that Afghanistan shares a 600-mile-long strategic border with Iran.

Planet Slum | Foreign Policy

Cecille Isidro — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:21:00 -0500

Slum sanctuaries: For six weeks in 2005, photojournalist Jonas Bendiksen lived in a tiny sweltering ...

Unsettling Questions

Erin Drankoski — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:09:00 -0500

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stepped from the frying pan into the fire this weekend, when she sparked a controversy regarding U.S. policy toward Israeli settlements right after some tough days of public and private diplomacy in Pakistan. But was the controversy as serious as it seemed? And what does it means for the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts? Here, a fact check on some settlement myths and misconceptions.

1. What is the significance of Clinton's linguistic acrobatics?

The Case for Humility in Afghanistan

Erin Drankoski — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:20:00 -0400

The United States has two compelling interests at issue in the Afghan conflict. One is the ongoing, increasingly successful but incomplete effort to reduce the threat posed by al Qaeda and related jihadi groups, and to finally eliminate the al Qaeda leadership that carried out the Sept. 11 attacks. The second is the pursuit of a South and Central Asian region that is at least stable enough to ensure that Pakistan does not fail completely as a state or fall into the hands of Islamic extremists.

Let the Red Times Roll | Foreign Policy

Cecille Isidro — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:53:00 -0400

In Christina Larson's photo essay for ForeignPolicy.com, Ms. Larson writes, "Beijing has spared no expense to ensure that the military parade and mass pageant planned for October 1 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic are both spectacular and free from security snafus." ... ...

More Than Just a Photo-Op

Kate Schuler — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:35:00 -0400

Headlines are now being prepared following U.S. President Barack Obama's convening of a trilateral Israeli-Palestinian-American peace summit today in New York. Many will seek to belittle the president's efforts thus far. The summit was being dismissed as a photo-op before it even happened.

What the White House’s AfPak Metrics List Doesn’t Say

Erin Drankoski — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:51:00 -0400

The White House's list of about 50 metrics to evaluate progress in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which it assembled to calm rising fears in Congress and the public about the Obama administration's increasingly embattled war strategy, is up on ForeignPolicy.com (with a more legible version here). The draft list, dated Sept. 16, 2009 and delivered to a closed congressional

A Lehman Anniversary Diavlog | Foreign Policy

Cecille Isidro — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:24:00 -0400