Young Professionals in Foreign Policy - North America

Pentagon Wants $450 Billion Increase Over Next Five Years

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:29:45 -0700

Pentagon officials have prepared a new estimate for defense spending that is $450 billion more over the next five years than previously announced figures.

The new estimate, which the Pentagon plans to release shortly before President Bush leaves office, would serve as a marker for the new president and is meant to place pressure on him to either drastically increase the size of the defense budget or defend any reluctance to do so, according to several former senior budget officials who are close to the discussions.

Experts note that releasing such documents in the twilight of an administration is a well-worn tactic, and that incoming presidents often disregard such guidance in order to pursue their own priorities.

Democrats Balking at Personnel Increases as Military Budget Crunch Looms

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:12:22 -0700

Democrats in Congress are beginning to push back against plans to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps, signaling that they will protect the sophisticated weapons systems that constituents and contractors value in the upcoming debate over resources.

The call for smaller personnel numbers by senior Defense appropriators and authorizers comes at a time when the Defense budget faces a crisis, with rising obligations to pay for new weapons systems colliding with the mounting cost of maintaining an all-volunteer force.

The tension between funding people or weapons programs feeds into the larger defense community discussion over whether to invest limited resources in preparing for equipment-centric conventional conflicts or the counterinsurgency wars that the U.S. military is now fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Controversial book to be published in Germany

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:16:35 -0700

An unnamed German publisher has agreed to publish The Jewel of Medina, a novel about the prophet Muhammed and his child bride. The book was passed over by Random House over concerns that it might incite anger among Muslims. Though the author claims the story honors the prophet and his wife, the book was withdrawn from shelves in Serbia after local imams protested, saying the book was insulting to Islam.

[NY Sun via Gawker]

Two Steps Forwards, and Two Steps Back...

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:09:26 -0700

Paula Abdul has it right—opposites attract, especially when it comes to the 2008 vice president picks. Joe Biden (D) and Sarah Palin (R) each have what the presidential candidates lack.

Let’s take Biden: Senior Senator from Delaware and long-time member and current chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. His foreign policy and national security experience dwarfs Obama's by decades.

And then there’s Palin: She has little to no foreign policy or national security experience, compared to McCain, but she does have many of the traits this veteran lacks: strongly opposes abortion, favors domestic drilling, and not to mention she’s a woman who’s nearly 30 years younger.

"U.S. plan to fight drugs in Mexico bound to falter without changes."

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:31:29 -0700

On June 30, President Bush signed into law an initiative called Plan Merida, a $465 million program designed to help Mexico deal with the unchecked drug trafficking and violence that have recently turned much of the U.S.-Mexican border into a war zone. The initiative is the most recent chapter in the long history of attempts to regulate activity along America's southern frontier. It is bold and ambitious - and it probably won't work.

Plan Merida dwarfs previous U.S. counter-narcotics assistance to Mexico, and the Bush administration has touted the aid package as a major step forward in the fight against the drug trade. As currently designed, however, Plan Merida stands little chance of producing meaningful long-term results. Why? Because at its core, Plan Merida represents the same flawed ideas that have long bedeviled U.S. drug policy. If not modified substantially, this program will go down as simply another failed offensive in the war on drugs.

Obama Campaign Seeks to Counter McCain on Foreign Policy

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:38:50 -0700

Barack Obama ’s senior foreign policy advisor Thursday called John McCain “reckless” on foreign policy as the Obama campaign stepped up its efforts to reframe the debate in an area where the presumed Democratic nominee has been on the defensive.

Obama had sharply criticized McCain in a Wednesday speech in Virginia, saying, “We can’t have the same kind of shoot first and aim second (approach) in our foreign policy. We’ve got to have some kind of judgment in our foreign policy and restore our alliances around the world.”

Georgian War Could Revitalize Chances for European Missile Defense Sites

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:25:09 -0700

The looming debate in Congress over building U.S. missiles defense sites in eastern Europe could be significantly altered in the wake of Russia’s war with neighboring Georgia.

The Bush administration is moving quickly to cement agreements with Poland and the Czech Republic in a rush to break ground on interceptor and radar sites in those two countries before leaving office. A senior State Department official met with Polish leaders Wednesday amid reports of a breakthrough in the negotiations.

But Democrats in Congress have stymied these efforts by using their legislative powers to postpone groundbreaking on the sites.

Georgian War Could Revitalize Chances for European Missile Defense Sites

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:20:41 -0700

The looming debate in Congress over building U.S. missiles defense sites in eastern Europe could be significantly altered in the wake of Russia’s war with neighboring Georgia.

But Democrats in Congress have stymied these efforts by using their legislative powers to postpone groundbreaking on the sites.

Georgian War Could Revitalize Chances for European Missile Defense Sites

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:47:26 -0700

The looming debate in Congress over building U.S. missiles defense sites in eastern Europe could be significantly altered in the wake of Russia’s war with neighboring Georgia.

The Bush administration is moving quickly to cement agreements with Poland and the Czech Republic in a rush to break ground on interceptor and radar sites in those two countries before leaving office. Democrats in Congress have stymied these efforts by using their legislative powers to postpone groundbreaking on the sites.

Campaign has taken this turn out of desperation

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:07:52 -0700

Campaign has taken this turn out of desperation Published: August 6 2008 03:00 | Last updated: August 6 2008 03:00 From Mr James P. Rudolph Sir, Your editorial "McCain campaign takes the low road" (August 4) was spot on in its claim that John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, has decided to disseminate a series of dirty and dishonourable campaign advertisements. This is, alas, to be expected from a Republican party that has adopted the divide-and-conquer scare tactics of former presidential adviser Karl Rove and Dick Cheney, the vice-president. But coming from Senator McCain, who has supposedly spent his entire professional life cultivating a reputation for moderation and independence, this is indeed disappointing. Having said that, however, it is easy to see why the McCain campaign has started appealing to the lowest common denominator: desperation.

YPFP at Wilton Park, UK

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:24:55 -0700

WILTON PARK, UK—On our day-trip into London, we made a stop at the American embassy. A fairly heated discussion about Guantanamo Bay and torture completely dominated the hour we spent there. Guantanamo was raised simply as an example of an issue that must very carefully defended overseas; I believe our speaker merely referenced it in passing. The minute the issue was raised, my European and American colleagues took the opportunity to delve in more deeply. We hardly discussed anything else from that point.

Much of the critique I had already heard back in the States, even by some of our own policy makers and elected officials: violating the Geneva conventions, hypocritical, immoral, secretive, detrimental to the West’s efforts in the Middle East, and a bit disgraceful overall. One of the American students said “embarrassing.”

Stephens Confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to South Korea

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:40:34 -0700

The Senate on Friday confirmed Kathleen Stephens to serve as U.S. ambassador to South Korea, setting her up to replace outgoing Ambassador Alexander Vershbow in September.

The confirmation by voice vote came moments before the Senate left for its five-week summer recess and just days before President Bush is set to visit South Korea as the first leg of his tour of Asia. Sen. Sam Brownback , R-Kan., removed his hold on Stephens late Thursday, paving the way for the full Senate to act on the stalled nomination.

Brownback Lifts Hold on Nomination of U.S. Ambassador to South Korea

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:32:48 -0700

When President Bush travels to South Korea next week, he will be able to announce a new ambassador, following a breakthrough late Thursday in her stalled nomination.

Sen. Sam Brownback , R-Kan., lifted his hold on the nomination of Kathleen Stephens to become the head of the U.S. mission there, after months of demanding that the State Department include North Korea’s dismal human rights record in the portfolio of issues at the ongoing six-party talks on Pyongyang’s clandestine nuclear program.

A Senate Democratic leadership aide said that the removal of Brownback’s hold all but assured that the Senate would confirm Stephens late Thursday evening or Friday morning, allowing her to assume her post soon after.

Young professionals in domestic policy

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:28:34 -0700

In what has been dubbed as the city's "brain gain," New Orleans has benefitted from the stream of young professionals moving to the city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Many are compelled to move by a sense of wanting to help the city, either directly by working in disaster-related industries or simply trying to reverse the trend of net emigration since the 2005 disaster.

These 20- and 30-somethings work primarily in disaster relief work, but can be found in fields as diverse as business or politics. They come mostly for opportunity, and for the chance to feel part of something greater. They can see the impact of their work, be part of rebuilding a broken city, and a share sense of camaraderie and purpose with their fellow city residents. Personally, I wonder if these new residents seek some of the romanticism and raw energy associated with a rising American city - Gold Rush-era San Francisco, Atlanta during Reconstruction, or even 1950's New Orleans, as portrayed in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Why Are Neocons Attacking Turkey?

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:25:39 -0700

Some neoconservatives in Washington are obsessed with attacking Iran before President Bush leaves office at the end of this year. Hence, they have been pushing the Bush administration for increased economic and political isolation of Iran in order to weaken its current regime. Crucial to this plan is the support of Turkey, a traditional U.S. ally and an increasingly critical player in the region. But to the enormous frustration of the neoconservatives, such an attack does not align with Turkey's interests given its newly enhanced regional ties, maturing democracy, and new foreign policy. Instead, Turkey plays the negotiator role and favors diplomacy and direct talks to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program. With neoconservatives pressing for an attack on Iran and Turkey maneuvering to play a mediating role, which way will U.S. policy swing?