Young Professionals in Foreign Policy - Member Published Articles

Welcome to the Publications Project

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 20:09:17 -0800

To help our members contribute to ongoing debates in foreign policy and international politics – and to help advance their careers – we launched the YPFP Publications Project. If you have had an article published, YPFP is happy to showcase your work on our site. YPFP Members can submit articles online, which after review will then be published on the website.

Syrian-Iranian Ties Not Easily Shaken

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:52:06 -0700

Some analysts believe Syria would be willing to distance itself from Iran in favor of a peace treaty with Israel. Syria and Iran have a history of close cooperation and their strategic relationship cannot be easily compromised.

There is an assumption that Syria would distance itself from Iran in favor of a peace treaty with Israel and normalized relations with the United States. Syria’s strategic relationship with Iran began in 1979 and both countries sought friendship as a deterrent from a mutual Iraqi threat. Iraq rivaled Syria as the true inheritor of Ba’thism and Arabism. Ethnic, religious and territorial disputes between Iran and Iraq prompted the former to seek an alliance with Syria.

"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.

Israel Need Not Fear Turkey's Islamist Government

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 09:47:19 -0700

Analysts are concerned that recent Islamist trends in Ankara could threaten the long-standing amicable relations between Israel and Turkey. These fears were highlighted by legislation passed in Turkey on Feb. 9, which rescinded a law in the constitution banning the wearing of a traditional Islamic headscarf. However, in June Turkey's high court overturned this ruling, claiming it violated separation of religion and state. Turkey is governed by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), whereby Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the prime minister and Abdullah Gul is the president. Erdogan and Gul share pro-Islamist beliefs that clash with the secular nature of the majority of Turkey's political and military establishment.

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.

Ensuring U.S. Access to the International Space Station

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:25:59 -0700

In his highly publicized July 24 speech in Berlin, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama struck a conciliatory chord in saying, “we must reject the Cold War mindset of the past and resolve to work with Russia when we can.” A few days later, Russia’s envoy to NATO, Dmitri Rogozin, raised the idea of a new security framework for Eurasia that would include the United States and Russia, as well as China and India. Skeptics’ views that this might be a ploy to undermine NATO were significantly reinforced on August 11, when Russia launched a punitive expedition against Georgia.

Russia invaded Georgia to teach the West a lesson

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:17:17 -0700

EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - Russia invaded Georgia to teach the West three lessons. Lesson one is that no matter how democratic, enthusiastically pro-American and EU-aspiring a country, if Moscow considers it to be in its sphere of influence, it will not be allowed to shape its own destiny. This extends to Ukraine and its ideas of joining NATO, energy-rich and Western-leaning Azerbaijan, as well as the strategically important countries of the Caspian and Central Asia, north of Afghanistan. Lesson two is that no matter how much the US and its European allies attempt to increase their energy security by seeking new routes to Caspian oil and gas resources not controlled by Russia or Iran, Moscow will do its utmost, even kill thousands in a war, to block Western access.

Russia's war for oil supplies

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:12:50 -0700

A regional bully with a bloated military and aspirations to great-power status just invaded a small neighbor to steal its oil. In the process, it has blocked key energy exports to the Western world, dismissed global calls for restraint and flouted international law. As a pretext for invasion, it has questioned its small neighbor’s sovereignty and cooked up cockamamie claims to excuse naked and preplanned aggression. Unlike Iraq in 1990, however, Russia in 2008 has veto power on the UN Security Council. And, unlike Kuwait, Georgia does not have natural resources of its own, but serves as a strategic conduit for Caspian crude on its way to Europe and the broader West.

Palestinian Disunity has Chilling Effect on the Peace Process

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:32:25 -0700

Among the many conflicts in the Middle East — Syria's attempted destabilization of Lebanon, Iranian ambitions to build a nuclear program, and the war in Iraq — the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains the most emotionally charged issue. To this day, Muslims and Arabs continue to perceive Israel's very existence as illegitimate: an entity serving the interests of the imperialist and colonialist West. Since 1947, many nations have been born, and some members of the international community continue to hold Israel to a higher moral standard than any other country. Israel is expected to negotiate with the Palestinians to end the conflict and help establish a viable Palestinian state.

Syria's Assad Benefits by Keeping Conflict Alive

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:30:04 -0700

Israelis and Syrians are holding talks regarding a potential peace treaty. Is this a realistic objective for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or does he profit more by keeping the conflict alive? Syria is a police state ruled by a strongman who controls all aspects of society. Assad restricts freedom at home and supports terrorism abroad in the name of defending Syria against Zionism and imperialism, which he claims have been imposed on his country by the West in order to destroy Islam and humiliate the Arabs. Assad's regime survives by indoctrinating its citizens to hate a common enemy, Israel.

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.

Standing up to Russia

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:11:49 -0700

A European democracy is under full-scale attack from Russia, and EU and Nato leaders are either wringing their hands or sitting on them. The continuing conflict in Georgia is not really about the small south-Caucasus country. By opening up a three-front offensive on Georgia, Moscow is deliberately testing Europe's mettle. The broader west – European countries, the US, Canada and the host of post-1945 international institutions – are of course also being tested. But Moscow is particularly interested in how Europe's heavyweights will react. In the wake of serious violence and immense geopolitical consequences, however, Britain, France and Germany have done nothing that might be expected of great powers.

Open door policy best for EU

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:33:42 -0700

It is now a familiar line among commentators to point out that Ukraine’s post-Orange European Union prospects are ironically being delayed by political struggles between Western-leaning factions. But, the EU itself is in the midst of internal squabbles that might threaten the future of Ukraine’s accession. Ireland’s recent rejection of the EU's Lisbon Treaty has led to two contrasting storylines about the Union’s prospects for further enlargement: no more deepening means no more widening or reduced internal focus opens the door to priorities on the periphery, such as Ukraine.

Free elections are best counter to Pakistani Islamists

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:51:02 -0700

From Mr James P. Rudolph. Sir, Your editorial "Emergency rule no answer in Pakistan" (August 11), in its sober analysis of a very grave geopolitical problem, rightly notes that irrespective of the west's overblown fears - particularly those harboured by the Bush administration - democracy is doubtless the best way to contain and ultimately defeat the insidious influence of Islamists in Pakistan. The fact of the matter, despite widespread and misleading perceptions to the contrary, is that the vast majority of Pakistanis do not support or share the retrograde Islamist vision for the country.

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.