Diplomacy
NSN Middle East Update
January 30, 2012
Recent developments in transitions across the Arab world spotlight two trends: the challenges of implementing democracy, and the vital, though supportive role for the U.S. and other members of the international community in moving the transition in productive directions and saving lives. Egyptians continue to struggle with the transition to civilian rule and the place [...]
Heather Hurlburt Quoted In Yahoo! News On Prospective Secretary of State Candidates
January 24, 2012
“That is what doing policy in a democracy means,” Heather Hurlburt, a former Clinton-era NSC and State Department official who now heads the progressive National Security Network, told Yahoo News Tuesday.
NSN Middle East Update
January 23, 2012
This week opens with Egypt’s new parliament convening for the first time and Yemen’s President Saleh departing for the second time, ahead of presidential elections scheduled for next month. Libya begins to face the practical challenges of a transition to democracy, and the Arab League struggles with its role and inability to stem violence in [...]
Grading Obama’s Foreign Policy
By Heather Hurlburt January 23, 2012 | Foreign Policy Barack Obama’s list of achievements on foreign policy and national security is long, but also diffuse. Many are good starts on works in progress. The misses, while smaller, are specific and painful. Achievements: 1. Winding down the Bush wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 2. Making counterterrorism quieter [...]
Supporting Allies with Deeds
January 18, 2012
The role of alliances in achieving U.S. security and foreign policy goals is again a hot topic of political debate. Oddly, conservative presidential candidates have argued both that the Obama administration is over-reliant on international partnerships and that President Obama has “abandoned our allies.” This is a staple line; Mitt Romney’s foreign policy white paper accuses [...]
Military Reminds Candidates of Civilian Primacy, Presidential Duty to Lead
January 11, 2012
GOP frontrunner and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has repeatedly pledged that his national security policy will be founded on deferring to the “commanders on the ground” when making decisions. Yet military leaders reject this view, with Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey calling such comments “offensive” because civilian rule “makes us as a military profession [...]
NSN Middle East Update
January 10, 2012
December’s trends continue as the region marks the one year anniversary of Tunisia’s revolution: violence continues in Syria, even with Arab League observers present. Protesters continue to question if Yemeni strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh will adhere to a November agreement ending his rule. In Egypt, the final phase of legislative elections started on Tuesday, with [...]
Politics Follow Success on National Security
December 20, 2011
Political attitudes are beginning to catch up to a quiet sea change in American foreign policy: progressive policy success is earning public trust, while conservative overreach is facing a backlash from voters and our military leadership. As The Washington Post’s David Ignatius notes, among other things, alliances are stronger, Iran is weaker and al Qaeda [...]
North Korea After Kim Jong-il: Keep Calm and Carry On
December 19, 2011
Yesterday, North Korea’s official state news agency reported the death of the country’s leader, Kim Jong-il. He apparently died of heart failure, leaving behind his twenty-something son, Kim Jong-un, as his chosen successor. While experts expect some turbulence as Kim Jong-un takes power, they also note that the transition to the younger Kim has been [...]
Heather Hurlburt Mentioned in The Levo League as a Woman Crucial to Foreign Policy
December 14, 2011
By Elmira Bayrasli December 14, 2011 | The Levo League In 1994, I got a job working for Madeleine Albright. She was the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. As a newly minted graduate of international relations I couldn’t be more thrilled – and terrified. How do you keep up with one of the smartest [...]
