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Monday December 1, 2008

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Save to My PortfolioDifficult Transitions

James B. Steinberg and Kurt M. Campbell, December 01, 2008

America’s next president will confront critical foreign policy decisions from day one. Difficult Transitions provides essential guidance for getting those choices right. Read More

U.S. Politics, Foreign Policy, Defense, The Presidential Transition, U.S. Department of Defense

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioVoices of America: U.S. Public Diplomacy for the 21st Century

Kristin M. Lord, November 2008, The Brookings Institution

Voices of America: U.S. Public Diplomacy for the 21st CenturyDrawing on extensive research, approximately 300 interviews and the advice of a distinguished board of ten advisers, Kristin Lord presents a vision for U.S. public diplomacy in the twenty-first century. Lord provides a detailed blueprint for a new non-profit organization, the USA World Trust, as part of a comprehensive public diplomacy strategy. Read More

Diplomacy, International Relations, Foreign Policy, U.S. Department of State

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioRe-Thinking U.S.-Latin American Relations

November 24, 2008, The Brookings Institution

Re-Thinking U.S.-Latin American RelationsWith the opportunity of a new U.S. administration and Congress, Brookings’s Partnership for the Americas Commission released its final report noting the need for a new hemispheric partnership to address key transnational challenges and providing specific policy recommendations on five key areas: energy and climate change, migration, trade, organized crime and drug trafficking and U.S.-Cuban relations. Read More

Latin America, South America, Global Economics, Foreign Policy, Climate Change

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioManaging Global Insecurity: A Plan for Action

Managing Global Insecurity, November 2008, The Brookings Institution

Managing Global Insecurity: A Plan for ActionAmerican and global leaders face a choice: they can either use this moment to help shape an international, rule-based order that will protect their global interests, or resign themselves to an ad hoc international system where they are increasingly powerless to shape the course of international affairs. The longer the delay in new approaches and new cooperation against today’s threats, the more difficult the challenges will become. Global leaders must chart a shared path forward that marries power and responsibility to achieve together what cannot be achieved apart: peace and security in a transnational world. Read More

International Organizations, Transnational Security Threats, Force and Legitimacy, Diplomacy, International Relations

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioMemo to the President: Build a Secure Energy Future

William J. Antholis and Charles K. Ebinger, November 11, 2008, The Brookings Institution

Memo to the President: Build a Secure Energy FutureTo address energy security—including climate change—the next president must make this a top-three priority. His plan must address volatile energy prices, dangerous vulnerabilities resulting from our energy consumption and green technology to help revitalize our economy.  Read More

Energy Security, Environment, Climate and Energy Economics, Climate Change, U.S. Department of Energy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Pentagon and Public Diplomacy

Kristin M. Lord, October 29, 2008, The Christian Science Monitor

Kristin Lord says the next administration must change the face of U.S. public diplomacy.  Lord argues that putting the military, not civilians, at the forefront of U.S. global communications undercuts the likelihood of success, distorts priorities, and undermines the effectiveness of U.S. civilian agencies.  Read More

Diplomacy, Islamic World, Foreign Policy, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Defense

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioStrategic Counterterrorism

Daniel Benjamin, October 2008, The Brookings Institution

Strategic CounterterrorismTerrorism is a real and urgent threat to the U.S. and its interests; a threat that could become far more dangerous if terrorists acquire nuclear or biological weapons. Daniel Benjamin explores the drawbacks of using military force in combating terrorism and elaborates on the need for a positive agenda for the Muslim world -- one that deepens U.S. engagement in Muslim nations as they seek to modernize. Read More

Terrorism, Islamic World, Transnational Security Threats, U.S. Military, National Security

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioToward a World Without Nuclear Weapons

Ivo H. Daalder and Jan Lodal, November/December 2008, Foreign Affairs

The next president will have an opportunity to make the elimination of all nuclear weapons and organizing principle of U.S. nuclear policy. It will take a real commitment, at the highest levels and beginning with the United States, to turn what Ivo Daalder and Jan Lodal call the “logic of zero” into a practical reality. Read More

Nuclear Weapons, Proliferation, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Weapons, National Security

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioTop 10 Global Economic Challenges Facing America's 44th President

October 2008, The Brookings Institution

Top 10 Global Economic Challenges Facing America's 44th PresidentAs President-Elect Obama prepares to lead the United States, what are the top global economic challenges facing the new president and his advisors and how should the new administration address them? A new report by Brookings global economic and development experts ranks the top 10 issues and details specific ideas for how to tackle the toughest challenges. Read More

Global Economics, Development, Global Poverty, Globalization, Emerging Markets

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioDiplomatic Strategies for Dealing with Iran

Suzanne Maloney, September 2008, Center for a New American Security

Suzanne Maloney writes about diplomatic options for the next administration in dealing with Iran. Maloney offers ideas on how Iran may respond to new U.S. initiatives by exploring previous cases of dialogue, and she concludes by presenting a sense of how Tehran views talking with Washington. Read More

Iran, Diplomacy, Foreign Policy, Nuclear Weapons, International Relations

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe 9/11 Development Imperative

Lael Brainard and Noam Unger, September 11, 2008, The Brookings Institution

The 9/11 Development ImperativeOn the seventh anniversary of September 11, Lael Brainard and Noam Unger examine how the global development agenda has changed and how the U.S. can take critical steps to lead on efforts to reduce global poverty. Read More

Development, National Security, Developing Countries, Foreign Aid, Civil Service

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My Portfolio7 Years to Climate Midnight

Carlos Pascual and Strobe Talbott, August 28, 2008, The Washington Post

7 Years to Climate MidnightGlobal warming—among the most complex economic, political and diplomatic challenges of our time—has become a central focus of the presidential campaign, with both candidates supporting the creation of a cap-and-trade system that would limit national emissions. Strobe Talbott and Carlos Pascual argue that the U.S. must take the lead now in facing the annual buildup in greenhouse gas emissions that threatens global catastrophe. Read More

Climate Change, Global Environment, Energy Security, Climate and Energy Economics, Environment

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioPublic Diplomacy and the New Transatlantic Agenda

Kristin M. Lord, August 15, 2008, The Brookings Institution

Kristin Lord examines public opinion relevant to the transatlantic relationship; transatlantic opinion regarding terrorism, climate change, and international trade; and public diplomacy and how it might advance the transatlantic agenda. Read More

Diplomacy, Transatlantic Relations, Terrorism, Climate Change, Trade

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioBalancing Climate Change and Global Development

Lael Brainard and Nigel Purvis, August 2008, The Brookings Institution

Balancing Climate Change and Global DevelopmentFor years, global poverty eradication and climate change mitigation have been two prominent but separate struggles yet in order to solve both challenges, policymakers will need to consider linked issues across both fields and understand how solutions for one might affect the other. In a new paper for the 2008 Brookings Blum Roundtable, Lael Brainard and Nigel Purvis examine the issues facing climate change and global development and offer recommendations for how to address the urgency of both policy imperatives. Read More

Development, Climate Change, Global Poverty, Developing Countries, Foreign Aid

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioIraq in 2009: How to Give Peace a Chance

Carlos Pascual, August 2008, The Brookings Institution

The next president of the United States will inherit 130,000 to 150,000 troops in Iraq amidst a fractured state of Iraqi politics. Carlos Pascual suggests that the next U.S. president should seek the help of the United Nations to broker a political settlement in Iraq that breaks through this Gordian knot. Read More

Iraq, Middle East, Peacekeeping, Islamic World, Democracy Promotion

In Brief

The State Department’s mission includes “advancing freedom for the benefit of the American people and the international community.” The department helps to build more democratic and well-governed states and reduce widespread poverty. The State Department works jointly with the U.S. Agency for International Development to implement U.S. foreign policy and development assistance.

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Featured Experts

Strobe Talbott

Strobe Talbott

President, The Brookings Institution

Strobe Talbott is president of the Brookings Institution. Talbott, whose career spans journalism, government service, and academe, is an expert on U.S. foreign policy, with specialties on Europe, Russia, South Asia, and nuclear arms control. As deputy secretary of state in the Clinton administration, Talbott was deeply involved in both the conduct of U.S. policy abroad and the management of executive branch relations with Congress.
Read More

Carlos Pascual

Carlos Pascual

Vice President and Director, Foreign Policy

Carlos Pascual is a Brookings vice president and director of Foreign Policy at Brookings. A former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and senior director on the National Security Council staff, he focuses on post-conflict stabilization, international security policy, nonproliferation and economic development with particular focus on Europe, Russia and Ukraine.
Read More

Kristin M. Lord

Kristin M. Lord

Fellow, Foreign Policy, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, U.S. Relations with the Islamic World

Kristin Lord focuses on public diplomacy, U.S. foreign policy, and international security. At Brookings, she directs the science and technology task force of the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World, which seeks to improve relations through science and technology engagement.
Read More

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Spotlight

ExpertMartin S. Indyk

Ambassador to Israel and assistant secretary of state for near east affairs during the Clinton Administration, Martin Indyk directs the Saban Center for Middle East Policy. He currently focuses on the Clinton administration’s diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

ExpertDouglas W. Elmendorf

Doug Elmendorf, whose government posts have included the Federal Reserve, Treasury, Council of Economic Advisors, and CBO, focuses his research on macroeconomics and fiscal policy. He is co-editor of the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity and director of The Hamilton Project, which develops proposals for shared growth.

ExpertMauricio Cárdenas

Mauricio Cárdenas is a senior fellow and director of the Latin American Initiative. Formerly minister of Economic Development and Transportation, and director of National Planning of Colombia, his research focuses on international and development economics. He is also the president of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA).

ExpertSarah A. Binder

Sarah Binder is an expert on Congress and legislative politics.  She is completing a project on the politics of advice and consent, and is at work on the politics of how Congress responds to financial crises.

ExpertJulia B. Isaacs

Julia Isaacs focuses on public investments in children and how children are affected by national budgetary policies. A former federal budget analyst, she also researches the economic mobility of children and families across the income spectrum.

ExpertSuzanne Maloney

Suzanne Maloney studies Iran, the political economy of the Persian Gulf and Middle East energy policy. A former U.S. State Department policy advisor, she has also counseled private companies on Middle East issues.

TopicMigration

Migration is an issue that bridges Brookings’s expertise in domestic and foreign policy. In the United States, reforming immigration policy remains a subject of intense political debate. Globally, the unprecedented movement of people across borders raises issues in both industrialized countries and the developing world.

ExpertCarlos Pascual

Carlos Pascual is a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. As vice president and director of Foreign Policy, he focuses on post-conflict stabilization and international security policy.

TOPICThe Presidential Transition

During the 77 days from the election to the Inauguration, Brookings experts will offer 12 "Memos to the President" on top policy priorities across the spectrum of domestic and global challenges, plus additional advice on transitioning from campaigning to governing.

ExpertEswar Prasad

Eswar Prasad, the Tolani Senior Professor of Trade Policy at Cornell University, is a senior fellow in Global Economy and Development. He was previously head of the Financial Studies Division and the China Division at the IMF.

ExpertHugh B. Price

Former president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League, Hugh Price is an expert on education, civil rights, equal opportunity and criminal justice. His 40-year career spans journalism, philanthropy, the law, and social advocacy.

ExpertDarrell M. West

Darrell M. West is the vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings. His studies include campaigns and elections, political advertising, mass media, public opinion, technology policy and electronic government.

ProgramGovernance Studies

Governance Studies explores political institutions of the United States and other democracies to assess how they govern, how their practices compare and how citizens and public servants can advance sound governance.

Research ProjectLatin America Initiative

The Latin America Initiative provides high-quality, in-depth, and independent research across a range of economic and political issues, and offers policy recommendations aimed at U.S. and Latin American policymakers.

ExpertMark B. McClellan

A medical doctor and economist, Mark McClellan works on promoting high-quality, innovative and affordable health care. Once commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. McClellan now directs the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform.

Policy CenterEngelberg Center for Health Care Reform

The Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform provides practical solutions to achieve high-quality, innovative, affordable health care with particular emphasis on identifying opportunities on the national, state and local levels.

ExpertRebecca Blank

Rebecca Blank is an expert on the interaction between the macroeconomy, government anti-poverty programs, and the behavior and well being of low-income families. She has just been named the Robert S. Kerr senior fellow at Brookings.

Research ProjectThe Hamilton Project

The Hamilton Project produces research and policy proposals on how to create a growing economy that benefits more Americans. Their agenda also focuses on enhancing individual economic security and effective public investments.