NATO's Milestone Lisbon Summit

The upcoming NATO summit in Lisbon this weekend promises to be significantboth for an American-backed plan for withdrawing allied troops fromAfghanistan by the end of 2014 and for the presence of Russian President DmitryMedvedev. Medvedev's willingness to join the summit is an important moment,says Robert E. Hunter, U.S. ambassador to NATO from 1993 to 1998, signalingthat Russia is interested in playing "a positive role in the future of Europeansecurity" and might even join the new missile defense plan that's on the table.

The G20-Summit in Korea - Reactions from the U.S.

Abdication of Power

During the G20-Summit in Seoul the expectation was that global imbalances, currency values and financial regulation would bring leaders together to form a consensus on how best to move forward in the lasting global financial crisis. However, when world leaders failed to agree, declaring at the end of the summit that they would work to tackle global economic tensions and vulnerabilities, they heightened rather than lowered the fears of expanding currency wars and trade protectionism.

The Perils of Proximity

China-Japan Security Relations

Das chinesisch-japanische Verhältnis ist historisch gesehen ein sehr problematisches. Zwei Kriege haben die jüngere Geschichte der beiden Staaten und ihre Beziehung zueinander geprägt und beeinflussen noch immer die Politik der ehemaligen Rivalen.

Midterm Elections in den USA - Konfrontation oder Kooperation?

Zwei Jahre nach seinem glanzvollen Sieg bei den Präsidentenwahlen 2008 hat Präsident Barack Obama eine heftige Wahlniederlage einstecken müssen. Zwar stand sein Name auf keinem der Wahlzettel. Die Wähler haben diese Zwischenwahlen jedoch vor allem als eine Gelegenheit empfunden, dem Präsidenten eine Botschaft zu übermitteln: dass sie mit der aktuellen politischen und insbesondere wirtschaftlichen Situation des Landes höchst unzufrieden sind.

A Prelude to a Prologue-The U.S. and the G20 Summit

The G20 summit on November 11-12 in Seoul, South Korea, will be another attempt by political leaders, finance ministers, central bank governors and a number of international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, tohalt the current economic crisis, to secure a durable recovery, and subsequently to deliver strong, sustainable and balanced growth. But rising currency tensions in the recent months could overshadow every other topic on the agenda.

Portrait of an Election

AEI Political Report

Our election dashboard below includes the latest polls on sentiments driving this November’s elections. President Obama’s approval rating in Gallup’s monthly averages has been below 50 percent all year. His marks on handling the economy are even lower. Congress’s ratings have been dismal all year. Neither Democratic nor Republican leaders there are popular. On page three, we look at the views of independents who may be poised, for the third election in a row, in Pew’s words, “to vote out the party in power.”

J Street and the Debate on Middle East Peace

J Street is a liberal nonprofit advocacy group based in theUnited States whose stated aim is to promote American leadershipto end the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israel conflictspeacefully and diplomatically. It was founded in April 2008. JStreet states that it "supports a new direction for American policyin the Middle East – diplomatic solutions over military ones","multilateral over unilateral approaches to conflict resolution";and "dialogue over confrontation" with wider international support.

Foreign Policy and Development Structure, Process, Policy, and the Drip-by-Drip Erosion of USAID

Most bilateral government donors, including the United States, are rethinking the relationbetween their foreign policy and their development policy. Implicit in that rethinking are theorganizational forms they take and the relations between them. How independent shoulddevelopment be from foreign policy? Should they have separate organizations? If so, what shouldthe relations be between the foreign ministry and the development ministry or agency? Amajority of government development programs are part of or connected to the respective foreignministries.

Remarks by the President at the Millennium Development Goals Summit in New York, New York

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. Mr. Secretary General, fellowdelegates, ladies and gentlemen.In the Charter of this United Nations, our countries pledged to work for“the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples.” Inthe Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we recognized the inherentdignity and rights of every individual, including the right to a decent standardof living. And a decade ago, at the dawn of a new millennium, we setconcrete goals to free our fellow men, women and children from the injusticeof extreme poverty.

President Obama’s Foreign Policy Vision: Defining the Obama Doctrine

Almost two years into his term, President Obama had hoped to improve America’s standing in the world by crafting a foreign policy vastly different from his predecessor’s. His statements and actions demonstrate a doctrine that sees America less as “the exceptional nation” than as an “equal partner,” one nation among many. Characteristics of his policies include a heightened emphasis on multilateralism, an apologetic attitude toward the past, a more restrained role on the global stage, and an atmosphere of mutual respect toward oppressive autocracies.