U.S. Role

We Have Moved

The U.S. Role blog has moved to a new home at the Foreign Policy Association:

http://usrole.foreignpolicyblogs.com/

Thanks!

Bush - Putin Summit

As President Bush hosts the Russian president at his ancestral estate in Maine, the Council on Foreign Relations offers this short and concise overview of U.S. - Russian relations: Soul-Searching in Kennebunkport

Neoliberal Foreign Policy?

We are all now very familiar with a neo-conservative foreign policy, but is there a neo-liberal alternative? Shadi Hamid has some thoughts on that question (Democracy Arsenal - Neocons vs. Neoliberals).

U.S. & India

Foreign Policy - Think Again: India: Americans have a love affair with India, seduced by a colorful culture, one of the world’s great cuisines, and the sense that these two great democracies are a lot alike. In reality, however, the two countries have very little in common, and much that could pull them apart.

State of the Union 2007

On Tuesday evening, President George W. Bush delivered the annual State of the Union Address to a Joint Session of Congress at the United States Capitol. Read the White House transcript here.

The Iraq Surge

Last night President Bush announced to the nation that he plans to increase America's presence in Iraq by approximately 21,500 troops. The White House transcript of the speech can be found here. For more specifics of how this will work, the NSC Highlights of the Iraq Strategy Review can be found here (.pdf). Do you support sending more troops to Iraq?

 

Top Ten Stories of 2006

It was a busy year in foreign policy land, here is a recap from Foreign Policy:

You saw the stories that dominated the headlines in 2006: the war in Iraq, North Korea’s nuclear tests, and the U.S. midterm elections. But what about the news that remained under the radar? From the Bush administration’s post-Katrina power grab to a growing arms race in Latin America to the new hackable passports, FP delivers the Top Ten Stories You Missed in 2006.

U.S. & Saudi Arabia

Why did the Saudi ambassador resign so abruptly? Joshua Micah Marshall over at the Talking Points Memo, has some thoughts on that disturbing question. How great a tragedy would it be if the chaos in Iraq destabilized on the our most important alliances in the Middle East?

Wishful Thinking?

An editorial (Washington Times - Foreign policy ingenues) with harsh words for the ISG:

The more one looks at the report produced by Jim Baker, Lee Hamilton and the rest of the Iraq Study Group (ISG), the more incoherent it appears. The childlike innocence of the panel members is pervasive in the ISG recommendations, which read like a "wish list" put together by a high-school social studies class learning about the Middle East for the first time, without any regard for history or geopolitical realities.

So just who are the "childlike" members of the Iraq Study Group? The U.S. Institute of Peace has compiled this list of the members including a brief bio noting their credentials and accomplishments.

ISG on the Defensive

The co-chairs of the Iraq Study Group are defending their recommendations, even as President Bush signals that he will probably not follow their advice (The Washington Times - Baker, Hamilton press diplomacy with Iran, Syria):

The co-chairmen of the Iraq Study Group, James A. Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton, yesterday defended their policy recommendations, including a call for diplomacy with Iran and Syria, even as President Bush appeared to reject significant proposals in their report. "We're not arguing that we give up anything, or concessions, but they're big players," Mr. Baker said of Iran during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press." "Let's bring them into the action. How do you solve problems with people unless you talk to them?"