A Fundamentally Flawed Afghan Policy
A Fundamentally Flawed Afghan Policy
James Kunder
The key flaw in the current allied policy in Afghanistan is the obsessive focus on defeating the Taliban rather than focusing on the real problems of illiteracy, social deprivation, and rural feudalism of which the Taliban are really an epiphenomenon. Policymakers must also put aside misleading analogies with Iraq, however tempting they may be, and consider Afghanistan in its own domestic context.

rctic Security: The New Great Game?
Arctic Security: The New Great Game?
Daniel P. Fata

Environmental change in the Arctic combined with the ever more rapacious search for new energy sources has turned what was once a barely noticed wilderness into the focal point of new competition between the states that border it and the great powers that want a part of it. The world needs to find ways to manage this competition peacefully and in a way that prevents damage to one of the most important ecosystems on the planet.


Could the New Japanese Government Herald Novel Departures in Security Policy?
Could the New Japanese Government Herald Novel Departures in Security Policy?
Tsuneo “Nabe” Watanabe
The stability, or inertia, that has characterized Japanese politics since the end of the Second World War may have been broken apart by the election of a new-look government in September. It is therefore an open question as to whether the new administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will prove as reliable a partner for the United States and its allies as in the past.

From Denial to Governance: A New Prism for Nuclear Non-proliferation
From Denial to Governance: A New Prism for Nuclear Non-proliferation
Libby Turpen
The current focus on attempting to deny technology and know-how to aspirant nuclear powers is flawed and futile. By 2050, the number of states using civilian nuclear power could easily rise from the current 30 to 50 or 60. In order to prevent a collapse of the non-proliferation regime it is necessary to adopt a holistic approach that recognizes the frustrations and resentments of countries in the global South.

International Security and Climate Change
International Security and Climate Change
Sherri Goodman and David M. Catarious, Jr., Ph.D.
With looming threats to water sources, food production, health, and the general habitability of entire regions, climate change would inevitably have enormous consequences for international security. Military experts can bring an important contribution to the debate by showing how reducing our dependence on carbon-emitting fuels can simultaneously decrease our energy security vulnerabilities.

Is Non-proliferation a Lost Cause?
Is Non-proliferation a Lost Cause?
Gilles Andreani
Non-proliferation efforts have swung wildly from successes to failures. But the aim of stopping the spread of nuclear weapons is not a lost cause. In order to sustain its credibility and legitimacy, it is vital now that solutions of one form or another are found for the main challenges that are faced in India-Pakistan, North Korea, and Iran.

Maritime Security: Growing Problems on the Seven Seas
Maritime Security: Growing Problems on the Seven Seas
Andrew M. Dorman
The rise of piracy off the Somali coast has brought the issue of maritime security back into the public mind. But amid all the attention on Afghanistan and Iraq there is a danger that we are not taking these and other threats to maritime security seriously enough. Climate change may also open new passages to shipping in the arctic that policymakers are only just beginning to address.