Lawrence Korb and Max Bergmann, Restoring American Military Power: Toward a New Progressive Defense Strategy for America, CAP Report, November 30, 2007
After more than four years of war in Iraq and seven in Afghanistan, the U.S. military is facing a crisis not seen since the end of the Vietnam War. Equipment shortages, manpower shortfalls, recruiting and retention problems, and misplaced budget priorities have resulted in a military barely able to meet the challenges America faces today and dangerously ill-prepared to handle the challenges of the future.

As operations in Iraq eventually draw to a close, we must plot a new strategic direction for our nation’s military. Major General Robert Scales, former head of the Army War College, has noted that the current crisis in Iraq presents the “opportunity to transform ourselves as we rebuild.”

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Gayle Smith, Revamping U.S. Foreign Assistance, HELP Commission Report, December 11, 2007
Yesterday the United States Commission on Helping to Enhance the Livelihood of People Around the Globe unveiled its detailed and bipartisan set of recommendations to elevate and modernize our foreign aid system. After the HELP Commission’s exhaustive, 22-month effort, one key ingredient to success stands out—the need for dedicated executive branch leadership to fix our broken approach to foreign assistance and ensure our foreign aid dollars are leveraged to create more and better opportunities for the world’s poor.

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Caroline Wadhams, "Six Questions for Secretary Gates," CAP article, December 10, 2007
On Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and other top military officials will speak to the House Armed Services Committee about the status of U.S. operations in Afghanistan. Members of Congress must provide oversight of the neglected front in Afghanistan and demand greater clarity over strategic plans in Afghanistan and current operations; the questions below provide a good start toward meeting these goals. 

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Joseph Cirincione and Andrew Grotto, "A Diplomatic About Face: Bush Writes Kim. Should Iran be Next?" CAP Article, December 6, 2007
If you informed most experts in the aftermath of North Korea’s October 2006 nuclear test that President Bush and North Korea’s president Kim Jong Il would be pen pals by the end of 2007, they’d laugh in disbelief. Yet, earlier this month President Bush wrote a letter to Kim Jong Il urging him to honor his commitment to disclose and disband his nuclear program.

This could be just the personal push necessary to secure this critical part of the negotiated process. The North Koreans place a high value on respect and needed to know that the policy is truly one endorsed by President Bush. The letter accomplishes both purposes.

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Lawrence Korb, U.S. Aid to Pakistan, Testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, December 6, 2007
Recent developments in Pakistan are deeply troubling to U.S. interests both in the country and in the region. Without question, Pakistan is at best a difficult ally and poses some of the most complex and dangerous challenges to the security of the United States.  Not only is it a nuclear-armed state and a nuclear proliferator, but it has allowed Al Qaeda and the Taliban to establish safehavens in its territory from which it is able to conduct terrorist operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and around the world.  Furthermore, Pakistan faces growing instability as extremist elements have gained control in the border regions and as democratic forces finally begin to challenge President Musharraf’s increasingly autocratic rule. 

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Spencer Boyer and Matthew Forgotson, "A Fresh Start for Sarkozy?" Huffington Post, December 11, 2007
After watching the recent violence in France following the deaths of two minority teenagers who collided with a police cruiser, many are wondering whether French President Nicolas Sarkozy has learned anything since the last major riots in 2005. The jury is still out, but what is clear is that he's been given one of those rare opportunities for a second chance. Sarkozy should seize the moment to rebuild trust with immigrant communities in France. While the United States continues to struggle with similar issues in minority communities, there are things the French can learn from the American experience.

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Brian Katulis, "Lies, Damn Lies, and Pentagon Statistics," The Guardian , December 5, 2007
With the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war fast approaching, a report released by the Government Accountability Office last week finds that the Bush administration still lacks clear metrics for success in developing Iraq's security forces. In essence, the report tells us that the United States is continuing to unconditionally spend billions of dollars on a security assistance program without having a clear idea of what return it is getting for its investment.

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Spencer Boyer, "The Future of Kosovo," CAP Article, December 11, 2007
Much of the world’s attention remains focused on security concerns in Iraq and Afghanistan, but a potential crisis is once again brewing in the Balkans. Kosovo is moving ahead with plans to declare independence, despite strong objections from Serbia and Russia, now that talks to settle the future of the Serbian province have failed. The response of the United States and world community in the coming weeks may determine whether the violence of the late 1990s resurfaces in this troubled region.

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Brian Katulis, "Pakistan and Middle East: Key Links," Middle East Bulletin, December 12, 2007
The religious and cultural ties between Pakistan and the Middle East are on full display at Karachi International Airport. Pakistanis line up outside the terminal en masse to fly to Mecca, Saudi Arabia to participate in the annual hajj, or pilgrimage. Karachi is also the main port city and financial capital of Pakistan, at a strategic crossroads between the Far East and the Middle East. Just a short two-hour flight to most Gulf Arab countries, its geographic proximity fosters economic ties, and yet it is also one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Driving from the airport, we take the route on which 150 were killed when turning out for the homecoming parade for former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

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CNN- Joseph Cirincione comments on Bush's letter to Kim Jong Il.  " My interpretation is that Kim Jong Il would like a personal reassurance that the policy is actually endorsed by the president and that this will lead to the process of full diplomatic recognition between North Korea and the United States."

Boston Globe- Lawrence Korb discusses the war in Iraq as a major issue in the presidential election.  "It will build up again when General Petraeus comes back to Congress in March."

The Guardian- Joseph Cirincione argues that the recent NIE shows that "what is happening is that foreign policy has swung back to the grown-ups. We are watching the collapse of the Bush doctrine in real time. The neoconservatives are howling because they know their influence is waning."