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- Iraq
Benchmark Report Card, Center for American Progress
- No
Virtue in Necessity, Center for American Progress
- U.S. Tinkering in Afghanistan, Lawrence
J. Korb and Caroline Wadhams
- Clock
Ticks on Two Time Bombs: Attacks in Iraq Raise Questions about Surge,
Brian Katulis
- Abeyi:
Sudan's "Kashmir", Roger Winter and John Prendergast
- Fool Me 936 Times, Eric Alterman and
George Zornick
- Playing
Politics with Intelligence: Bush Puts Security at Risk, Mark Agrast
- Nuclear
Deals Elusive, Joseph Cirincione
- Wolfowitz
Appointed Chair of Arms-Control Panel, Joseph Cirincione
- Hurt GIs'
Medical Status Altered,
Lawrence Korb
- On a Phased Redeployment, Brian Katulis
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"Iraq Benchmark Report Card: One Year
After the Surge," Center for American
Progress, January 24, 2008
On the one year anniversary of President Bush’s State of the
Union
address justifying his "New Way Forward" in Iraq, it is clear that the
surge has failed to meet its objectives. One year ago, the president
pledged that “America will hold the Iraqi government to the
benchmarks
it has announced." Despite the fact that the Iraqi government has only
met three of the 18 benchmarks laid out last year, an end to U.S.
military and financial commitment is nowhere in sight.
Click here
to read the full article.
"No
Virtue in Necessity," Center for American Progress, January 28, 2008
In his final State of the Union address, President Bush will contend
that the withdrawal of an additional four combat brigades from
Iraq—about 25,000 troops— by mid-summer represents
his “return on success.” In reality, these 25,000
troops are being withdrawn out of necessity.
Click here
to
read the full article.
Lawrence
J. Korb and Caroline Wadhams, "U.S. Tinkering in Afghanistan," The Boston Globe,
January 27, 2008
After failing to persuade NATO to increase the number of troops in
Afghanistan, the Bush administration has reluctantly approved a
temporary increase of 3,200 American troops. While adding these troops
is a step in the right direction, it is not enough. Security in
Afghanistan has deteriorated over the past two years, with
suicide and roadside bombings now at unprecedented levels. Last year
was the deadliest on record for U.S. and foreign troops; the Taliban
have taken control of most of southern Afghanistan; and Al Qaeda has
reestablished its command and control, its funding sources, and its
training camps in the borderlands of Pakistan and Afghanistan needs
much more than a token, temporary increase
in U.S. forces.
Click here
to
read the full article.
Brian
Katulis, "Clock Ticks on Two Time Bombs: Attacks in Iraq Raise
Questions about Surge," Center for American Progress,
January 24, 2008
The murder of an Iraqi police chief in a suicide bombing today in the
northern city of Mosul and a series of attacks
against Sunni militias that the United States has helped create in the
past year should lead to more questions about the myth that President
Bush’s surge in Iraq has “worked.”
Click here
to
read the full article.
Roger
Winter and John Prendergast, "Abeyi: Sudan's 'Kashmir'," The Enough
Project, January 29, 2008
Sudan is an incredibly complex country. Wars and coups have marked its
history since it gained independence in 1956. The country is littered
with killing fields, some localized and some with national and regional
implications. Perhaps no area is more volatile and carries
more implications for
Sudan’s future than the oil rich region of
Abyei—Sudan’s
“Kashmir”—astride the boundary between
North and South roughly 500
miles southwest of Khartoum.
Click here
to
read the full article.
Eric Alterman and
George
Zornick, "Think Again: Fool Me 936 Times," Center for American
Progress,
January 24, 2008
A study by the Center for Public Integrity and Fund for Independence in
Journalism released yesterday found that in the run-up to the Iraq War,
President George W. Bush and his administration made at least 935
demonstrably false statements about the security threat posed by Saddam
Hussein. The folly that followed during the execution of operations in
Iraq is well documented, but whatever degree of shame is associated
with being fooled 935 times apparently isn’t enough to learn
a lesson.
Click here
to
read the full article.
Mark Agrast, "Playing Politics with
Intelligence: Bush Puts Security at Risk," Center for
American Progress, January 29,
2008
The security of the nation should not be held hostage to political
gamesmanship. Congress should extend the Protect America Act for as
long as necessary until a more measured and responsible alternative can
be put in its place.
Click here
to read the full article.
AP
- Joseph Cirincione discusses Bush's failed strategy to contain the
spread of nuclear weapons. "It is clear to everyone that the Bush
strategy has failed. The only question is whether he can
adjust quickly
enough to salvage something from this mess."
Bloomberg News
- Joseph Cirincione talks about Paul Wolfowitz's appointment to the
International Security Advisory Board. "The advice given by Paul
Wolfowitz over the past six years ranks among
the worst provided by any defense official in history. I have no idea
why anyone would want more."
The Denver Post
- Lawrence Korb
discusses the Army's decision to send injured soldiers to perform
light-duty tasks. "They are in a no-win position. The Army is not big
enough to support the surge, deal with Afghanistan and give people a
minimum amount of time at home."
CNSNews
- Brian Katulis discusses the need
for a phased redeployment of military forces from Iraq. "
Our
argument for a while has been that a defined end-date as a goal for
redeployment is actually helpful, because it motivates and creates
incentives to get Iraqis to take control of their own affairs and to
take care of power-sharing disputes. If the U.S.
extends an open-ended commitment without conditions, we could
unwittingly foster a culture of dependency that is dangerous and
dysfunctional."
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Plug-in Hybrids: The Future of Cars?
January 31, 2008
U.S. reliance on oil – primarily for
transportation – has many
negative impacts. To pay for this oil, American consumers send billions
of dollars to other countries including some that are incongruent with
U.S. interests. And we are dependent on this fuel from countries rife
with political instability. Conflicts there can cause the oil price to
spike. In short, oil dependence threatens our economy and national
security.
In addition, the combustion of oil and petroleum
products –
particularly gasoline – threatens our environment. Emissions of
greenhouse gases from motor vehicles are the second largest source of
U.S. global warming pollution.
Congress began to address these problems with the
enactment of the
Energy Independence and Security Act. President Bush signed it into law
on December 19, 2007. It includes the first increase in fuel economy
standards since 1975. It would require cars and light trucks to meet an
average fuel economy standard of 35 miles per gallon by 2020, with
interim steps in the early years.
Now that the new law sets a fuel economy
destination, auto companies
can travel there via various routes. Some companies, such as General
Motors, plan to develop "plug in hybrids" that rely on batteries
recharged via AC outlets, combined with gasoline. Other companies plan
to develop cars that rely on different fuels. Each system has its
advantages and drawbacks.
This event will bring together leaders from
General Motors and Honda
to discuss their various approaches to achievement of the new fuel
economy standards. An impartial automotive engineer from the Union of
Concerned Scientists will provide his perspective as well. The ultimate
technology "winner" could affect our transportation system for years to
come.
Click here for more
information.
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