Swine Flu Tests Public Health System, Andrew J. Grotto and P.J. Crowley First Impressions from Pakistan, Lawrence J. Korb, Brian Katulis, and Colin Cookman Jordan's Strategic Role, His Excellency Nasser Judeh Jordan's Internal and External Challenges, Assaf David Securing America's Energy Independence, Shiyong Park, Winny Chen, and Rudy deLeon Rise of the Green Dragon?, Andrew Light and Nina Hachigian Bush's Willing Tortures, Ken Gude The Other Big Stimulus, Winny Chen Obama's Nuke-Free World, Andrew J. Grotto We Have Become Our Enemies, Ken Gude Congo's Conflict Minerals, The Enough Project Team Somalia's Terrorists, Pirates, and Anarchy, John Prendergast and David Smock The Afghanistan Debate, Lawrence J. Korb Has Nuclear Arms Control Worked?, Andrew J. Grotto President Obama's Approach to Pakistan, Lawrence Korb President Obama's Global Leadership, Lawrence Korb The White House Response to Torture, Ken Gude Yemen and the Closing of Guantanamo, Ken Gude Andrew J. Grotto and P.J. Crowley, "Swine Flu Tests Public Health System," Center for American Progress, April 27, 2009 Swine flu has now caused more than 100 deaths in Mexico and more than 20 confirmed cases in five U.S. states, making the issue of public health—global, national and local—a paramount national concern once again. Officials are also monitoring six confirmed cases in Canada and investigating suspected cases in France, Israel, New Zealand and Spain. Prudent steps being taken by governments at all levels demonstrate a basic capacity to detect, identify, and respond to the outbreak of disease, following investments made in the aftermath of significant recent episodes involving SARS and avian flu. Click here to read the full article. Lawrence J. Korb, Brian Katulis, and Colin Cookman, "First Impressions from Pakistan," Center for American Progress, April 27, 2009 We left for Pakistan last week with two main objectives: to gain a fresh, on-the-ground perspective of the very fluid and complicated situation in Pakistan; and to discuss the Pakistan report we released last November, which lays out a strategy for stabilizing Pakistan and the region, with a particular focus on issues of implementation given the dynamic situation here on the ground. As we conduct these meetings, we’re also getting an earful on the Obama administration’s moves since announcing the results of its policy review on Afghanistan and Pakistan last month. Click here to read the full article. His Excellency Nasser Judeh, "Jordan's Strategic Role," Interview with the Middle East Bulletin, April 28, 2009 I believe that there is an acceptance on the part of the U.S. administration, President Obama and his team, and Secretary Clinton, of the urgency of the [Israeli-Palestinian] situation. When we say urgency, perhaps some people, might be cynical and say, every year we've said the urgency of the situation, and it is true because there are so many developments that are rapidly taking place on the ground all the time. But I think there is an acceptance by everyone that 2009 is going to be a crucial and decisive year. If operationalizing the Arab Peace Initiative, if you will, means taking bold steps, I believe everyone has to take bold steps. Click here to read the full interview. Assaf David, "Jordan's Internal and External Challenges," Interview with the Middle East Bulletin, April 28, 2009 First and foremost, every Jordanian understands that the stability of the West Bank is tied to Jordan's stability and future. Therefore, Jordan has a real interest in maintaining a peaceful West Bank, and it is already training what we call the Dayton forces. However, even if Israel and the Palestinians sign a peace agreement, most of the West Bank population will be dependent on Jordan both economically and socially. … Second, Iraq. According to different estimates, between 500,000 and 750,000 Iraqi refugees fled to Jordan and settled there following the 2003 Iraq war. They increased the Jordanian population by 15 to 20 percent. Jordan does not have sufficient infrastructure. It has no water, no energy and not enough roads and houses for them. The affluence the wealthy Iraqi refugees brought didn't reach beyond Amman to the periphery and the result was that the elite got richer but the poor got poorer ... A year ago, the Jordanians were terrified about the thought of a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. But now, with Iraq's stabilization, Jordan feels safer. Click here to read the full interview. Shiyong Park, Winny Chen, and Rudy deLeon, " Securing America's Energy Independence Through Energy Diversification," Center for American Progress, April 29, 2009 This time a year ago, the United States and the world were reminded of the devastating costs of a global energy crisis. Consumers, businesses, and industry leaders alike watched helplessly as crude oil prices skyrocketed to $147 per barrel, and the domestic consequences were reminiscent of the energy crisis of the late 1970s. Consumers suffered, costs of living soared, the auto industry contracted, proponents of domestic drilling gained momentum, and global oil companies raked in record profits. But unlike in the aftermath of the first two energy crises, innovation and efficiency—not just conservation—have now taken the spotlight as the solution. In the past, as oil prices fluctuated, so did our commitment to energy independence. Not so today. With advancements in technology, conflicts in the Middle East, and the clear threat of climate change, America’s energy interests are no longer based on swings in oil prices. Efforts to reduce oil consumption and to develop alternative energy continue to grow, and they must do so. Click here to read the full report. Andrew Light and Nina Hachigian, "Rise of the Green Dragon?" Center for American Progress, April 28, 2009 This week the Obama administration convenes a meeting of 17 of the world’s major economies in a forum on global warming outside of the ongoing U.N. climate change process. Though the history of this Major Economies Forum is somewhat tainted, it may well provide a useful opportunity to engage China on global warming. There are ample indications that China is ready for such an overture from the United States if not an outright proposal for action. Click here to read the full article. Ken Gude, "Bush's Willing Tortures," The Guardian Online, April 22, 2009 to reach a staggering level of incompetence. But stupidity alone cannot sufficiently explain how the The more we learn about the Bush administration torture regime the worse it gets. The Senate intelligence committee report released Wednesday outlines specific torture techniques that were in place long before lawyers in the justice department had given the programme its legal imprimatur. The Bush administration layered one faulty assumption on top of anotherUnited States became a torturing nation. Rather, an enthusiasm for brutality led the US to emulate Mao and Pol Pot. We became our enemies. Click here to read the full article. Winny Chen, "The Other Big Stimulus," Center for American Progress, April 23, 2009 China’s most recent economic news—a growth rate of 6.1 in the first quarter of 2009, the lowest in a decade—only reaffirmed the Chinese government’s commitment to stimulating its economy through massive government domestic spending and targeted foreign assistance. China’s leaders are serious about pulling their country out of the current economic crisis and helping its trading partners in East Asia do so as well. American leaders should applaud these efforts. Click here to read the full article. Andrew J. Grotto, "Obama's Nuke-Free World," Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2009 See if you can place this scene: At the height of a high-stakes bilateral summit, the American president turns to his Russian counterpart and suggests they get rid of nuclear weapons. The Russian president replies, "We can do that. We can eliminate them all." The U.S. secretary of State says, "Let's do it." Click here to read the full article. Ken Gude, "We Have Become Our Enemies," Center for American Progress, April 22, 2009 The more we learn about the Bush administration’s torture regime, the worse it gets. We now know that senior administration officials developed plans for torture long before lawyers in the Justice Department had given the program its legal imprimatur. The layers of incompetence among Bush officials are staggering, but poor staff work and ignorance cannot sufficiently explain how the United States became a torturing nation. Rather, it was Bush officials’ enthusiasm for brutality that led us to become our enemies. Click here to read the full article. The Enough Project Team, "A Comprehensive Approach to Congo's Conflict Minerals," Enough, April 24, 2009 Demand for minerals that are key ingredients in consumer electronics products continues to fuel conflict and crimes against humanity in eastern Congo. In this latest paper from the Enough Project and our partner, the Grassroots Reconciliation Group, we describe the link between the violence in eastern Congo, the mining and trade of key minerals, and the electronics corporations that are the largest end-users of these natural resources. Building off of John Prendergast’s recent report, “Can You Hear Congo Now?,” this paper describes how a comprehensive approach must be taken to transform Congo’s mineral resources from a key source of funding curse for armed groups into an engine of empowerment for Congolese civilians who have been victims to the conflict and are dependent upon the meager livelihoods they earn in the mines. Click here to read the full report. John Prendergast and David Smock, "Terrorists, Pirates and Anarchy, Somalia Style," The Huffington Post, April 22, 2009 Somalia has become the poster child for transnational threats emanating from Africa. By sea, pirates much more dangerous than their predecessors from centuries past prowl the Indian Ocean and Red Sea waterways and extort tens of millions of dollars in ransom. By land, extremist militias connected to al-Qaeda units ensure that Somalia remains anarchic and the only country in the world without a functioning central government. Click here to read the full report. Lawrence J. Korb and Katrina vanden Heuvel, "More or Less Troops in Afghanistan?" Rethink Afghanistan Debate Series, April 24, 2009 The Center for American Progress's Lawrence Korb debates Katrina vanden Heuvel, publisher of The Nation, on the most critical issues in Afghanistan for the website Rethink Afghanistan. Click here to view the debates. Andrew Grotto, "Debate: Has Nuclear Arms Control Worked," Los Angeles Times, April 23, 2009 You were right about one thing in your essay Wednesday: We are living on different planets. On planet Earth, where I live, Iran, North Korea and Pakistan rate among the gravest challenges to international security. But unlike inhabitants of planet Neocon, we earthlings believe that the United States is strongest when it uses all the tools in its national security arsenal. That includes military force when necessary as a last resort, but it also includes tough-minded diplomacy, even with countries we don't like. This marks a clear difference between neocons and earthlings. Neocons denigrate diplomacy as appeasement and view military force as the only viable instrument of national power. Click here to read the full article. The News (Pakistan) - Lawrence Korb discusses the difference between President Obama's approach to Pakistan and Bush's approach. "Obama is a smart guy and he is not ideological, hence he is open to listening and learning. In contrast, George Bush believed in ‘American exceptionalism’ and American power, though the limits of such power needed to be recognized.” Bloomberg - Lawrence Korb comments on the stark difference between President Obama's global engagement  and Bush's unilateral policy. "Bush’s approach was unilateral if we can, multilateral only if we must." Boston Globe - Ken Gude  talks about the building pressue on the torture issue. "The White House's clear preference for turning the page is no longer sustainable...The more we learn, the more troubling it gets." New York Times - Ken Gude assesses the problem of  Yemen's request for the return of Yemeni detainees and for aid from the United States. What to do with the 97 Yemeni prisoners “is integral to the process of closing Guantánamo." The Age of Stupid April 29, 2009, 7:00pm – 9:00pm "The Age Of Stupid" is the new cinema documentary from the Director of "McLibel" and the Producer of the Oscar-winning "One Day In September." This enormously ambitious dramadocumentary- animation hybrid stars Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite as an old man living in the devastated world of 2055, watching "archive" footage from 2008 and asking: why didn't we stop climate change while we had the chance? Runaway climate change has ravaged the planet by 2055. Pete Postlethwaite plays the founder of The Global Archive, a storage facility located in the (now melted) Arctic, preserving all of humanity's achievements in the hope that the planet might one day be habitable again. Or that intelligent life may arrive and make use of all that we've achieved. He pulls together clips of "archive" news and documentary from 1950-2008 to build a message showing what went wrong and why. Please join the Center for American Progress and the Center for Global Ethics at George Mason University for a provocative discussion immediately following the film, including announcements about the film's ambitious release plans. Featured Remarks: Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) (invited) Featured Speakers: Franny Armstrong, director, "The Age of Stupid" Hal Weiner, Environmental Filmmaker, Screenscope, Inc. Moderated by: Andrew Light, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress; Director, Center for Global Ethics, George Mason University To RSVP, click here. 2009 Progressive Party May 6, 2009, 6:30pm - 9:00pm American Progress is pleased to present our annual Progressive Party, an evening of celebration in support of our work and our mission and a rededication to our goals and our work on behalf of all Americans. American Progress hopes to surpass last year’s $1,000,000 goal in this critically important year of big challenges and big opportunities. The Progressive Party is a chance to celebrate a year of enormous success, to reaffirm our progressive vision for America, and to help build an institution that will continue to shape the debate and advance a bold and progressive policy agenda. To purchase tickets for the event, click here. 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