Closing Guantánamo, as President-elect Barack Obama has signaled he will do, will not be the end of extremist detention. As long as the United States and its allies continue to arrest and hold individuals around the world in the struggle against Islamist violence, they will need a comprehensive and international approach on how to hold and process extremists. Christopher Boucek explains in the International Herald Tribune that the ultimate goal should be to send these prisoners back to their home countries to be charged, housed and reintegrated.
Guantánamo Resources:
A Way Out of Guantánamo (Common Ground News Service)
The Dilemma of the Yemeni Detainees (CTC Sentinel)
Debate Rages Over Those Still At Guantanámo (NPR)
U.S.-China cooperation is critical to a host of foreign policy issues likely to be high on the agenda for both nations in the coming years, including climate change, energy security, economic recovery, and regional proliferation concerns. Carnegie experts explain that China may be warming to international rules as a responsible global citizen—so long as any reforms serve its interest—and what the last eight years of bilateral relations tells us about future prospects for collaboration.
China's Future:
Out Into the World (Newsweek)
U.S.-China Relationship After Bush (CCTV)
U.S.-China Climate Cooperation (Carnegie Paper)
President-elect Obama will inherit a tougher foreign policy inbox than any president has faced since Harry Truman; establishing priorities among dozens of conflicts and crises requires new understanding of the most critical regions, the most salient issues within them, and the issues ripest for new direction. In its new series, "Foreign Policy for the Next President", the Carnegie Endowment’s experts endeavor to do just that. They separate good ideas from dead ends and go beyond widely agreed goals to describe how to achieve them.
More on this series ►Successive U.S. administrations have forfeited the chance to integrate Russia into the West first afforded by the collapse of Communism and again by 9/11. Instead, the United States has either neglected Russia or openly disregarded its overtures and warnings on a range of regional concerns. Dmitri Trenin explains that President-elect Obama needs a comprehensive approach to Russia based on a shared vision of European security.
Engaging Russia:
Russian–American Security Relations After Georgia (Carnegie Brief)
U.S.-Russian Relations: The Longer View (Ambassadors' Statement)
More on the U.S.-Russia Relations
Iran continues to be a critical national security challenge for the United States, despite decades of effort to change Tehran's behavior. George Perkovich recommends the United States give Iran one last, time-limited chance to negotiate the suspension of its fuel-cycle-related activities. Karim Sadjadpour prioritizes U.S. engagement with Iran on six critical issues: Iraq, Afghanistan, nuclear proliferation, the Arab—Israeli conflict, energy, and terrorism.
Engaging Iran:
Experts Explain How to Talk With Iran
Iran Says "No"—Now What?
More on Iran
Despite limited electoral success, Islamist movements in the Middle East have failed to influence policy and are criticized by their base for abandoning their religious commitments. Marina Ottaway and Amr Hamzawy explain that Islamist movements must convince their supporters that political participation is the best long term means to affect government despite seemingly poor short term gains.
Islamist Politics:
Arab Reform Bulletin
Democracy Promotion in the Middle East
Party for Justice and Development in Morocco