| Iran's nuclear ambitions |
Iran seems close to crossing the nuclear threshold: it is just a few years away from completing a recently disclosed facility that could be configured to produce sufficient highly-enriched uranium for several nuclear weapons a year. Tehran claims that the plant, which is legally permitted under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, is vital to its civilian nuclear power ambitions. However, the weight of evidence and analysis points in the opposite direction. Full text & PDF (free to all users) >>> |
| France, America and Iraq |
French resistance to US policy towards Iraq is so strong because it derives both from a general opposition to a unipolar world order and from a specific conviction that an invasion of Iraq would have highly negative repercussions. France's dispute with Washington has already led to serious rifts in transatlantic relations, within NATO, the European Union and at the UN Security Council. Whether these rifts prove temporary or more permanent will depend in large part on the outcome of any war. Full text & PDF (subscribers only) >>>Buy this article online >>> |
| US policy and the Israeli-Palestinian dispute |
Eight months after the 1991 Gulf War, America used its strengthened influence to force Israel and its neighbours to the Madrid conference and set a peace process in motion. With a US-led war against Iraq again in prospect, at issue is what approach Washington will take towards the Israeli-Palestinian dispute once Baghdad has been defeated. What is clear is that the administration's policy will be shaped by its pre-existing attitudes toward the protagonists as well as conditions on the ground. |
| Southeast Asia's fragile states |
The October 2002 Bali bombings underlined the importance of Southeast Asia in the US-led war against terrorism and helped to refocus Western policymakers' attention on this sprawling, diverse and troubled region. The cause for concern is significant: particularly in maritime Southeast Asia, a convergence of trends raises the prospect that the region's already fragile states will in coming years be rendered even more infirm. Full text & PDF (subscribers only) >>>Buy this article online >>> |
| Winning a war in Iraq |
A conflict in Iraq will undoubtedly show a continued evolution in US ability to locate targets with advanced sensors, make rapid decisions over target engagement, and use the most suitable precision-guided weapon. However, it will be distinguished from recent campaigns by the simultaneous use of all types of offensive force: ground; air; naval; amphibious; special forces; and information warfare. Full text & PDF (subscribers only) >>>Buy this article online >>> |
