| Iraq's political reconstruction |
The pressing needs of the Iraqi people in the aftermath of the war make the task of administrative reconstruction relatively straightforward: restoring the public utilities and the ration system, rehabilitating the health service and maintaining public order are clear and uncontroversial tasks for the coalition forces. However, much less straightforward and more contested is the question of Iraq's political reconstruction. Moreover, the relationship between these two tasks is complex and not necessarily complimentary - many inside Iraq and outside the country fear that the process of rapidly reconstructing the state administration may, if mishandled, foreclose the possibility of a genuine departure in Iraqi politics. Full text & PDF (free to all users) >>> |
| Lessons from the Iraq war |
With the military accomplishments of allied forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom barely digested, the search for the war's broader implications for US defence planning is already well underway. A range of fundamental questions is being raised about such matters as the continuing validity of a strategy that requires the US to be able to wage two wars at once. Attention is also focusing on how global peacetime overseas deployments of American forces might be reconfigured at this apparent moment of opportunity. Yet, the lessons of the Iraq war and a variety of other factors argue for a less radical realignment of the US military than some observers have advocated in the war's immediate aftermath. |
| US forces in the Persian Gulf |
The ouster of the Saddam Hussein dictatorship in Iraq has transformed strategic reality in the Persian Gulf. Not the least of the consequences of victory will be changes in the posture of US forces in the region. For the time being, the principal task for coalition forces is ensuring stability and order for an Iraq in transition. At issue, however, is what kind of US force presence will be necessary and appropriate once that mission is completed. With changes to US force structures in Saudi Arabia announced at the end of April 2003, it is clear that moves towards configuring this new presence are already in progress. Much more thinking remains to be done, however. Full text & PDF (subscribers only) >>>Buy this article online >>> |
| Turkey and the United States |
Tensions between Turkey and the US in the buildup to and aftermath of the Iraq war cast a shadow over Washington's relations with one of its closest allies in the region. Attempts by Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to forge closer ties with Iran and Syria have further fuelled speculation that, in the new regional security environment created by the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, relations between Ankara and Washington will become more confrontational than cooperative - with the uncertain situation in northern Iraq providing a dangerous flashpoint. However, the deterioration in bilateral relations has been the result of accidents of timing and of the complex dynamics of Turkish politics, rather than the product of a calculated strategy on Turkey's part. Full text & PDF (subscribers only) >>>Buy this article online >>> |
| Algeria and terrorism |
The involvement of a growing number of Algerians in terrorist activities in North America and Europe has raised questions about their exact motivations and objectives. On balance, their activities do not represent a straightforward externalisation of the long-running dispute between the Islamist opposition and the military-backed government in Algiers, in which violence is used in pursuit of specific political demands. Rather, the Algerian nationals involved appear to be inspired by a set of broader, more vague but also more absolute grievances against the West and its perceived attacks on Islam which are shared by organisations such as al-Qaeda. Full text & PDF (subscribers only) >>>Buy this article online >>> |
