Obama Foreign Policy—Incompetence Writ Large?
At his West Point speech, President Obama articulated as close as we are likely to get to an ‘Obama Doctrine.’ The United States, he said, “will use military force, unilaterally if necessary, when our core interests demand it — when our people are threatened; when our livelihoods are at stake; when the security of our ... Read more
U.S. on Sidelines in South China Sea Standoff
By Nick Cunningham: Vietnam and China are engaged in a heated standoff in the South China Sea, with both sides thus far unwilling to back down. The problem started earlier this week when China sent an oil rig and other accompanying vessels into an area within the 200-mile exclusive economic zone of Vietnam. From there, ... Read more
Chinese Cyber Espionage: We Know Everything Except What to Do About it
Three documents that came out this week lay out the “who,” “how,” “why,” and “why it matters” of Chinese cyber espionage. Unfortunately, we still lack the “what to do.” The “who” and “how” was contained in a new report, Putter Panda, by the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike [Full disclosure: CrowdStrike helps fund a speaker series at CFR]. ... Read more
The Rise of Cyber-Security Blackwaters
Recently, the Department of Justice launched its first criminal cyber espionage case against alleged Chinese hackers. The case depends on new cyber-security start-ups – the successors of Blackwater. On Monday May 19, 2014, the Department of Justice (DoJ) filed criminal charges against five hackers in the Chinese military, accusing them of stealing American trade secrets through ... Read more
U.S. Sanctions Against Iran: A Trilateral Minefield?
The sanctions by Washington are undermining the very goals that it would like to achieve with Iran, while dividing the old U.S. allies and strengthening China’s clout in the Middle East. In the past few months, U.S.-Iranian relations have been swept by frantic, though ambivalent efforts at diplomacy. In July, 130 members of Congress sent ... Read more
Three Scenarios for Syria After a Limited American Strike
“… History says, Don’t hope on this side of the grave…” –Seamus Heaney Mr. Heaney’s words are appropriate for this foul situation. I see nothing to be hopeful about in Syria. Whatever happens, the Syrian people will face further torment. President Obama’s proposed limited air attack on the Assad regime, with no boots on the ground, is the ... Read more
Keeping Terrorism at Bay
References to GWOT – as the Rumsfeld-era Pentagon liked to refer to its Global War on Terror – today carry certain freight. Firstly, the misapplication of military force and grand strategy that is the primary foreign policy legacy of the Bush administration has discredited the phrase. With the exception of military and intelligence officials who ... Read more