Think Again: Iran's Green Movement

It's a civil rights movement, not a revolution.

BY HOOMAN MAJD | JANUARY 6, 2010

It's a civil rights movement, not a revolution.

AFP/GETTY IMAGES

 

Hooman Majd, a New York- based writer, is author of The Ayatollah Begs to Differ. He advised and interpreted for two Iranian presidents, Mohammad Khatami and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on their trips to the United States.

Think Again: Nuclear Weapons

President Obama’s pledge to rid the world of atomic bombs is a waste of breath. But not for the reasons you might imagine.

BY JOHN MUELLER | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

President Obama’s pledge to rid the world of atomic bombs is a waste of breath. But not for the reasons you might imagine.

CORNELL CAPA/MAGNUM PHOTOS

 

John Mueller is professor of political science at Ohio State University and author of Atomic Obsession: Nuclear Alarmism from Hiroshima to al Qaeda.

Think Again: Sovereignty

The idea of states as autonomous, independent entities is collapsing under the combined onslaught of monetary unions, CNN, the Internet, and nongovernmental organizations. But those who proclaim the death of sovereignty misread history. The nation-state has a keen instinct for survival and has so far adapted to new challenges -- even the challenge of globalization.

BY STEPHEN D. KRASNER | JANUARY 1, 2001

The idea of states as autonomous, independent entities is collapsing under the combined onslaught of monetary unions, CNN, the Internet, and nongovernmental organizations. But those who proclaim the death of sovereignty misread history. The nation-state has a keen instinct for survival and has so far adapted to new challenges -- even the challenge of globalization.

 

Stephen D. Krasner is Graham H. Stuart professor of international relations at Stanford University and is currently on leave as a fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg of Berlin.

Think Again: Spies

Virtually every nation resorts to the "dark arts" of espionage to protect its government, economy, and citizens. But with the end of superpower conflict, the spread of democracy, the advent of new information technologies, and the emergence of a more transparent world, the central question about spying today is whether it is still necessary.

BY LOCH K. JOHNSON | SEPTEMBER 1, 2000

Virtually every nation resorts to the "dark arts" of espionage to protect its government, economy, and citizens. But with the end of superpower conflict, the spread of democracy, the advent of new information technologies, and the emergence of a more transparent world, the central question about spying today is whether it is still necessary.

 

Loch K. Johnson is Regents professor of political science at the University of Georgia and author of Bombs, Bugs, Drugs and Thugs (New York: New York University Press, 2000).

Think Again: Clinton's Foreign Policy

Views on William Jefferson Clinton's record as a world leader have been sharply divided. Where supporters see pragmatic leadership and bold innovation, critics see improvised initiatives that have left America adrift. In preparation for the coming rash of retrospectives, FP's editors look at which aspects of the conventional wisdom are likely to stand the test of time.

BY FP EDITORS | NOVEMBER 1, 2000

Views on William Jefferson Clinton's record as a world leader have been sharply divided. Where supporters see pragmatic leadership and bold innovation, critics see improvised initiatives that have left America adrift. In preparation for the coming rash of retrospectives, FP's editors look at which aspects of the conventional wisdom are likely to stand the test of time.

 

Think Again: Money Laundering

From Moscow to Buenos Aires, money laundering scandals sap economies and destabilize governments. Policymakers blame crime cartels, tax havens, and new techniques like cyberlaundering. But dirty money long predates such influences. Without unified rules governing global finance, outlaws will always exploit disparate legal systems to stash the proceeds of their crimes.

BY NIGEL MORRIS-COTTERILL | MAY 1, 2001

From Moscow to Buenos Aires, money laundering scandals sap economies and destabilize governments. Policymakers blame crime cartels, tax havens, and new techniques like cyberlaundering. But dirty money long predates such influences. Without unified rules governing global finance, outlaws will always exploit disparate legal systems to stash the proceeds of their crimes.

 

Nigel Morris-Cotterill is editor of World Money Laundering Report and author of How Not to Be a Money Launderer, 2nd edition (Brentwood: Silkscreen Publications, 1999).

Think Again: The Internet Economy

The markets may have soured on Internet start-ups. High-tech oases in countries like Malaysia and India may not lift their countries out of poverty. But all those dot-coms and Silicon Valley dreams never had much to do with the real economic impact of the Internet. The new economy is alive and well.

BY ROBERT E. LITAN | MARCH 1, 2001

The markets may have soured on Internet start-ups. High-tech oases in countries like Malaysia and India may not lift their countries out of poverty. But all those dot-coms and Silicon Valley dreams never had much to do with the real economic impact of the Internet. The new economy is alive and well.

 

Robert E. Litan is vice president and director of the Economic Studies Program and Cabot Family Chair in Economics at the Brookings Institution.

Think Again: The Globalization Backlash

Lost your job? Your cultural identity? Your democratic rights? Your clean air and water? Blame globalization -- everyone else does. From Seattle to Copenhagen and Washington, D.C., to Genoa, protesters of all stripes and creeds have turned globalization into a shorthand for many of the world's ills. But judging by the widespread misconceptions about the true consequences of the integration of markets, politics, and cultures, a smaller world is not necessarily a smarter one.

BY JOHN MICKLETHWAIT, ADRIAN WOOLDRIDGE | SEPTEMBER 1, 2001

Lost your job? Your cultural identity? Your democratic rights? Your clean air and water? Blame globalization -- everyone else does. From Seattle to Copenhagen and Washington, D.C., to Genoa, protesters of all stripes and creeds have turned globalization into a shorthand for many of the world's ills. But judging by the widespread misconceptions about the true consequences of the integration of markets, politics, and cultures, a smaller world is not necessarily a smarter one.

 

John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge are, respectively, U.S. editor and Washington correspondent of the Economist and authors of A Future Perfect: The Challenge and Hidden Promise of Globalization (New York: Times Books, 2000).

January/February 2010