Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - Americas

Will US-Japan Alliance Survive?

Joseph S. Nye — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:01:49 -0400

"...[T]he U.S.-Japan alliance will have to face a new set of transnational challenges to our vital interests, such as pandemics, terrorism, and human outflows from failed states. Chief among these challenges is the threat posed by global warming, with China having surpassed the U.S. as the leading producer of carbon-dioxide emissions (though not in per capita terms)."

Human Connections on a Crosstown Bus

Rami Khouri — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:58:31 -0400

The conversation and gestures of appreciation and acknowledgment lasted no more than 10 seconds. But packed into that moment was a whole universe of human connectedness and warmth, immense dignity and professionalism.

Just the Facts, Ma'am

Ben Heineman — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:11:08 -0400

"As he struggles to deal with a host of hard issues, President Obama does not want to invite a war of recrimination which could poison already contentious debates on major initiatives. But bringing bipartisan fact-finding and analysis to this difficult set of issues is just as much in the national interest as health care or climate change or economic recovery."

Insure to Assure: A New Paradigm for Nuclear Nonproliferation and International Security

Erwann O. Michel-Kerjan and Debra K. Decker — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:52:42 -0400

"No country has yet encountered major problems in its nuclear fuel supply specifically because of commercial disruptions. However, past political constraints on supply may be part of the motivation for countries like Iran to seek enrichment capability. Thus far it is unclear what other countries might be on the fence about acquiring a full fuel cycle and could be swayed not to enrich if an effective assurance mechanism could address the simply political risk. It is important for IAEA to identify these countries and the assurances they would need so that the best supply assurance mechanism can be crafted. Anticipating nuclear needs—not just for enriched uranium but also for fabricated fuel, transport, spare parts, etc.—and deciding whether and how government should help satisfy such needs is the best way to ensure that the industry develops in ways that serve the public's interests."

Optimal Spatial Deployment of Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage Given a Price on Carbon Dioxide

Michael J. Kuby, Jeffrey Bielicki and Richard S. Middleton — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:36:56 -0400

Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) links together technologies that separate carbon dioxide (CO2) from fixed point source emissions and transport it by pipeline to geologic reservoirs into which it is injected underground for long-term containment. Previously, models have been developed to minimize the cost of a CCS infrastructure network that captures a given amount of CO2. The CCS process can be costly, however, and large-scale implementation by industry will require government regulations and economic incentives. The incentives can price CO2 emissions, through a tax or a cap-and-trade system, or involve the purchase of CO2 by oil companies for enhanced oil recovery from depleted oil fields.

Preventing Nuclear Terrorism: Securing Pakistani Nuclear Weapons

Rolf Mowatt-Larssen — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:55:59 -0400

"The problem is not the quality of Pakistan's nuclear security efforts. The problem is that the standard for success is so unforgiving. In a world in which terrorists are actively seeking weapons of mass destruction, there can be no breakdown in security that enables terrorists to obtain a nuclear bomb."

State and Local Fusion Centers

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:40:37 -0400

This memo provides members of Congress with an overview of fusion centers, explains the role these centers play in information sharing and addresses some challenges that they face today.

Obama's Style Trumps Substance, Again

Stephen M. Walt — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:32:45 -0400

"The tone of U.S.-Russian diplomacy was much improved, and Obama is returning to Washington with several concrete agreements, but the summit did not yield a significant breakthrough on any major issue. In fact, like much of Obama's foreign policy to date, the Moscow summit was as much a triumph of style and attitude as an achievement in terms of substance. Russian-American relations may now be headed in the right direction, but both sides have a long way to go."

The USA-PATRIOT Act

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:26:13 -0400

This memo provides an overview of the USA-PATRIOT Act and its provisions that will expire at the end of 2009.

The Role of Private Corporations in the Intelligence Community

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:10:36 -0400

This memo provides members of Congress and their staffs with an overview of the role of private corporations working with and within the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC).

Terrorist Safehavens and the Intelligence Community

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:52:14 -0400

This memo provides new members of Congress with an overview of safehavens, as well as potential ways in which the Intelligence Community can support U.S. policymakers to mitigate the threat from these areas.

The National Interest, Energy Security, and the Intelligence Community

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:39:33 -0400

This memo provides a proposed conceptual framework for assessing energy security and the potential areas in which the Intelligence Community can support policymakers.

Overhead Surveillance

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:27:22 -0400

This memorandum provides an overview of overhead surveillance systems, the agencies involved in gathering and analyzing overhead surveillance, and the costs and benefits of this form of intelligence collection.

Cyber Security and the Intelligence Community

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:47:15 -0400

This memo provides members new members of Congress with an overview of cyber security and the potential areas in which the Intelligence Community (IC) can support the nation's cyber security efforts.

Electronic Surveillance and FISA

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:30:37 -0400

This memo provides an overview of electronic surveillance and discusses the recent debate in Congress about and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

Interrogations and Intelligence

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:15:45 -0400

This memo provides new members of Congress with an overview of the guidelines for interrogations conducted by the military or intelligence agencies. This memo also provides a brief background on the debate about "coercive interrogations" that transpired over the past several years.

Sharing Global CO2 Emission Reductions Among One Billion High Emitters

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:45:28 -0400

The 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) created a 2-tier world. It called upon the developed ("Annex I") countries to "take the lead" in reducing carbon emissions, and, under the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities," established no time frame for developing countries to follow. However, a consensus is now emerging in favor of low stabilization targets. These targets cannot be achieved without the participation of developing countries, which today emit about half of global CO2 emissions and whose future emissions increase faster than the emissions of industrialized countries under "business as usual" scenarios.

On Robert McNamara

Joseph S. Nye — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:40:17 -0400

"...I assign the Errol Morris film The Fog of War to my students in a course about leadership and ethics in foreign policy. What the film shows is a man who belatedly realized his frailties and decided to warn a younger generation not to repeat his mistakes. Many former policy makers spend their time after office trying to cast their actions in the best possible light for history. Bob was a rare exception in exposing his mistakes...."

Hypocritical Kvetching

Rami Khouri — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:32:40 -0400

Negotiating with Iran cannot be any more difficult than it was with the Soviet Union. So why the hesitancy -- and the anguished, hypocritical debate in the West?

The Governance Crisis: First, Let’s Redefine the CEO Role

Ben Heineman — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:08:39 -0400

The witch's brew of high leverage, poor risk management, creation of toxic assets and poor business judgments-all made more poisonous by excessive short-term executive pay-are unprecedented failures of financial sector directors and CEOs. The result: credibility has eroded, trust has dissolved and financial re-regulation seems inevitable.

Remembering Ernest May

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:35:16 -0400

Ernest May, Charles Warren Professor of American History, a member of the Belfer Center's board of directors, and a faculty affiliate of the Center's International Security Program, passed away on Monday, June 1, 2009. Colleagues and family members offer their remembrances.

Intelligence Reform

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:07:25 -0400

This memo provides an overview of intelligence reform efforts since 2004.

Intelligence and International Cooperation

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:45:57 -0400

This memo provides an overview of these foreign liaison relationships, as well as how these partnerships can strengthen U.S. national security.

Domestic Intelligence

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:24:53 -0400

This memo provides new members of Congress with an overview of U.S. domestic intelligence and the issues most relevant to the 111th Congress.

Defense Intelligence

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:58:07 -0400

This memo provides an overview of the structure of the nation's defense intelligence resources, defines the respective functions of defense intelligence, and highlights challenges to coordinating defense intelligence efforts with the rest of the IC.

National Intelligence Estimates

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:35:20 -0400

This memo provides an overview of strategic intelligence assessments and NIEs. After discussing the drafting process, the memo highlights challenges the IC faces in NIE production.

Nuclear Security in Pakistan: Reducing the Risks of Nuclear Terrorism

Rolf Mowatt-Larssen — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:20:57 -0400

"The greatest threat of a loose nuke scenario stems from insiders in the nuclear establishment working with outsiders, people seeking a bomb or material to make a bomb. Nowhere in the world is this threat greater than in Pakistan."

Spreading Temptation: Proliferation and Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation Agreements

Matthew Fuhrmann — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Matthew Fuhrmann's article "Spreading Temptation: Proliferation and Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation Agreements," was published by in the Summer 2009 issue of International Security. In his article, Dr. Fuhrmann argues "Peaceful nuclear cooperation—the transfer of nuclear technology, materials, or know-how from one state to another for peaceful purposes—leads to the spread of nuclear weapons. With a renaissance in nuclear power on the horizon, major suppliers, including the United States, should reconsider their willingness to assist other countries in developing peaceful nuclear programs."

Peace with Honor?

Ivan Arreguin-Toft — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:43:07 -0400

"'Peace with honor.' This was the Nixon administration's euphemism for disengagement from South Vietnam, a place where corruption and incompetence had long doomed any hope of victory; even a victory as modest as the simple negative objective of preserving the political independence of tiny South Vietnam."

Covert Action

Eric Rosenbach and Aki J. Peritz — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:16:54 -0400

This memo provides an overview of covert action, including its legal basis, authorization and notification procedures, and historical examples.