Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - Latin America

Separatism's Final Country

Richard N. Rosecrance and Arthur A. Stein — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:54:01 -0500

"Muller argues that ethnonationalism is the wave of the future and will result in more and more independent states, but this is not likely. One of the most destabilizing ideas throughout human history has been that every separately defined cultural unit should have its own state. Endless disruption and political introversion would follow an attempt to realize such a goal. Woodrow Wilson gave an impetus to further state creation when he argued for "national self-determination" as a means of preventing more nationalist conflict, which he believed was a cause of World War I...."

Size Matters

Richard N. Rosecrance — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:22:33 -0500

"As the American political system hurtles toward its quadrennial encounter with the oracle of democracy, it is worth our while to take stock of the country's place in a world beset by bewilderingly rapid change. (Heaven knows none of the candidates will bother to do this.) I want to suggest that an old yet generally neglected subject remains particularly relevant: the relationship between the size of political units and the effective scale of systems of economic production and exchange. Another way to describe this relationship is by recourse to the hoary scholarly phrase "political economy", a term of art that has unfortunately gone out of style...."

Your Government Failed You: Breaking the Cycle of National Security Disasters

Richard Clarke — Thu, 29 May 2008 10:11:03 -0500

May 29, 2008

It's not just Bush and Cheney that are to blame. The system is broken. That's the message in this provocative sequel to Against All Enemies. When Richard Clarke apologized for 9-11, he never thought that there would be so many more government failures in so short a time, but climate change, Katrina, the struggle with al Qaeda, the insecurity in cyberspace, and the failure of homeland security all bespeak a larger problem, a systemic failure. Clarke documents the failures and suggests solutions for making government work better in its most important job, protecting us.

Biofuel Production, Poverty Reduction and Private Sector Engagement: What Can We Learn from the Brazilian Experience?

Daniele Cesano — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:54:40 -0500

At the ETIP Seminar Series on April 15, 2008, Cesano presented the key factors that lead to the development of the Brazilian ethanol and biodiesel industries.

War, Peace and Hegemony in a Globalized World:The Changing Balance of Power in the Twenty-First Century

Chandra Chari — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:03:59 -0600

This book focuses on how the US could adapt its foreign policy initiatives to fit in with the growing aspirations of a multipolar world for a more balanced international order.

Political Actors on the Landscape

Robert Paarlberg and Carl Pray — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 20:33:32 -0600

"Efforts to introduce novel agricultural crops or foods are welcomed and supported by some politically important groups in the developing world, ignored by others, and at times opposed by a significant few. When considering the political actors on the landscape most likely to take active positions either for or against novel foods, there is little or no evidence of political resistance to any of the biofortified foods developed thus far using conventional crop-breeding techniques, yet resistance to GMO crops has been widespread for much of the past decade. Which actors on the landscape are opposing GMOs, how powerful are they, and will their opposition weaken if the current generation of GMO crops carrying improved agronomic traits is followed by a second generation of GMOs carrying improved nutrient traits?"

Universities as Agents of Prosperity

José A Zaglul and Calestous Juma — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

"Costa Rica, which shares commonalities with many African nations in terms of climate and resources, has been privileged to have visionary leaders who have understood the importance of education and, since 1949, has had a free and mandatory educational system through elementary school.

In this same era, the army was abolished, arms were exchanged for books and canons for school desks and state universities offering a world-class education were established. Costa Ricans are very proud of this and stable."

The Virtues and Vices of Fixed Territorial Ownership

Boaz Atzili — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Today, territorial ownership of states is essentially fixed, in marked contrast to earlier periods in history. This change has affected states in two very different ways. In regions in which most states are socio-politically strong, fixed territorial ownership is a blessing. It enhances peace, stability, and cooperation between states. In regions in which most states are socio-politically weak, however, fixed territorial ownership is largely a curse. It perpetuates and exacerbates states' weakness, and contributes to internal conflicts that often spill overacross international borders.

Africa Needs Development Armies

Calestous Juma — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500

"Africa could learn from other countries. The US Army Corps of Engineers has been instrumental in the construction and maintenance of critical infrastructure since its creation in the 1930s. Similarly, the Corps of Royal Engineers has a long record spanning 900 years of contributing to civilian infrastructure ."

Reducing Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism Threats

Matthew Bunn and Tom Bielefeld — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Urgent actions are needed to prevent a nuclear or radiological 9/11. Terrorists are actively seeking nuclear weapons and Radiological Dispersal Devices (RDDs) and the materials to make them. There are scores of sites where the essential ingredients of nuclear weapons exist, in dozens of countries worldwide. There are thousands of sites worldwide where radiological materials exist. Many of these sites are not sufficiently secured to defeat the kinds of threats that terrorists and criminals have demonstrated they can pose. A dangerous gap remains between the urgency of the threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism and the scope and pace of the U.S. and world response. While the gap has narrowed significantly in recent years, much more needs to be done. This paper describes the nuclear and radiological terrorism threats, analyzes the actions taken so far to address these threats, and recommends further actions going forward.

Peace through Dialogue

J. Martin Ramirez — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0600

The paper is dedicated to look at some major steps for achieving peace, through a better dialogue among people of other cultures andcivilizations, such as no speaking about past misdeeds, respect for others, tolerance of differences, a better knowledge and understanding of them, and attitudes toward real reconciliation.

'Terrorismo Islamico' e America Latina: a Necessidade de um Olhar Contextualizado ('Islamic Terrorism' in Latin America: On the Necessity of Contextual Analysis)

Marcial Alecio Garcia Suarez — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0600

'Islamic Terrorism' in Latin America: On the Necessity of Contextual Analysis

Changes Afoot on the Diplomatic Stage

Seyom Brown — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0600

"POLICY ANALYSTS in Cambridge and policy wonks in Washington are all astir , trying to ascertain whether the anti-US rhetoric by President Vladimir Putin of Russia at a conference in Munich was mainly for his home audience or signaled a resurgent rivalry with the United States...."

Dealing with Dictators: Dilemmas of U.S. Diplomacy and Intelligence Analysis, 1945-1990

Ernest R. May and Philip D. Zelikow — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0600

The United States continues to proclaim its support for democracy and its opposition to tyranny, but American presidents often have supported dictators who have allied themselves with the United States. This book illustrates the chronic dilemmas inherent in U.S. dealings with dictators under conditions of uncertainty and moral ambiguity.

Introduction: Seven Tenets

Ernest R. May and Philip D. Zelikow — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0600

"Almost from the beginning, a central theme of U.S. foreign policy has
been support for democracy against dictatorship...."

Learning from the Cases

Ernest R. May and Philip D. Zelikow — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0600

"...these cases were designed for and used in executive program classes for senior managers in the U.S. intelligence community...."

The Role of Government Policy: For Growth, Sustainability and Equity

Sakiko Fukuda-Parr — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0600

This chapter focuses on the role of government policy in the evolution of GM technology and institutions.

The Gene Revolution: GM Crops and Unequal Development

Sakiko Fukuda-Parr — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600

This is the first book to bridge the gap between the "naysayers" and "cheerleaders", and to provide a penetrating examination of the realities, complexities, benefits and pitfalls of GM adoption in developing countries that are desperately fighting poverty while trying to stay afloat in the hyper-competitive global economy.

Introduction: Genetically Modified Crops and National Development Priorities

Sakiko Fukuda-Parr — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600

"Investing in agricultural technology increasingly turns up these days on lists of the top ten practical actions the rich world could take to contribute to reducing global poverty...."

Emergence and Global Spread of GM Crops: Explaining the Role of Institutional Change

Sakiko Fukuda-Parr — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600

"Biotechnology enthusiasts emphasize the power of the new science to address a seemimgly endless array of constraints facing resource poor farmers. But the process of technological innovation depends as much on institutions as on the science...."

Institutional Changes in Argentina, Brazil, China, India and South Africa

Sakiko Fukuda-Parr — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600

"...the emergence and spread of GM crops at the global level was driven by markets and shaped by institutions. This chapter analyses the same process at the national level and compares the experiences of Argentina, Brazil, China, India and South Africa...."

Ashton Carter appointed to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s International Security Advisory Board

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600

November 6, 2006

At a November 6, 2006 swearing-in at the State Department, Preventive Defense Project Co-Director and Kennedy School of Government professor Ashton B. Carter became a member of Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s International Security Advisory Board (ISAB) which is charged with providing advice on a wide range of issues affecting national security.

Religion's Flame Burns Brighter Than Ever

Timothy Samuel Shah and Monica Duffy Toft — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500

What happened to the world's transition to secularism?

Meeting the Development Challenge in the 21st Century: American and Chinese Perpectives on Foreign Aid

Michael A. Glosny — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500

A report on Chinese and American foreign aid policies, based on Mr. Glosny's research and a National Committee and CICIR conference held in December 2005.

Why God is Winning

Timothy Samuel Shah and Monica Duffy Toft — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0500

"Religion was supposed to fade away as globalization and freedom spread. Instead, it's booming around the world, often deciding who gets elected. And the divine intervention is just beginning. Democracy is giving people a voice, and more and more, they want to talk about God."

Theory Gets Real, and the Case for a Normative Ethic: Rostow, Modernization Theory, and the Alliance for Progress

Pinhas (Piki) Ish-Shalom — Wed, 31 May 2006 00:00:00 -0500

May 31, 2006

Trouble Ahead: The Cocaleros of Peru

Vanda Felbab-Brown — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 00:00:00 -0600

"Ironically, civil society, which the United States has been exporting as a means of democratization around the world, is precisely what is complicating its counternarcotics policies in the Andes."

Introduction: Global Actors, Markets and Rules Driving the Diffusion of Genetically Modified (GM) Crops in Developing Countries

Sakiko Fukuda-Parr — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0600

"This introductory essay explains how this new technology is being driven by the actors (multinational corporations), markets (large global markets) and rules (intellectual property) of globalisation."

The Intersection of Terrorism and the Drug Trade

Vanda Felbab-Brown — Mon, 31 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0600

October 31, 2005

Book Review: Mestizaje Upside Down: Aesthetic Politics in Modern Bolivia by Javier Sanjines C.

Rachel Gisselquist — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0500