Response: Because 2007 will almost certainly be a national election year in Australia, electoral considerations are likely to be a strong influence in determining the key issues of domestic and foreign policy during the coming year.

Australia’s Constitution and Electoral Act allow some timing flexibility around the maximum term of three years for the House of Representatives (the chamber of the bicamera... more

Summary: China and its relations with the US

Response: China’s dramatic growth of economic and political clout in recent years has irreversibly transformed the strategic balance in East Asia and the Pacific, and despite some egregious problems at home, this giant country is poised to become a superpower in 15-20 years. China is a multi-dimensional, complex country deeply rooted in history and culture. It is critically more important today for us to r... more

Response: There may have been a time years ago when there was a certain logic to U.S. policy toward Cuba – at a time, that is, when Cuba was moving to align itself with the Soviet Union, the U.S.’s principal global adversary. The 1962 missile crisis was to be sure the most tension-filled moment of the Cold War. U.S. efforts to isolate Cuba and undermine its regime were at that point understandable. But all ... more

Response: The New Year came to downtown Cairo in an unexpectedly spectacular way. Returning to my apartment in the heart of the city shortly after midnight, I was swept up in a mass of humanity. Hoards of young, poor males completely took over Cairo’s once elegant sidewalks and main streets. For an hour at least very few cars could get through. Talaat Harb, once Cairo’s Fifth Avenue, looked more like Musk... more