Foreign Policy in Focus articles from April 2001

Foreign Policy in Focus archives from April 2001

Redefining National Security.
April 1, 2001... Key Points * Central to the U.S. definition of national security has been an outdated plan to fight and win two regional wars simultaneously with no help from our allies. * Although the Bush administration may officially abandon this...

Problems with Current U.S. Policy.
April 1, 2001... Key Problems * Bush administration defense planning overstates military threats and ignores real security issues. * It accelerates the development of new higher-tech weaponry, despite the overwhelming superiority of existing U.S....

Toward a New Foreign Policy.
April 1, 2001... Key Recommendations * A cooperative security policy would be less expensive and provide the U.S. with more genuine security than the Bush administration's "get tough" policy. * A cooperative security policy would free up money to...

A Children's National Security Budget.
April 1, 2001... Annual Suggested Action Savings(*) Bring back troops needlessly deployed around the world $33 billion Cut back in research and development of next generation of weapons $21...

Free Trade Area of the Americas.
April 8, 2001... Key Points * President Bush seeks to fulfill his father's dream of creating a free trade zone of the Americas, and the timetable may be accelerated to complete negotiations by 2003. * The economic crisis in Mexico and sustained...

Problems with Current U.S. Policy.
April 8, 2001... Key Problems * The U.S. government is promoting an approach to the FTAA based in large part on NAFTA, despite the failure of that accord to raise living standards. * Proposals for an "investor-state" clause in the FTAA would give...

Toward a New Foreign Policy.
April 8, 2001... Key Recommendations * Trade negotiations should be opened up to include a broader representation of society. * Labor, environmental, and other relevant social issues should be included in the negotiation of trade agreements. *...

U.S.-Supported Iraqi Opposition.
April 15, 2001... On February 6, 2001, President George W. Bush announced that the U.S. would resume funding opposition efforts inside Iraq for the first time since the Iraqi army overran the rebels' main base in 1996. The next day, Sharif Ali Bin Al-Hussein,...

Problems with Current U.S. Policy.
April 15, 2001... A decade of failed operations, internal squabbling, backstabbing, wasted opportunities, piecemeal plans, and disastrous results has evidently not convinced Washington policymakers to chart a new course to achieve a regime change in Iraq. The...

Toward a New Foreign Policy.
April 15, 2001... While there is no way to accurately gauge the level of internal discontent inside Iraq, there are numerous indications that Saddam Hussein's regime is widely unpopular. As one ex-Ba'ath Party member put it: "It is not a matter of who hates the...

New Balkan Policy Needed.
April 22, 2001... Key Points * Recent fighting in Macedonia could represent a dangerous slide into a new Balkan conflict. * Uncertainty over Kosovo's future remains a destabilizing factor in the Balkans. * The potential for instability in...

Problems with Current U.S. Policy.
April 22, 2001... Key Problems * The Bush administration has not taken an active role to help contain the dangerous escalation of violence in Macedonia. * The Bush administration has not yet clearly articulated its overall Balkan policy, especially with...

Toward a New Foreign Policy.
April 22, 2001... Key Recommendations * The U.S. should provide emergency military and financial assistance to Macedonia. * Washington should put intense pressure on rebellious Kosovar and Macedonian Albanians by increasing KFOR's strength and border...

"Free Trade" and Medicines in the Americas.
April 29, 2001... Key Points * Generic competition is crucial to reducing the price of medicines in developing countries. * The U.S. is pushing a negotiating agenda for the FTAA that would dramatically limit each country's ability to undertake...

Problems with Current U.S. Policy.
April 29, 2001... Key Problems * If the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement serves as a model, the FTAA will sharply limit the grounds for issuance of a compulsory license. * The U.S. negotiating objectives for the FTAA inappropriately seek to link...

Toward a New Foreign Policy.
April 29, 2001... Key Recommendations * The U.S. should drop its efforts to include TRIPS-plus provisions in the FTAA. * Because all FTAA negotiating countries are already members of the WTO and are bound by TRIPS, there is no reason to include any...

Myths and Realities of China's Military Power.
April 30, 2001... Given the atmosphere of suspicion and distrust that so often characterizes U.S.-China relations, it is vitally important that Chinese foreign policy and military capabilities be calmly and carefully assessed. Unfortunately, images of China as a...

Problems with Current U.S. Policy.
April 30, 2001... The main problem with current China policy is the growing tendency in the U.S. to overestimate Chinese military capabilities and China's potential threat to U.S. national security. Current plans to proceed with National Missile Defense (NMD)...

Toward a New Foreign Policy.
April 30, 2001... The Bush administration should carefully reconsider its policy on NMD and TMD. Of the two, TMD is more threatening to the Chinese. Recent statements by Chinese officials reiterate their opposition to NMD but indicate a willingness to negotiate...