October, 2009
Negotiation inevitable in Afghanistan
It’s now the conventional wisdom that all options in Afghanistan have become bad options. But one that still earns only occasional and sometimes grudging mention – negotiation – is different from the others in one important sense. It’s inevitable.
Urban battle plan won't lead to victory in Afghanistan
Fortifying and defending a handful of Afghan cities while ceding control of the vast countryside to the Taliban seems less a strategy for victory than a delaying tactic to stave off defeat.
Setting Out the Conditions for 'Success' in Afghanistan
President Obama is right to be deliberate in contemplating General Stanley McChrystal's request for a troop surge in Afghanistan, as that decision may determine the outcome of the eight-year U.S. engagement in Afghanistan and perhaps even the broader state-building process.
Dialogue Raises Hope for Iraq Recovery Amid Difficulties
Despite the obstacles Iraq continues to face in its transition from dictatorship to representative government, Iraqis and outside experts are hopeful the country can rebuild itself. A two-day event in Ottawa put on by CIGI and the Stimson Center highlighted the positive changes underway as the country grapples with its new realities.
Out for the count: How Canada got caught in Afghan election that doesn’t add up
In the back offices of the multiple-pizza-box structure where Canada’s Foreign Affairs is housed, the conversations must be getting pretty frenzied right about now.
Iraq's New Reality
The conference series Iraq's New Reality is intended to shape a better understanding of the Iraqi dilemma and to encourage dialogue between concerned actors. It is a joint partnership between CIGI and the Stimson Center in Washington, DC.
The demise of Maurice Bishop
The release of Bernard Coard and his fellow inmates from prison after 26 years behind bars has put on the table once again the question of what happened in October 1983 in Grenada. In a previous column, I examined the role played by Bernard Coard in that extraordinary course of events.