Summer 2004 Vol 28:2

A Security Strategy of Transforming Societies

Newt Gingrich with Mark Kester

From Stabilizing to Transforming Societies as the Key to American Security 

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich and Lieutenant Commander Mark Kester describe the values, mechanisms, and reforms necessary to achieve long-term security through transforming societies that generate groups irreconcilably hostile to the existence of the United States and the West.

Ambassadorial Conversations with The Forum

Barbara Bodine

Interview with Ambassador Barbara Bodine

The Forum sits down with Ambassador Barbara Bodine, the first senior U.S. diplomat deployed to Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, to discuss prospects for Iraq, life as a hostage in Kuwait, the joint investigation into the USS Cole attack in Yemen, and the 9/11 commission.

Ashraf Jehangir Qazi

Interview with Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi

Pakistani Ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi talks to The Forum about the India-Pakistan proposal for peace, A.Q. Khan's illicit nuclear activities, and the demands on the Pakistani leadership in the war on terrorism.

British Political Leadership from Churchill to Blair

"British Political Leadership from Churchill to Blair" was the topic of The Fletcher School's first annual London Alumni Symposium held on December 6, 2003. The following papers are based on the three presentations given at the symposium.

Gwyn Prins

A Class Act 

Gwyn Prins writes that the key to understanding leadership in Britain has remained constant, from Churchill to Blair: economic class, and the manner in which politicians are able to relate to class differences, is the political variable that most determines the difference between success and failure.

Deborah Nutter

A Focus on Foreign Policy

Tony Blair has made his reputation in foreign affairs, despite coming to office expecting to leave his mark in domestic policy. Deborah Winslow Nutter puts Blair's foreign policy leadership in historical perspective.

Michael Dobbs

In Churchill's Footsteps: How Blair Bombed Out

Michael Dobbs compares the political leadership styles of four of Britain's most notable prime ministers Clement Attlee, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, and Winston Churchill.

New Trends and Solutions in Africa and the Middle East?

Ken Menkhaus

A "Sudden Outbreak of Tranquility:" Assessing the New Peace in Africa 

Ken Menkhaus considers whether the continent's recent period of relative tranquility is merely a lull in violence or the dawn of a new peace that portends something more permanent.

Neal Donahue

How Business Strategy is Transforming Rwanda

As Rwanda observes the 10th anniversary of the genocide, Neal Donahue explores the role of the private sector in rebuilding the economy of Rwanda, using the coffee industry as a case study.

Allison Hodgkins

Beyond Two-States: Alternative Visions of Self-Determination of the People of Palestine

Allison Beth Hodgkins argues that the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rests on mistaken notions of law, history, and practical reality, and urges the parties to consider the merits of collective self-determination.

The Future of International Regimes: Organizations and Practices

Mark Malloch Brown

After Iraq: U.S.-UN Relations

The UNDP Administrator speaks at The Fletcher School, sharing an optimistic outlook on the Iraq War and the future of U.S.-UN relations.

Adam Smith

Drifting Toward Insignificance or Increased Relevance? The UN Following the Iraq War- Learning from Other Institutions

Adam Smith claims that the past experiences of U.S. relations with the International Court of Justice, NATO, and the UN suggest that recent U.S. rebuffs of the UN-system will serve to strengthen, not enfeeble, the UN today.

Jamie Mayerfeld

The Democratic Legacy of the International Criminal Court 

Jamie Mayerfeld argues that the ICC is an ingenious means of bolstering democracy and encouraging its spread, and, therefore, deserves support from those who believe in democratization as the key to protecting fundamental human rights.

Natasha Bajema and Mary Beth Nikitin

Assessing Nuclear Maturity: Determining which States should have Access to what Nuclear Technology

Natasha Bajema and Mary Beth Nikitin describe how enduring weaknesses in compliance and enforcement mechanisms have been lost in the debate on nuclear proliferation and advance a new approach to proliferation threats.

Jacqueline Bhabha

Moving Babies: Globalization, Markets, and Transnational Adoption

Jacqueline Bhabha discusses the growing market in babies, a relatively new form of commodification of human beings, and offers a critique of some of the legal and policy initiatives used to address the problems.

Reflections on a New Europe

Robert Rotberg

Timing is Almost Everything: Obstructionist Leadership, Cypriot Style

Robert Rotberg highlights the importance of timing in positive leadership positions, as seen through Rauf Denktash's role in the Cyprus negotiations.

Bartol Letica

Europe's Second Chance: European Union Enlargement to Croatia and the Western Balkans

With an emphasis on the experience of Croatia, Bartol Letica discusses the frameworks for EU enlargement in the Western Balkans and the significance of enlargement for Europe and the United States.

Shashi Tharoor, F76

"The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs is a prime example of the School’s long-standing commitment to convening thought-leaders to bring to light the world’s most vital issues. During our time as students at Fletcher, my friends and I felt it was necessary to provide a showcase for the important scholarship occurring at the School and beyond on a daily basis. The creation of the journal made this possible. I’m pleased to know that more than 30 years later, the Forum remains an essential read for professionals in the international affairs arena.”

- Shashi Tharoor, F76, former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, award-winning author, businessman, and current member of Indian Parliament.