Winter/Spring 2002 Vol 26:1

The New World Disorder

Giandomenico Picco

Leaders Without Enemies 

The terrorist groups responsible for the September 11 attacks are not so unlike leaders facing the end of the Cold War: they could not exist without an enemy, says the UN director in charge of the Dialogue among Civilizations.

Carol Bellamy

The Child's Soldier: An Interview with UNICEF's Executive Director

An Interview with UNICEF’s Executive Director The UNICEF executive director has gained a reputation as an uniting and vocal advocate for the world’s children. Now she weighs in on her agency’s work in Afghanistan, the U.S. relationship to the UN and a range of other topics.

Michele Malvesti

Bombing bin Laden: Assessing the Effectiveness of Air Strikes as a Counter-Terrorism Strategy 

An evaluation of the United States’ three previous counter-terrorist military air strikes reveals a blunt, ineffective instrument that creates a cycle of vengeance with minimal gains.

Tom Lantos

Durban Debacle: An Insider’s View of the UN World Conference Against Racism 

The United States should remember the lessons of the UN’s World Conference on Racism as it prosecutes the war on terrorism, says Congressman Tom Lantos, a member of the U.S. delegation at the conference.

W. Robert Pearson

The United States and Turkey: A Model of Sustained Engagement

The United States could have no better ally than Turkey in its war on terrorism writes the U.S. ambassador to Turkey. Facing a range of economic and political challenges Turkey now needs the United States’ sustained engagement.

Toshi Yoshihara and Richard Sokolski

The United States and China in the Persian Gulf: Challenges and Opportunities

China’s growing interest in the Persian Gulf could put it on a collision course with the United States. The two countries can avoid conflicts, however, if they take advantage of their many common interests in the region.

Alfred P. Rubin

Applying the Geneva Conventions: Military Commissions, Armed Conflict, and Al-Qaeda

President George W. Bush’s executive order allowing the establishment of military commissions to try foreigners for acts of terrorism has come under severe criticism. What many have failed to realize is that a simpler solution to the problem exists.

New Modes of International Conflict Resolution

Alvaro de Soto

The Peacemaker: An Interview with the UN Under-Secretary-General 

As under-secretary-general at the United Nations, Alvaro de Soto has seen conflict in a way that few others ever will. A top UN mediator presents his View of the world.

John Paul Lederach

Building Mediative Capacity in Deep-Rooted Conflict

The nature, purpose, and process of mediation must be reconsidered writes Lederach a leading theorist on mediation. Transforming relationships defined by cycles of violent conflict requires the careful nurturing of a “mediative capacity” across society.

Marc Gopin

Shared Public Space and Peacemaking: New Visions of Place in Israel and Palestine

Sacred space is one of the most powerful religious phenomena in the world. The success of any peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will hinge on the parties’ ability to share it.

Securing the Homeland

Stansfield Turner

A New Deal on Disarmament: The Case for American Leadership in Combating Nuclear Proliferation

President Jimmy Carter’s CIA director argues that until the world can find some way to bring about total nuclear disarmament, anew regime for managing the world’s nuclear weapons stacks represents the best compromise available.

Hans Binnendijk and Richard Kugler

Sound Vision, Unfinished Business: the Quadrennial Defense Review 2001 and the Bush Defense Strategy

Will the Bush administration’s defense strategy help America meet its challenges in the post-September 11 era? A review of The Quadrennial Defense Review Report 2001.

Issues and Policy

Heather Killen

Lessons from the Internet Revolution: Where Emerging Markets Go From Here

While Technology firms in emerging markets may be suffering now, the long term poses huge opportunities, particularly for countries that are willing to establish the right kind of business environment. The form Yahoo! Vice-president charts the way ahead.

Svend Auken

Wind Power: Learning from Denmark

Clear policy goals and government support have helped turn Denmark into the world leader in the use of wind power, writes the former Danish Minister for Environment.

Audrey Budding

“The Man Who Overthrew Milosevic:” Vojislav Kostunica, One Year Later

Is the successor to Slobodan Milosevic in Yugoslavia a transitional figure, like the Soviet Union’s Mikhail Gorbachev? The evidence says he is not: President Voislav Kostunica will remain an important bridge between traditionalists and reformers in the country for a long time to come.

Reviews

Terrorism and U.S. Foreign Policy

By Paul Pillar
Reviewed by John D. Moore

Global Governance and the New Wars: The Merging of Development and Security

By Mark Duffield
Reviewed by Sue Lautze and Angela Raven-Roberts

The United States and Pakistan 1947-2000: Disenchanged Allies

By Ambassador Dennnis Kux
Reviewed by Hassan Abbas

Books in Brief

Reviews of Anna Politkovskaya, Igot Zevelev, Alan Kuperman, Gregory J. Rattay, Stephen Kinzet, Simon Zadek, Robert F. Drinan and more…

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.