Council on Foreign Relations

It may not be a new Cold War but a definite chill has set in between the West and Russia following Russia’s military occupation of Georgia and recognition of its two breakaway provinces. The Russia-Georgia conflict has made its way into the U.S. presidential race as well. Seeking to chart a way forward, the Economist has kicked off an important two-week debate in response to the proposition: “The West must be bolder in its response to a newly assertive Russia.”

Anne-Marie Slaughter, who heads Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson school, argues in favor of bolder action: In her opening post, she writes:

“As popular as Vladimir Putin and his party are, they are delivering a heady nationalist brew rather than actually providing badly needed economic and social benefits to the population at large. It is that domestic political equation that the West must counterbalance by making clear that the diplomatic, political and economic costs of external adventures outweigh the domestic benefits.”

But the Carnegie Endowment’s Dmitri V. Trenin counters that under Putin, Russians are more affluent than ever and “capitalism is transforming Russian society on a daily basis.” He offers the following advice in his opening post:

“Rather than thinking about bold steps which would fuel nascent confrontation it makes more sense to subject old stereotypes to a reality check, and figure out whither Russia is heading, and what it actually wants. And then perhaps use the present crisis to structure a security relationship in Europe which would include Russia and reassure its wary neighbors. That, incidentally, may come in handy as other crises may jolt the world: a politico-nuclear meltdown in Pakistan, a Taliban comeback in Afghanistan, Iran’s nuclear weapons progress, North Korea’s proliferation regression and the like.”  

In his speech closing the Democratic National Convention, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) accepted his party’s nomination with a speech that focused on improving the U.S. economy and bolstering the fortunes of the American middle class. Obama called it “one of those defining moments-a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened.”

The Wall Street Journal reports Obama’s speech included several proposals aimed at easing middle class economic malaise, some of which could hold significant bearing for foreign policy. The Financial Times says perhaps the most ambitious of Obama’s economic proposals is to wean the United States off foreign oil within ten years, and to invest some $150 billion in alternative energy programs.
Obama repeated his call for an expedited withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq and renewed emphasis on the war in Afghanistan, saying: “You don’t defeat a terrorist network that operates in eighty countries by occupying Iraq.”

Al-Jazeera notes that Obama’s speech drew immediate attacks from Republicans and Obama’s presumptive opponent, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), as being “misleading.”

Earlier, former Vice President Al Gore, and Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) spoke to the convention, among others.

CFR has a series of resources lending context to the campaign generally, and its economic dimensions more specifically. CFR.org’s Campaign 2008 blog includes on-scene updates from the convention. A new article looks at how international press covering the election see the vote affecting their home countries. This Issue Tracker details the candidates’ statements on trade policy.

CFR will host several panel discussions on foreign policy issues at next week’s Republican National Convention in Minnesota.

For full coverage, please see CFR.org’s Campaign 2008 website.

DENVER- The U.S. presidential race has sparked intense interest abroad; so much so, that a recent Pew poll found majorities of citizens in several countries are watching the contest closely. But the nature of that interest differs from place to place. Some nations feel they have something at stake and are therefore watching certain issues, while others are simply intrigued by the spectacle of the drawn out electoral process. In a new interview, CFR.org asks foreign reporters at the DNC to discuss the issues that matter most to their readers back home.

Foreign Affairs is also covering foreign views of the election, with essays showing perspectives from Asia, Latin America, and Europe.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) was named the Democratic Party’s official presidential nominee (Reuters) Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention. He will officially accept the nomination tonight.

Former President Bill Clinton addressed the convention Wednesday evening, praising Obama as showing “a clear grasp of foreign policy and national security challenges and a firm commitment to rebuild our badly strained military.”

Vice-presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) promised that he and Obama will “hold Russia accountable for its actions and we will help the people of Georgia rebuild.” He also said Obama was “right” in calling for additional troops in Afghanistan and for a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq. CFR.org Executive Editor Michael Moran talks with Biden’s co-author of a plan to federalize Iraq, CFR President Emeritus Leslie H. Gelb, about possible Iraq policy in an Obama-Biden administration.

A CFR hosted panel of foreign policy heavyweights Wednesday explored the immense challenges facing the next president, from globalization to the Middle East.

CFR will host several panel discussions on foreign policy issues at next week’s Republican National Convention in Minnesota.

DENVER — As Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE), Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) running mate, prepares to take center stage here, questions swirl around his most prominent contribution to the Iraq debate: the plan for a federalized Iraqi state he proposed in May 2006 jointly with CFR President Emeritus Leslie H. Gelb. 

The plan, set forth at a time when Iraq’s violence was running at peak levels, often got mischaracterized as a “partition” plan – something both men spent a good deal of time knocking down. In fact, the plan calls for broad autonomy for Iraq’s three major factions, the Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis, as part of a comprehensive agreement to retain Iraq’s current borders. Negotiations would devolve certain powers – such as foreign affairs, defense, and some infrastructure issues – to a central government in Baghdad.

With Biden now delivering what is for all intents and purposes the keynote foreign policy address of the 2008 Democratic convention, the question remains: Is the plan now official Obama policy? Biden has not confronted the question directly, and tonight’s speech may or may not provide some clarity.

Reached by CFR.org, Gelb said that Biden still supports the plan and that “to my knowledge, has signed on to it, making it clear that the decision is up to the Iraqis and this isn’t something we[the U.S.]’ll shove down their throats.”

Last September, as the Senate debated alternatives to the ‘surge,’ the Gelb-Biden plan won 75 votes in the Senate, but failed to win the support in the House it would have needed to move forward. Its status today, says Gelb, is a bit uncertain in that it “has gotten subsumed in the recent total focus on ‘the surge,’ U.S. troop withdrawals, and the Iraqi insistence on a withdrawal schedule.” He said the two of them, in touch frequently, continue to believe that federalization remains the “only way to bring about a political settlement.”

Will Obama begin adding a line about federalism in his stump speeches? That remains to be seen. In spite of the perceived successes of  ‘the surge,’ as Gelb notes, “I believe that Biden, Obama, and certainly I, believe that the underlying political reality remains one of fragmentation.” 

DENVER — National Security Day kicked off in Denver Wednesday, with delegates looking forward to speeches from former Vice President Al Gore, former President Bill Clinton, and Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) vice presidential selection, Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE), among others. Just outside the high-security zone around the Pepsi Center, CFR co-sponsored a roundtable discussion moderated by NBC News Special Correspondent Tom Brokaw on the international issues facing the United States.

Before an audience of over 2,000 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, a bipartisan panel including senior members of both Republican and Democratic administrations past traded ideas and offered prescriptions for the next president, who, according to panelist Richard Holbrooke, “inherits the worst opening day position in American history in international affairs.” The statement brought no dissent. Indeed, CFR President Richard N. Haass, who headed the State Department’s Policy Planning Council in the first term of President George W. Bush’s administration, noted that the next president’s troubles will not only stem from missteps by the current administration, but by important, tectonic shifts in the world since 9/11.”We‘ve got a gap between the problems of the world and the institutions needed to deal with them ,” Haass said, noting that the sheer number of problems – from ongoing wars, Russia’s aggressive move in the Caucasus, instability in the Middle East, energy supply and security issues, climate change, and a host of others – simply overwhelm the systems in place meant to help tackle them. Haass also said he was deeply concerned about polls showing Americans beginning to flirt with the idea of pulling back from global involvement.”Globalization at the end of the day isn’t a choice, it’s a reality. The world is not Las Vegas, what happens there won’t stay there … We have to deal with the world.”

Vin Weber, a former Republican congressman and senior fellow at the Humphrey Institute in Minnesota, cautioned that problems are not going to go away simply because America changes horses and adopts a less confrontational, more multilateral approach in the world.

“I think some Americans have developed an attitude that Obama’s going to be president, he’ll say the right words, and all of a sudden NATO will step up to the plate, the United Nations will step up to the plate,” Weber said. “I don’t think it’s going to be that easy. ”

Holbrooke and Madeleine Albright, former Clinton administration secretary of state and a top Obama adviser, both argued that the election of a Republican – even Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), whom both praised as a good, qualified man – would send a devastating message to the world after the past eight years.

Referring to Barack Obama’s ability to draw an estimated 200,000 to a rally in Berlin earlier this summer, Holbrooke said: “What those Germans were saying is, “We still love America, we’re not anti American, but we’re anti-Bush.”

National security will be today’s theme at the Democratic National Convention, a day after former presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) called for party unity around the candidacy of Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL). Vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) and former President Bill Clinton will speak to the convention this evening.

CFR hosts an expert panel discussion in Denver today on the foreign policy challenges facing the next presidential administration.

RUSSIA: Both Obama and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) condemned Russia’s recognition (Reuters) of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states on Tuesday.

VETERANS: McCain explained his opposition to the recent GI Bill in a speech before the American Legion on Tuesday. The bill “did nothing to retain the young officer and enlisted leaders who form the backbone of our all-volunteer force,” McCain said.

DENVER–There’s no question that speeches by Democratic dignitaries, especially Barack Obama’s address Thursday night, constitute the main event here at the DNC. Yet security has become a formidable side show. The federal government devoted $50 million to bolster the security effort here and will match that in Minnesota next week. So what does $50 million buy? The AP has an itemized list, but as far as those attending the nightly proceedings are concerned, it still adds up to long lines; the queue for the security checkpoint stretched the length of two or three city blocks each of the first two evenings. Considering the airport-style security being imposed, the line moves with surprising efficiency. Police, Secret Service, and TSA officials operate metal detectors, x-rays, and conduct manual bag searches, though no one is asked to remove their shoes.

The security check point is located well within a broader security perimeter, which requires credentials to enter. Outside the perimeter, security remains ever present, with scores of riot police and mounted officers circulating throughout downtown Denver. Protesters are also abundant, and despite the mass arrest (9 News) of more than 100 protesters Monday night, it appears that officials have done a good job of balancing First Amendment rights with the need for security.

In order to coordinate efforts of the 62 government agencies sharing the security burden in Denver, officials have created a multi-agency command center (Denver Post) to ensure everything runs smoothly. As this Backgrounder explains, these kinds of interagency facilities, known as fusion centers, have become an increasingly important tool in state and local homeland security efforts.

An officer eyes the crowd of people waiting to pass through the security check before Tuesday night’s events.