Foreign Policy: Media Appearances and Press Releases

Steve Clemons in the Guardian | 'Biden to Recast Foreign Policy from Center Stage'

Communications — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:35:00 -0400

New America in the News:
Steve Clemons, a director the Washington-based New America Foundation and among the first to tip Biden for the vice-presidential slot, is among those who argue that Biden's exercise of power in the White House would be similar to that of Cheney's. "The office of vice-president has changed forever," he said. "The office has explicit legal powers now. Maybe some will be rolled back but they can't be rolled back easily." LINK

New America Event with Steve Coll and Susan Rice in CQ Politics | 'Democrats Confront National Security Challenge'

Communications — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:06:00 -0400

New America in the News:

“In the 21st century, the threats we face are at least as dangerous and in some ways more complex than those we’ve confronted in the past,” said Susan Rice, Obama’s top foreign policy adviser, in a speech at the New America Foundation on Aug. 15, “By definition they require cooperative solutions . . . while working with our allies and coming together in effective partnerships...”

...Already Obama initiatives have advanced the national security debate by giving policy experts the cover they need to advance those positions, argues Steve Coll, president of the New America Foundation.

For example, Obama’s argument that Iraq was a distraction and that a redeployment of U.S. forces is needed has prompted military and strategic planners to move forward with the planning for that redeployment, Coll said.

”The ideas and framework of a prospective Obama presidency is already shaping the conduct of the American permanent national security bureaucracy,” said Coll. LINK

American Strategy Program Event with James Dobbins in the Washington Times | 'Russia's Withdrawal'

Communications — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:31:00 -0400

New America in the News:
The debate over who to blame for this war in Central Asia becomes less important if Russia has leverage over the NATO operation in Afghanistan. Russia is waiting to see how the Western alliance reacts to its withdrawal from Georgia before deciding what to do next. "It would depend on whether the Russians simply stop being positive, which probably wouldn't have much of an effect," James Dobbins, the former special envoy for Afghanistan, said last week at a New America Foundation event. LINK

Steve Clemons on Democracy Now | 'A Debate on Sen. Joe Biden’s Foreign Policy Record'

Communications — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:56:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Much of the focus of Sen. Obama’s selection of Biden to be his running mate has centered on his foreign policy experience. Biden serves as the chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In 2002, he helped push through a Senate resolution authorizing the invasion of Iraq. He has since become a persistent critic of President Bush’s policies in Iraq and the so-called troop surge.

Featured Guests:

Steve Clemons, Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation, where he directs the American Strategy Program. He runs the popular blog TheWashingtonNote.com

Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, where he chairs the program in Middle Eastern Studies. He is a senior policy analyst for the “‘Foreign Policy in Focus’” project of the Institute for Policy Studies. His most recent article is titled "Biden, Iraq, and Obama's Betrayal"

LINK to video and audio

Peter Bergen in the Washington Post | 'They Can Only Go So Far'

Communications — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:12:00 -0400

New America in the News:
Democracy's only real competitor in the realm of ideas today is radical Islamism. Indeed, one of the world's most dangerous nation-states today is Iran, run by extremist Shiite mullahs. But as Peter Bergen pointed out in these pages last week, Sunni radicalism has been remarkably ineffective in actually taking control of a nation-state, due to its propensity to devour its own potential supporters. LINK

William Hartung on Democracy Now | 'Tensions High as NATO Suspends Formal Contacts with Russia Over Georgia Conflict'

Communications — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:51:00 -0400

New America in the News:
Tensions are high between the United States and Russia over the ongoing conflict in Georgia. On Wednesday, soon after NATO foreign ministers decided to cut formal ties with Russia until it withdrew all its troops from Georgia, President Bush vowed to continue to support Georgia. We speak with William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Initiative at the New America Foundation. LINK to video and audio

Peter Bergen in International Relations and Security Network | 'Costs of War: 'Tell Me How This Ends''

Communications — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:02:00 -0400

New America in the News:
Terrorism expert and CNN analyst Peter Bergen says that little planning has been done for the possibility of bin Laden's capture, but adds that it is unlikely he would allow himself to be taken alive. He adds that in the long term, the al-Qaida leader's death "would most likely give an enormous boost to the power of his ideas." LINK

American Strategy Program Event with Ambassador Haqqani in U.S. News & World Report | 'Musharraf Resignation'

Communications — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:16:00 -0400

New America in the News:
...[Ambassador] Haqqani, speaking at the New America Foundation, said that Pakistan's powerful military establishment did not play any political role behind the scenes of Musharraf's resignation. However, he said, military chiefs did refuse to block impeachment moves against Musharraf that had been gaining strength in Pakistan's parliament—a rebuff to Musharraf and a sign that the coup-prone Pakistani military may be accepting a new role for itself. LINK

Rajan Menon in the Council on Foreign Relations | 'Solving the Crisis in the Caucasus'

Communications — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:20:00 -0400

New America in the News:

...As global leaders scramble to find a solution, CFR.org asked five regional experts what must be done to end the violence and create a climate where lasting peace can be nurtured...

Rajan Menon, Monroe J. Rathbone Professor of International Relations, Lehigh University; Fellow, New America Foundation:

Like it or not, the balance of forces decisively favors Russia (IHT). Feel-good ultimatums from us will merely increase Russia’s intransigence. And lofty rhetoric with implied promises to Georgia that we cannot keep will only erode our credibility, further weakening Georgia’s position. As to specific steps, we should:

Coordinate efforts with the EU to craft a strategy for ensuring that a permanent cease-fire agreement provides for a demilitarized South Ossetia. Russia won’t allow Georgian troops back into the enclave in any event, but with the alleged Georgian “threat” to its client removed, there is an opening to push for the withdrawal of Russian forces.

Work with the EU to persuade Russia and the South Ossetians to accept neutral, third-party peacekeepers in South Ossetia. Those deployed there since the early 1990s hail from these three countries. Georgia has never seen them as neutral—and certainly won’t after this war. Given the current animosity between Washington and Moscow, the U.S. (short on troops in any event) should let EU or UN forces handle peacekeeping... LINK to full interview

Rajan Menon on Minnesota Public Radio | 'What Does a Peace Agreement Mean for Georgia's Future?'

Communications — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:06:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Though a cease fire agreement has been signed between Georgia and Russia, there are conflicting reports as to when hostilities actually will stop. Russian troops plan to stay in a security zone in the region.

Featured Guests:

Rajan Menon: Professor of international relations at Lehigh University and a fellow at the New America Foundation.

Jeffrey Mankoff: Adjunct fellow for Russian Eurasian Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

LINK to audio

Steve Coll on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer | 'Pakistan Faces Challenges after Musharraf's Exit'

Communications — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:02:00 -0400

New America in the News:

MARGARET WARNER: For more on all this, we turn to Steve Coll, president of the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan think-tank. He writes for the New Yorker magazine, as well, and has reported extensively from South Asia...

...So, Steve, it was always said that Pervez Musharraf was an army commander at heart. Whatever situation he was in, he'd fight his way out. He didn't try this time. Why?

STEVE COLL, New Yorker Magazine: Well, I think he finally realized that he had reached the end of the road. In his speech, he referred to the very questions you asked, which was, he said this is not a time for bravado.

And I think he was finely persuaded by those few around him who he was prepared to listen to that he had -- that he would do more damage to the cause that he had served and to his own legacy if he stuck it out.

Also, I think the army and the Americans, his two most important partners, reached a state of exhaustion with his rule and, confronted by the demands for his removal, stood by passively as it finally occurred. LINK to full transcript and video

Peter Bergen in the Washington Independent | 'Taliban, Al Qaeda Unchecked in Pakistan'

Communications — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:43:00 -0400

New America in the News:
Peter Bergen, author of two books about bin Laden and a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, argues that capturing or killing bin Laden is as vital today as it was in the aftermath of Sept. 11. "I can’t imagine one single thing we could to that would be more important,” Bergen said. LINK

Steve Clemons in the Financial Times | 'Foreign Policy Pulls in ‘Obamacans’'

Communications — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:58:00 -0400

New America in the News:

“There is a deepening split between the traditional Nixonian realist wing of the Republican party and the neo-conservatives that has become more pronounced with John McCain’s hardline anti-Russia rhetoric,” said Steve Clemons at the New America Foundation.

“I have good reason to believe that there will be other Republicans who may withhold endorsement from McCain rather than endorse Obama directly.” LINK

Steve Clemons on KCRW Radio | 'Fighting in Georgia Spreads'

Communications — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:14:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Russian forces have moved further into Georgia's rebellious province of South Ossetia, despite Georgia's call for a ceasefire. Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ran for cover, saying Russian planes were flying over the presidential palace in his capital city. Russia's Prime Minister Putin has flown home from the Olympics, but President Bush was still in Beijing when he denounced Russia's "disproportionate" response” to explosive hostilities in the region. We catch up with events and get the background on a long running local dispute with international implications. What are America's interests in a dispute between Russia and a former Soviet Republic? What's the possible impact on the campaign for president? LINK to audio

Guests:

Paul Rimple: Reporter, Christian Science Monitor
Edward Lozansky: Founder and President, American University in Moscow
Janusz Bugajski: Director of the New European Democracies Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Steve Clemons: Director, American Strategy Program, New America Foundation

Flynt Leverett on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann | 'Another War for Bush to Consider'

Communications — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:02:00 -0400

New America in the News:
Former Senior Director at the National Security Council and current Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation, Flynt Leverett, discusses how President Bush should handle Russia's invasion of Georgia, a U.S. ally. LINK to video

Peter Bergen on CNN's Special Investigative Unit Report | 'God's Muslim Warriors'

Communications — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:25:00 -0400

New America in the News:
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Bin Laden's religious devotion went behind living a simple, pious life. He spent time in the Saudi desert, exposed to harsh conditions, believing it was his duty to prepare to fight and defend Islam. The opportunity came in the 1980s in Afghanistan. For more jihadis of bin Laden's generation, the first holy war. He organized his own all-Arab army to battle the Soviets occupying the Muslim country.

PETER BERGEN, AUTHOR, "THE OSAMA BIN LADEN I KNOW": Young Arabs he was recruiting were willing to martyr themselves, willing to take incredible personal risk, willing to basically take one-way tickets to Afghanistan to go and fight the Soviets.

AMANPOUR: His army would eventually become known as al Qaeda, and bin Laden would himself fall under the influence of the radical Egyptian doctor, Ayman al Zawahiri, number two in al Qaeda.

BERGEN: Again and again, bin Laden is influenced by Egyptian ideas, Egyptian political organizations and Egyptian people. And they tend to move him in a more radical and militant direction over time. LINK to full transcript

Parag Khanna on CNN | 'The Situation Room: U.S. Fears for Pakistan's Future'

Communications — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:34:00 -0400

New America in the News:
PARAG KHANNA, NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION: And some of the militant elements in the tribal areas have also become quite strong in the interim.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Publicly, the U.S. says the impeachment is an internal Pakistani matter but sent a veiled warning to its close ally, Musharraf, not to take action that could be destabilizing to Pakistan.

GONZALO GALLEGOS, DEPUTY STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: Our expectation is that any action will be consistent with the rule of law and the Pakistani constitution.

VERJEE: Musharraf could use his powers as president to dissolve parliament, fire the prime minister and call new elections. Musharraf has promised in the past not to repeat his actions of last November, when he imposed a state of emergency. It's unclear whether he would go quietly. So far, Musharraf has resisted pressure to resign, even as his unpopularity grows.

The critical question -- whether the Pakistani military will allow the government to humiliate and oust Musharraf, their former chief.

KHANNA: They might actually intervene in order to prevent the crisis from getting worse and simply force the civilian government to contend or to be comfortable or simply allow Musharraf to stay in power in exchange for the parliament not being dissolved. LINK to full transcript

William Hartung in Asia Tribune | 'China Key Arms Supplier to Human Rights Abusers'

Communications — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:56:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Although China controls only 2 percent of the global arms market, Beijing’s impact "is measured less by the value of its sales than by the character of its clients," says William D. Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Initiative at the New America Foundation. A brief by the Washington-based non-profit public policy institute, released Wednesday, points out that China is currently "an arms supplier of last resort for dictators and human rights abusers", including Sudan, Zimbabwe and Myanmar (Burma).

"China’s domestic policies have come under much-deserved scrutiny in the run-up to the Olympics," noted Hartung, author of the study, who says Beijing’s clients include politically repressive regimes.

"We shouldn’t forget that the Chinese government’s most egregious act has been its role as an enabler of mass murder in Darfur," he said.

Without Chinese support, he argued, the ability of the Sudanese government and its allies to kill, maim, and intimidate the people of Darfur would be greatly diminished.

Asked whether Western nations are equally guilty in their arms sales policies, Hartung told IPS that major suppliers like the United States, Britain and France all supply dictatorships and human rights abusers.

But he pointed out that China’s markets include the few repressive regimes that these major exporters have chosen not to supply.

For example, in the case of the U.S., 17 of its 25 largest recipients of weapons in the developing world in 2007 were designated as major human rights abusers or undemocratic regimes by its own State Department.

"Under various laws and political commitments [not formal treaties], major suppliers are committed to limiting sales to regions of conflict and major human rights abusers," according to Hartung. LINK

A New America Event with the Hon. James Glassman in the Christian Science Monitor | U.S. Shifts 'Hearts and Minds' Fight

Communications — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:02:00 -0400

New America in the News:
Undersecretary Glassman does not shrink from placing radical Islam at the center of the US effort. But the new US focus, he says, is more about providing alternatives of thought and action than about trying to impose an American or Western vision of what is right. Speaking recently at the New America Foundation in Washington, he said, "Our role is to be a facilitator of choice – to allow young people to make their own choices, rather than imposing them." LINK

Frida Berrigan on GRITv with Laura Flanders | "Remembering Hiroshima"

Communications — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:56:00 -0400

New America in the News:
(GRITv)--Today marks the 63rd anniversary of the US bombing of Hiroshima. Here at GRITtv Frida Berrigan, of the New America Foundation, offers her perspective. LINK