Publications

Eurasia Security Watch: No. 192

December 15, 2008

Hajj row raises Saudi-Hamas tensions;

Jones plan for West Bank gets cold reception;

Turkey, EU spar over membership;

Media crackdown in Baku and Bishkek

Afghanistan: Back To Basics

December 9, 2008 James S. Robbins The Journal of International Security Affairs

As the conflict in Iraq winds down, the “forgotten front” of the War on Terror, Afghanistan, has moved back into the forefront of the national security debate. Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan (hereafter OEF) is aptly named, since the conflict will endure long into the next administration. Whoever takes the oath of office in January of 2009 will face the same types of challenges in Afghanistan that have bedeviled the current administration since 2001, and to an extent have been characteristic of Afghan politics for decades.

The Persian Night

December 6, 2008 James S. Robbins New York Post

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has three phobias," according to Iranian expatriate journalist Amir Taheri. "Women, Jews and America." Forget bombs. Maybe we should send in Barbra Streisand.