Fareed Zakaria
11/23/2009
Regarding the United States’ international relations and their importance in the Afghan war, the author says it is a mistake for America to align itself too closely with Pakistan. Zakaria notes that, unlike Pakistan’s objectives, India’s (notably the desire to defeat the Taliban) are compatible with the those of the United States. Critics of a closer relationship between the Obama administration and India say that India is too close to China, a country to which Obama has been accused of “kowtowing”. Yet India’s influence in Pakistan is significant, and in a region teeming with failed states, India is notable for its stable democracy and expanding economy. The United States should look to a relationship with India as the true “prize” in its relations with Asia.
Zakaria is editor of Newsweek International.
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President Obama will likely decide on a combination of proposed strategies in Afghanistan, says Dionne. The president can change nothing about the difficulty of the situation, and the fiscal burden of continuing the war is undeniable. Should he enact a surtax to pay for the war effort, Obama will alienate some of his allies who disagree with the war, as well as his potential for a working relationship with those who support the war but oppose higher taxes. The situation in Afghanistan does not present many opportunities for centrist strategies, but that is the sort of thinking that Obama promised Americans last year, and he would do well to exercise it regarding Afghanistan.
Europeans need to learn that Barack Obama will continue to listen to those from the Old Continent who have something useful to say. He will not, on the other hand, have much time for others who are just there to glad-hand the president or who show no understanding of how he is trying to reposition the US in the world. The authors say that Europeans need to overcome a number of illusions that dominate the transatlantic relationship, including the misperception that they must continue to turn to America when fearful for Europe’s protection. The authors say the cold war ended 20 years ago and the US government finds the constant attention of European governments to be tiresome.
Davis asserts that it is a mistake to try some detainees in federal courts and others by military commissions. Military commissions satisfy the requirements of the Geneva Conventions, which are the source of the detainees’ rights. The rights in federal courts surpass the Geneva Conventions requirements and give detainees more than their status and the law demand. This discrepancy will perpetuate the perception that Guantanamo and justice are mutually exclusive. Davis believes we need to change the negative perceptions that exist about Guantanamo and our commitment to the law, which will only be reinforced by the formal establishment of a legal double standard.
Kristof looks at statistics about US health care to debunk the myth that we have the best health care system in the world. Among 19 developed countries that have succeeded in avoiding “preventable deaths,” the US ranks last, and it did not rank first on any other comparison list. In most countries people do have longer waits to see specialists, but they also have longer hospital stays and more medication. In addition, Americans pay 118 percent more per pill for that medication, and insurance companies, not the government, decide whether to offer or deny life-saving treatment. After Americans reach age 65, they can expect to live longer than people in other nations because they have universal health care called Medicare.
This week’s elections bore out several important themes in advance of next year’s midterm congressional campaign. The governors’ races in Virginia and New Jersey both showed that a strong conservative candidate can succeed in traditionally liberal states. Moreover, President Obama campaigned heavily for the incumbent Governor Corzine in New Jersey, so that defeat carries a particular weight. However, the congressional race in New York does show a significant tension between moderates and conservatives in the Republican Party that must be resolved if they are to capitalize on this momentum next year.
The United Nations needs to appoint an envoy to oversee the runoff elections in Afghanistan because fraud could stain this vote as well, Galbraith says. The biggest obstacle to fair elections is the Independent Election Commission, which administers them. Afghan President Karzai appointed its members, and six of the seven commissioners voted in favor of procedures to benefit his campaign. The UN must stop pretending this is not a pro-Karzai institution and appoint an envoy to supervise the elections impartially. Even if Karzai wins the second round, the fraud from the first election will taint his victory. Dr. Abdullah, Karzai’s opponent, proposed constitutional changes for power-sharing, and the United Nations should encourage Afghans to consider them to emerge from the crisis of legitimacy.
Far from being an aberrant choice, Obama was the ideal one, “Scandinavianally” speaking. Most of the prize winners draw from the obscure ranks of those who believe all conflict stems from avoidable misunderstanding and that the world’s evils spring from everything but the hearts of men, where love abides. Stephens concludes that what Obama’s award portends for the kind of peace and security bequeathed to us by the exertions of such non-Nobelists as Truman, Eisenhower, Thatcher, and Reagan is another question.
The dollar’s sharp drop over the past few weeks has led to considerable anxiety about the status of the US as the dominant force in the global economy. Closely related to this fear is worry about the rise of China, which is the largest creditor to a heavily indebted US government. Noting that debt can become a real liability for a superpower, Karabell recalls what happened to postwar Britain. Having supported the British for decades and become its banker and manufacturer during two wars, the US fully supplanted the British Empire at the end of World War II. By 2030–if not sooner–China is likely to surpass the US in the size of its economy. Trajectories can change, but the recent implosion of the American financial system has only accelerated China’s rise. To assume we will always be the dominant nation on the world stage is a recipe for becoming Britain.
