Special Coverage: ForeignPolicy

China Scrambles to Stave Off Economic Meltdown

Antoaneta Bezlova, IPS News. November 21, 2008.
China’s wish for a world financial order less dominated by the United States and its dollar is giving way to a more urgent recession at home.

Border Fence to Carve up Nature Reserve

Enrique Gili, IPS News. November 21, 2008.
The Wall is being constructed over the objections of communities living near the border.

Arab Americans Should Be Worried About Rahm Emanuel

Remi Kanazi, AlterNet. November 20, 2008.
Emanuel's history and positions give plenty of cause for concern.

This Is Change? 20 Hawks, Clintonites and Neocons to Watch for in Obama's White House

Jeremy Scahill, AlterNet. November 20, 2008.
A who's who guide to the people poised to shape Obama's foreign policy.

Afghanistan Abyss Awaits Obama

M.K. Bhadrakumar, Asia Times. November 17, 2008.
Obama's got to make some really bold decisions: Talking to Iran and Russia would be a start.

Cold War Hawks Hovering Around Obama

Robert Scheer, Truthdig. November 12, 2008.
Why are Obama's closest advisers inveterate hawks who needlessly provoked tension with the Russians during the Cold War?

How America Failed Darfur

Steven Fake, Kevin Funk, Black Rose Books. November 12, 2008.
Lofty rhetoric aside, the suffering people of Darfur have seen few signs of hope from Washington

The Case for U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan

Sameer Dossani, Foreign Policy in Focus. November 12, 2008.
The U.S. occupation is doing more harm than good.

Bush's Unauthorized Attack on Syria Killed Civilians; Dems Silent

Stephen Zunes, AlterNet. November 10, 2008.
By the time it was over, eight people had been killed, at least seven of whom were civilians, including three children.

Is Obama Screwing His Base with Rahm Emanuel Selection?

Stephen Zunes, AlterNet. November 7, 2008.
Obama has asked conservative Clinton vet Rahm Emanuel to be his chief of staff -- it's not a good sign for progressives.

Why Iraqis, Afghans, Palestinians, and Others Might Be Nervous About President Obama

Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzalez, Democracy Now!. November 7, 2008.
John Pilger, Mahmood Mamdani, Raed Jarrar, Tariq Ali, Laura Carlsen, and more on Obama's troubling foreign policy ideas.

Latin America's New Consensus and the end of the Monroe Doctrine

Conn Hallinan, Foreign Policy in Focus. November 6, 2008.
Beset by economic crisis and bogged down in two unwinnable wars, the Colossus of the North no longer wields the clout it once had.

Let's Start This New Era of Hope by Preventing Genocide in the Congo

Eve Ensler, Huffington Post. November 3, 2008.
Eastern Congo is about to spin out of control and tumble into full-scale war. Let that be the place where this new era of hope starts.

Khalidi: The Republicans' Latest Smear Against Obama

Stephen Zunes, AlterNet. November 1, 2008.
The latest in a series of guilt-by-association tactics by the GOP to make the staunchly pro-Israel Obama appear to be anti-Israel.

The Nasty Truth: Free Trade Agreements May Scuttle Green Jobs Plans

Joshua Holland, AlterNet. October 30, 2008.
Many of the promises the candidates make on the stump would have trouble passing muster with the WTO -- that's the whole point of "free trade" deals.

Freedom Riders Against Israeli Occupation

Ramzi Kysia, AlterNet. October 29, 2008.
The Freedom Riders of the 21st Century are sailing small boats into the Gaza Strip in open defiance of the Israeli Occupation and blockade.

The New York Times' Biggest Screw-up Since They Sold the War in Iraq

Mark Ames, The Nation. October 28, 2008.
Deconstructing the NYT fairy tale of the poor innocent small democracy of Georgia attacked by a cruel Cold War Russian monster.

The Global Financial Crisis and U.S. Leadership

David A. Singer, MIT Center for International Studies. October 27, 2008.
Will the U.S. join forces with other nations to prevent such a meltdown from happening again?

Real National Security Begins at Home, Say Women Leaders

Adele Stan, Media Consortium. October 26, 2008.
The Pentagon sucks up 54 percent of the federal budget. Yet politicians rarely challenge it. It may take women to fix our defense priorities.

U.S. Animosity Towards Iran Thwarts Policy in Afghanistan

Barnett R. Rubin, Sara Batmanglich, MIT Center for International Studies. October 25, 2008.
Using Afghanistan as a base for anti-Iran policies handicaps U.S. efforts in the region.

On Brink of Collapse, AIG Lobbied for India Nuke Deal (Really!)

Ben Protess, ProPublica. October 25, 2008.
Even as it was living off of taxpayers' largesse, AIG was lobbying Congress.

Massive Political Upheaval in Bolivia Signals the Decline of U.S. Influence in Latin America

Benjamin Dangl, AlterNet. October 24, 2008.
After months of street battles, the Bolivian Congress ratified a new draft of the country's constitution.

How to Manage an Empire in Decline

Aziz Huq, Asia Times. October 23, 2008.
How will the United States deal with the uncertainty surrounding its present declining fortunes?

The Real Story Behind the U.S.-India Nuclear Deal

Subrata Ghoshroy, AlterNet. October 17, 2008.
The recently passed nuclear pact was not just a late win for an unpopular president, it was a coup for lobbyists and defense contractors.

5 Pieces of Advice for the New Paupers

John Dolan, AlterNet. October 15, 2008.
I just went through the hell of going from grad school-level poverty to the real thing. Here are my lessons learned.

The Coming "Sugar Economy" -- Sweet for Multinationals, but a Bitter Pill for Everyone Else

Hope Shand, Foreign Policy in Focus. October 14, 2008.
The future bioeconomy will rely on "extreme genetic engineering," a suite of technologies currently in the early stages of development.

Played Like a Fool: Campaign Manager Cashes in on McCain's Cold War Mentality

Mark Ames, Ari Berman, The Nation. October 14, 2008.
He may talk tough about Russia, but John McCain's advisers have advanced Putin's imperial ambitions and made good money on the side.

Financial Crisis Is Highly Unlikely in China

Ying Zhao, New America Media. October 13, 2008.
As the financial crisis in the United States spreads around the world, China appears to be safe.

How Badly Can the 'Experts' Ruin the Planet?

Robin Broad, John Cavanagh, AlterNet. October 10, 2008.
Look no further than the World Bank to see how many economic, social and environmental problems so-called experts can make worse.

Obama Talks Tough About Afghanistan; Here's What He's Really in For

Anand Gopal, Tomdispatch.com. October 10, 2008.
Afghanistan is filled with poor, jobless people who have seen their families blown up by Americans. And they're itching to get revenge.

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Auditing Conventional Wisdom

In partnership with the MIT Center for International Studies, AlterNet is pleased to present these Audits of the Conventional Wisdom.

This ongoing series of essays tours the horizon of conventional wisdoms that animate U.S. foreign policy and puts them to the test of data and history.

By subjecting particularly well-accepted ideas to close scrutiny, the series aims to re-engage policy and opinion leaders on topics that are too easily passing such scrutiny.

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