American Foreign Policy Council – serie

This captivating study is an examination of the intricate problem of terrorism financing by some of the field's leading experts, practitioners, and policy-makers. An indispensable resource for the serious student of terrorism.

In Missile Defense and American Security 2003, leading defense and foreign policy experts take stock of the emerging American missile defense system. This volume, based on proceedings from the 2003 Conference on Missile Defenses and American Security, is critical reading of one of the most important strategic initiatives ever undertaken by the United States.

In recent years the narrative surrounding China’s “peaceful rise” has given way to a more ominous story of friction, ambition, and great-power rivalry. As Chinese foreign policy has grown more nationalist and assertive, its intensifying competition with the U.S. has assumed center stage. The impact on China's neighbors, by contrast, and their evolving responses, have received comparatively less attention.The Realist theory of international relations suggests the rapid accumulation of power by one nation-state will prompt its neighbors and peers to adopt Balancing strategies. They will strive enhance their internal defense capabilities and forge new external security partnerships to hedge against this potential new threat. Have these predictions rung true? Are key Indo-Pacific capitals Balancing, and drawing closer to the U.S. as insurance against Chinese aggression? Or is China a new breed of rising power, challenging traditional theories of international relations in a newly-globalized, economically interdependent world?In Asia’s Quest for Balance: China’s Rise and Balancing in the Indo-Pacific leadingauthor-experts from Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam explore these questions and more, decoding China’s complex and evolving relationships with its neighbors and exploring how their responses are altering the security landscape of the region.Contributions by Jay L. Batongbacal, Elliot Brennan, Tetsuo Kotani, Evan A. Laksmana, Joseph Chinyong Liow, Hunter Marston, Rory Medcalf, Sylvia Mishra, C. Raja Mohan, Prashanth Parameswaran, Jeff M. Smith, Tran Truong Thuy, and Ha Anh Tuan

The 2016 elections in the United States exposed a massive campaign of subversion and interference carried out by Russia and aimed at undermining the inner workings of American democracy. But that disinformation offensive represents just one part of a larger challenge now confronting the United States - the weaponization of news and views, both real and fabricated, by repressive regimes and radical non-state actors in order to advance their strategic objectives. In this volume, leading scholars and experts chart the rise of this "authoritarian media" phenomenon and explore its implications for U.S. foreign policy and America's standing in the world.

Uzbekistan, long considered the center of Central Asia, has the region’s largest population and borders every other regional state including Afghanistan. For the first 25 years of its independence, it adopted a cautious, defensive policy that emphasized sovereignty and treated regional efforts at cooperation with skepticism. But after taking over as President in autumn 2016, Shavkat Mirziyoyev launched a breathtaking series of reform initiatives. His slogan – “it is high time the government serves the people, not vice versa” – led to large-scale reforms in virtually every sector. Time will tell whether the reform effort will succeed, but its first positive fruits are already visible, particularly in a new dynamism within Uzbek society, as well as a fresh approach to foreign relations, where a new spirit of regionalism is taking root. This book is the first systematic effort to analyze Uzbekistan’s reforms.

Uzbekistan, long considered the center of Central Asia, has the region’s largest population and borders every other regional state including Afghanistan. For the first 25 years of its independence, it adopted a cautious, defensive policy that emphasized sovereignty and treated regional efforts at cooperation with skepticism. But after taking over as President in autumn 2016, Shavkat Mirziyoyev launched a breathtaking series of reform initiatives. His slogan – “it is high time the government serves the people, not vice versa” – led to large-scale reforms in virtually every sector. Time will tell whether the reform effort will succeed, but its first positive fruits are already visible, particularly in a new dynamism within Uzbek society, as well as a fresh approach to foreign relations, where a new spirit of regionalism is taking root. This book is the first systematic effort to analyze Uzbekistan’s reforms.

Now in apparent robust health, Russian President Vladimir Putin (age 66) could remain in power for another decade or even longer. But he will not keep power forever. From declining health to forced retirement to assassination, a multitude of factors could force Putin to leave the political scene and bring new leadership to Moscow. If so, who might come to power, and what policy changes can be expected during, and after, what may well be a protracted power struggle? Post Putin is a prescient examination of the variables that could contribute to Putin’s departure from political power, and the competing forces with which any potential successor will need to contend.

Today, more than four decades after its founding, the Islamic Republic of Iran is arguably at the weakest point in its history. At home, deteriorating domestic conditions, a profoundly disaffected population, and an increasingly unpopular official ideology have helped to galvanize opposition to the country's ruling clerical regime. Meanwhile, mounting economic and political pressure from the United States have taken aim at the country's economy and its malign regional behavior. The end result of this confluence of forces could very well be a new political upheaval within the country. The Fight for Iran is an in-depth look at that potential for change, as well as at the beliefs, ideas and values of the different factions that now exist within the Iranian opposition. It represents a chronicle of what, forty-one years after the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution, has become a profound political struggle for the soul of one of the Middle East's most important nations.