SAIS offer the president-elect advice on India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa
Posted on 16. Jan, 2009 by Tracey Reeves in Uncategorized
The latest issue of SAISPHERE is out and in it, faculty members from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, sound off on the top priorities for the new president as related to their fields of study. We continue with part four of their advice:
Sunil Khilnani, director of the South Asia Studies Program
Tailor Policies Toward India and Pakistan
The challenge facing U.S. policy toward South Asia is summed up in the titles of two recent books: India: The Rise of an Asian Giant and Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan and Afghanistan. [The] incoming administration will … need to craft a differentiated regional policy. Policy toward Pakistan must reject the debilitating habit of pursuing the short term at the expense of the long term and of staking everything on particular individuals—it should engage with all elements in civil society and encourage accountability. With India, the new U.S. presidency will need to recognize India’s autonomy as it acquires a growing array of global governance responsibilities while being prepared to assist in addressing India’s internal problems. And the new president must be prepared not to duck some hard choices concerning where U.S. interests in the region lie.
Sunil Khilnani background and contact information.
Thomas Keaney, acting director of the Strategic Studies Program
Balance Afghanistan and Iraq
The new administration will have to balance the resources and presidential attention needed to confront a worsening situation in Afghanistan while continuing gains in stability in Iraq. The policy will face attempts by al Qaeda to frustrate these goals in both countries.
Thomas Keaney background and contact information.
Peter M. Lewis, director of the African Studies Program
Re-engage with Africa
Africa will present major challenges and significant opportunities for the next administration. Problems of security, humanitarian need, poverty and poor governance will continue to demand international efforts and resources. The region’s increasingly strategic position in global energy markets and the continuing urgency of the HIV/AIDS pandemic claim special attention from Washington. At the same time, Africa’s emerging markets hold considerable promise, and prospects for democratic development remain encouraging in a number of countries. While the United States has dramatically increased aid to Africa in recent years, our political and economic influence has receded. The forthcoming administration will face the challenge of enhancing our political engagement with the continent and renewing our support for governance and economic change.
Peter M Lewis background and contact information.
P. Terrence Hopmann, director of the Conflict Management Program
Promote Peace between Israel and the Palestinians
Considering the many conflicts around the world that have received insufficient attention during the U.S. preoccupation with Afghanistan and Iraq, it is hard to identify one that has the highest priority. However, when forced to choose, it seems evident that serious efforts to resolve the longstanding conflict between Israel and the Palestinians are most critical, especially considering the relative lack of attention given to it since 2000. A solution will not be sufficient to bring peace and stability to the troubled Middle East. And progress in this direction will be difficult, if not impossible, in the absence of a just settlement of this most serious protracted dispute. This issue thus must receive very urgent priority from the next administration.
Leading up to the Inauguration, Perspectives features a series of reflections on the new U.S. presidency from members of The Johns Hopkins University community. Updated daily.