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3551. Hizballah's Coalition Partner Meets President Obama

Author:
David Schenker
Publication Date:
05-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Abstract:
On Monday, Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri will visit Washington for a meeting with President Obama. In announcing the meeting, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs called it "a symbol of the close and historic relationship between Lebanon and the United States." Indeed, between 2005 and 2009, bilateral ties were never closer or more consequential, with the Cedar Revolution ending nearly three decades of Syrian suzerainty in the country. Over the past year, however, Hariri has had to govern in coalition with Hizballah. The Iranian-Syrian backed Shiite militia will be the elephant in the Oval Office during Monday's meeting.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Politics, and Bilateral Relations
Political Geography:
United States, Middle East, and Lebanon

3552. The Origins of the U.S.-Israeli Relationship: Truman and the Jewish State

Author:
Allis Radosh and Ronald Radosh
Publication Date:
05-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Abstract:
When Harry Truman became president in April 1945, he had not thought deeply about the exact form a Jewish national home in historic Palestine would or should take. Following his landmark decision to recognize the state of Israel in May 1948, he would suggest that his support for such a development had been unwavering, and that his decisions had come easily. Yet the record shows otherwise. Between Truman's first days as president and Israel's formation, his approach to the idea of a Jewish state evolved significantly, at times seeming to change in response to the last person with whom he met. Although he ultimately made the historic decision, a Jewish state had never been, in his mind, a foregone conclusion.
Topic:
International Relations, Foreign Policy, and Bilateral Relations
Political Geography:
United States, New York, Middle East, and Israel

3553. Proximity Talks: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Author:
David Makovsky
Publication Date:
05-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Abstract:
U.S. special envoy for Middle East peace George Mitchell is currently in Jerusalem amid wide expectation that on Saturday the Palestinians will approve proximity talks with Israel. For its part, Israel has already agreed to the talks.
Topic:
International Relations, Foreign Policy, and Bilateral Relations
Political Geography:
United States, Middle East, and Israel

3554. Changing the Paradigm of U.S. Assistance to Egypt: Alternatives to the 'Endowment' Idea

Author:
J. Scott Carpenter
Publication Date:
05-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Abstract:
Recently leaked documents detail an exchange between Washington and Cairo regarding the future of U.S. economic assistance to Egypt. The documents indicate that the Obama administration has welcomed Cairo's idea of ending traditional assistance in favor of creating a new endowment, "The Egyptian-American Friendship Foundation." This idea has a long, checkered history and, if implemented, will be bad for both American taxpayers and the Egyptian people. The administration should work with Egypt to craft alternatives that advance common objectives, including democratic reform.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Bilateral Relations, and Foreign Aid
Political Geography:
United States, Middle East, and Egypt

3555. 21st century aid: Recognising success and tackling failure

Author:
Jasmine Burnley
Publication Date:
05-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
In Mozambique, the government has a national plan to tackle poverty and inequality, but it cannot finance this plan from national resources alone. Despite this, Mozambique – just 20 years ago the poorest country in the world – has increased its spending on health care by over half, and in the past decade the number of children who die before their fifth birthday has come down by almost 20 percent.
Topic:
International Cooperation, Poverty, Third World, and Foreign Aid
Political Geography:
Georgia

3556. Something for nothing: Challenging negative attitudes to people living in poverty

Author:
Clare Cochrane
Publication Date:
05-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
People living in poverty in the UK make a vital contribution to the economy and society through unpaid caring and community work. But public attitudes prevail that people on low incomes – and particularly those on benefits – are 'scroungers' who are to blame for their own poverty. These attitudes are exacerbated by a widespread assumption that opportunities to earn a reasonable income are readily available.
Topic:
Poverty, Social Stratification, and Public Opinion
Political Geography:
United Kingdom

3557. Think big. Go small. Adapting business models to incorporate smallholders into supply chains

Author:
David Bright, Don Seville, and Lea BorkenHagen
Publication Date:
05-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Incorporating smallholders into the supply chain allows a company to tell consumers how their purchasing choices can improve the lives of men and women farmers. Companies that incorporate smallholders equitably into their supply chains – and communicate their action through their brands – can capture new customers and gain greater loyalty from existing ones.
Topic:
Development, Economics, Emerging Markets, International Trade and Finance, Third World, and Food
Political Geography:
United Kingdom

3558. Symptoms and causes: Insecurity and underdevelopment in Eastern Equatoria

Author:
Emile LeBrun
Publication Date:
04-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Small Arms Survey
Abstract:
Eastern Equatoria state (EES) is one of the most volatile and conflict-prone states in Southern Sudan. An epicentre of the civil war ( 1983 – 2005 ), EES saw intense fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), as well numerous armed groups supported by both sides, leaving behind a legacy of landmines and unexploded ordnance, high numbers of weapons in civilian hands, and shattered social and community relations.
Topic:
Security, Development, Ethnic Conflict, and Governance
Political Geography:
Africa and Sudan

3559. Fault lines: Tracking armed violence in Yemen

Author:
Emile LeBrun
Publication Date:
05-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Small Arms Survey
Abstract:
A unified state for just 20 years, Yemen has endured decades of social and political turmoil. It is also afflicted by a number of interlocking armed conflicts. These range from separatist political clashes between state security forces and protesters to all-out civil war—drawing in Saudi Arabia— and terrorism, which has seen the United States, the United Kingdom, and others become involved. Meanwhile, under the international radar, simmering social conflicts—primarily over land and water—reportedly account for some 4,000 violent deaths every year.
Topic:
Conflict Prevention, Civil War, Armed Struggle, and Fragile/Failed State
Political Geography:
Middle East and Yemen

3560. The Global Financial Crisis and Africa's "Immiserizing Wealth"

Author:
Luc Soete and Alexis Habiyaremye
Publication Date:
01-2010
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
United Nations University
Abstract:
Before the current global recession, many resource-rich African countries were recording unprecedented levels of growth due to a raw material price boom. However, the collapse in raw material prices and the ensuing severe economic difficulties have again exposed the vulnerability of these countries' natural resource export-focussed economic structures. In this research brief, we describe how Africa's abundance of natural resources attracted disruptive and predatory foreign forces that have hindered innovation-based growth and economic diversification by delaying the accumulation of sufficient stocks of human capital. We suggest that for their long-term prosperity, resource-rich African countries shift their strategic emphasis from natural to human resources and technological capabilities needed to transform those natural resources into valuable goods and services to compete in the global market.
Topic:
Economics, Emerging Markets, Industrial Policy, Global Recession, Natural Resources, and Financial Crisis
Political Geography:
Africa, China, and India