IntroductionIn real terms, there is no denying the extraordinary progress in the engagement between India and the United States over the past two decades. Throughout, and even after, the Cold War, the world's two largest democracies remained estranged. In the first decade after the end of the Cold War, the two countries quarreled over nuclear nonproliferation; the U.S.…
The agreement between the United States government and the Republic of Korea (ROK) that allows commercial nuclear trade between the countries, referred to as a “123 agreement” since it is required by Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act[1] expires in March 2014.[2] To avoid any lapses, the Obama Administration must conclude negotiations by spring 2013. This will allow the…
As the debate over immigration reform heats up, the topic of border security—especially on the southwest border with Mexico—looms larger. Washington policymakers ask: How many miles of fence, how many Border Patrol agents, how many billions of tax dollars will be enough to finally “secure” the border? There is no easy answer. Airtight border security is more an abstract…
Project Overview India will soon have the largest population of any country in the world. It therefore has the potential, with extensive and difficult reforms, to become the world's most important free market—a position currently held by the United States. It follows directly that the economic relationship between India and the U.S., if allowed to flourish, can greatly…
Abstract: While the U.S. and India have developed multifaceted ties over the last decade, the overall relationship has recently been challenged: India bought advanced fighter jets from France, not from the U.S.; the Indian parliament virtually shut out U.S. companies from India’s civil nuclear industry; the Singh government delayed economic reforms that…
Abstract: Despite the improving relationship between the U.S. and Vietnamese defense establishments, the strategic imperatives of the U.S. and Vietnam are developing in different ways at different speeds. Both countries have complex relationships with China and stakeholders who militate against strategic clarity on the most salient issue they…
As the U.S. continues to engage in study after study about its future space plans, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has progressed steadily in developing its own space program. This was demonstrated again when the PRC launched a Shenzhou manned capsule and docked it with the Tiangong-1 space lab that China orbited in 2011. This marks the first step toward a greater…
Hearing before the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources June 14, 2012 There are serious misconceptions regarding China’s energy and environmental performance and what it means for the U.S. China is indeed spending a great deal of money on clean energy, but it is doing so largely in response to its own policy errors. The combined…
U.S. and Indian leaders will hold their third round of Strategic Dialogue talks in Washington, D.C., this week amidst growing concern that the U.S.–India relationship is failing to live up to what U.S. policymakers expected from it seven years ago, when the civil nuclear deal was first unveiled. A number of differences between the U.S. and India have arisen over the…
The 11th Shangri-La Dialogue, formally known as the IISS Asia Security Summit, recently concluded, with defense ministers, military officers, and other government officials and scholars from 27 Asia–Pacific nations in attendance. Noticeably absent from the annual conference this year were senior Chinese leaders, limiting discussion of such pressing security issues as the…
Abstract: China’s leap from poverty due to the marvelously successful market reforms introduced in 1978 has obscured serious weaknesses in its economy—especially compared to the American economy. These weaknesses have been exacerbated by renewed Chinese state intervention that began around 2003. Many seem convinced that China is at the cusp of surpassing the U.S.…
Read the Executive Summary Abstract: For decades, the U.S. Census Bureau has reported that over 30 million Americans were living in “poverty,” but the bureau’s definition of poverty differs widely from that held by most Americans. In fact, other government surveys show that most of the persons whom the government defines as “in poverty”…
Abstract: Americans buy a huge quantity of goods— ranging from audio-video equipment to clothing—made, or at least assembled, in China. The vast amounts involved raise the possibility of U.S. dependence on China. Heritage Foundation Asia economist Derek Scissors looked at the numbers and found that Chinese imports to the U.S. are concentrated in areas with little or no…
As the Chinese orbit their Tiangong-1 space lab, the spotlight is once again turned on China’s space program. To help inform the discussions, it would be helpful to address a few of the myths surrounding China’s space efforts. Myth #1: China is in a space race with the United States. Perhaps the most common myth is that China is interested in…
Passed after 9/11 to encourage innovation in the development of security technology, the Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act provides a safe harbor for manufacturers of new “Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technologies.” The U.S. could vastly expand markets for these technologies and exploit technologies and services being developed elsewhere…
Abstract: Those who argue for merit selection know that it gives them their best chance to get judges on the bench who share their political and policy views. Advocates of elections are willing to take their chances openly in the public square, with the people deciding which candidate has merit. Public elections allowing all voters to decide who should be the…
During his state visit to the United Kingdom on May 24–26, President Barack Obama should reaffirm the vital importance of the Special Relationship.[1] This affirmation should go beyond words and address the tensions in the Anglo–American alliance that have built up during the President’s first two years in office. These tensions are the result of the fact that the…
Abstract: The 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago is an opportunity for the U.S. to provide much-needed leadership for NATO. The United States should push NATO members to keep their current commitments to Afghanistan and commit to supporting Afghanistan after NATO forces withdraw. At the Chicago Summit, the Obama Administration also needs to make the cases for transition,…
China set a record with its investments around the world in 2012. And in the United States, China shattered its previous...…
When we talk about “economic freedom,” what do we mean—and why does it matter? Economic freedom is the fundamental right...…
The National Association of Postmasters of the United States (NAPUS) recently registered an odd complaint in a letter...…
This morning, the U.S. State Department announced that the U.S. had submitted its “Report of the United States of...…
According to Reuters, "U.S. military leaders are reviewing options for a unilateral strike in Pakistan if there is a...…
Dr. Charles Krauthammer, who described President Barack Obama's first 12 months in office as "the year of living...…