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  • Backgrounder posted June 17, 2013 by Jessica Zuckerman, Bryan Riley, David Inserra Beyond the Border: U.S. and Canada Expand Partnership in Trade and Security

    In December 2011, President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper released the Beyond the Border Action Plan. The plan—part of the Beyond the Border strategy announced earlier that year—offers a cooperative strategy and joint vision intended to boost security and facilitate the flow of goods and people between the two nations. With the economies,…

  • Special Report posted April 26, 2013 by Sunjoy Joshi, C. Raja Mohan, Vikram Sood, Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, Ph.D., James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Walter Lohman, Lisa Curtis, Derek Scissors, Ph.D. Beyond the Plateau in U.S. – India Relations

    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.…

  • Backgrounder posted March 21, 2013 by Jack Spencer U.S.–South Korea Nuclear Cooperation: Agreeing on Commercial and Nonproliferation Goals

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted February 20, 2013 by Ray Walser, Ph.D., Jessica Zuckerman U.S.–Mexico Border: Tighter Border Security Requires Mexico’s Cooperation

    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…

  • Special Report posted January 7, 2013 by Laveesh Bhandari, Jeremy Carl, Bibek Debroy, Michelle Kaffenberger, Pravakar Sahoo, Derek Scissors, Ph.D. Unleashing the Market in the India–U.S. Economic Relationship, Part 1

    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…

  • Backgrounder posted August 20, 2012 by Lisa Curtis Going the Extra Mile for a Strategic U.S.–India Relationship

    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…

  • Backgrounder posted July 18, 2012 by Colonel William Jordan, Lewis M. Stern, Walter Lohman U.S.–Vietnam Defense Relations: Investing in Strategic Alignment

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted June 26, 2012 by Dean Cheng Responding to China’s Manned Space Challenge

    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…

  • Testimony posted June 15, 2012 by Derek Scissors, Ph.D. Clean Energy in China and the U.S.: It's Not What You Spend

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted June 12, 2012 by Lisa Curtis U.S.–India Strategic Dialogue Talks an Opportunity to Get Partnership Back on Track

    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…

  • Issue Brief posted June 7, 2012 by Dean Cheng Disappearing Horizons: U.S.–China Relations After Shangri-La

    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…

  • Backgrounder posted May 16, 2012 by Luke Coffey The 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago: NATO in Need of American Leadership

    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,…

  • Testimony posted April 27, 2012 by Luke Coffey NATO: The Chicago Summit and U.S. Foreign Policy

    Testimony before The Committee on Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia United States House of Representatives Chairman Burton, Ranking Member Meeks, Members of the Committee, I am honored to speak to you today about the upcoming NATO Summit in Chicago. My name is Luke Coffey. I am the Margaret…

  • Issue Brief posted April 24, 2012 by Morgan Lorraine Roach, Michaela Dodge Washington Should Advance U.S.–Turkey Ties Through Missile Defense

    This year, Turkey celebrates its 60th anniversary as a member of the NATO alliance. As a Muslim-majority country with close ties to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, Turkey’s participation in NATO is integral to the alliance’s influence beyond Europe’s borders. However, while Turkish membership provides the alliance with extended regional access, Ankara continues a…

  • Issue Brief posted April 12, 2012 by Bruce Klingner North Korean Missile Launch Demands Strong U.S. Response

    North Korea defied international pressure and launched its Unha-3 missile on April 12. U.S. and South Korean officials indicate that the missile failed several minutes after launch. Although Pyongyang had characterized the launch as that of a peaceful civilian satellite, it is a blatant violation of existing U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions that preclude any…