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Here's the latest thinking -- from those who think professionally! -- on military spending, the nuclear deal with India, and the interplay between public opinion and foreign policy.
- Military-Industrial complex alert. A new report from the Institute of Policy Studies calls attention to the lopsided spending ratio between funding for military forces and funding for non-military international engagement -- a ratio that has widened to 18:1 in the Bush administration's 2009 budget from 16:1 last year. -- ZA
- Nukes and Naan. For a clear and comprehensive explainer on nuclear (non)proliferation between the U.S. and India, take a look at the Council on Foreign Relations site. On October 1, Congress passed a "peaceful" U.S.-India nuclear cooperation bill, which had been in the works since 2005. While the deal ostensibly covers nuclear energy, some worry a nuclear arms race in Asia could follow this basic upheaval of a three-decade long non-proliferation effort in the region. -- CP
- Growing Pains. In China, cases of HIV/AIDS are spreading beyond the normal high-risk groups of heroin addicts and rural blood sellers and into the general population, according to a study published last week in Nature. The estimated number of cases has risen 8 percent since 2005. -- DH
- It'll be a doozy, but necessary. In a Brookings Institute report, Stephen Cohen outlines how the future president should approach Pakistan, which he considers to be the most challenging foreign policy situation for the next administration. The report recommends diplomacy and economic aid, as well as a new National Intelligence Estimate "to form a common operating picture within the U.S. government." It concludes by describing the situation as needing "Herculean" multilateral effort that should be approached with modest expectations.-- SW
- El West: A Study in Contrast. Last week, Zogby and the Inter-American Dialogue published a September survey of about 5,000 national voters on Western Hemisphere policy issues. The Dialogue's president, Peter Hakim, noticed the difference between public opinion -- as gleaned from the survey -- and actual U.S. policy suggests that policy needs to catch up with our expectations or that the American public's views never really mattered to begin with. For example, 68 percent of likely voters would remove travel restrictions with Cuba, and almost as many believe the government should lift the trade embargo. The survey covers public opinion (both holistic and drawn between Obama and McCain supporters) on immigration, ethanol tariffs, the proposed U.S.-Colombia trade agreement, the possible forming of a North American Union, relations with Venezuela and more. -- CP
-- TAP Staff
