Closing out the year

Got final pages from Esquire for my Feb issue piece. It runs 3-plus pages.

Also today edited my last-of-the-year piece for World Politics Review, as they won't be running columns between the holidays.

So, outside of the blog, my books are closed for the year.

I'll be back 4 Jan at WPR with my "Top-Ten Foreign Policy Wish List for 2010."

Ideas welcomed as comments.

Comments

[Dave Porter]

Recognizing that China is strategically key in all future scenarios, and that long-term is most important, my top foreign policy wish for 2010 is that President Obama is successful in beginning to implement his Shanghai announcement to send 100,000 US students to study in China over the next four years. Success would mean that all 100,000 go, that the phase up continues in subsequent years until at least 100,000 high school students (3% of a national class) and 100,000 university students are studying in China each year. My second related wish would be that US public high schools begin to pay for US students to study abroad (China and elsewhere). None now do. For many school districts, the paying for a high school year abroad would be no more than the per pupil expenses of a year in-district.

[Tom Barnett]

Interesting.

[Jeff J]

How about a shift away from the nuclear issue relative to North Korea to the genocide being carried out against the North Korean people.

[Lee McKusick]

At a million dollars per soldier year there really needs to be some cost effectiveness thinking about the Afghanistan military venture.

I am puzzled why the entire lengthy Afghanistan military policy review appeared to be such a linear process without any real development in our understanding of the deeply shared beliefs between the US and Al Quaeda.

What I would like to see is some "rule set reset" thinking on our part. When are we going to get tired of engaging in asymmetric warfare, with the small part handed to us?

There is plenty of room for both historical understanding and innovative construction for world political thinkers in the new year. Best wishes to you Thomas!

[Javaid Akhtar]

Articulate a solution for kashmir that just freezes the border and secures Indian and Pakistani desires....which do meet in the middle.The Pakistani ship will right itself a great deal and we might see the natural forging of links that should have happened ...Like Mexico and US.Nobody has the balls to do it though.Invite India to the UN security council as a carrot.