International Security Studies

Events

National Missile Defense and Proliferation

March 29, 2001 // 11:00pm

The Least Worst Place: Guantanamo's First 100 Days

Much has been written about policymaking during the first 100 days of the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo, but little is known about what happened on the ground in Cuba. As part of International Security Studies' ongoing Terrorism and Homeland Security Forum, author Karen Greenberg discusses her book on that period.

Rogue States and U.S. Foreign Policy: Containment after the Cold War

President Clinton and other U.S. officials have warned that "rogue states" pose a major threat to international peace in the post-Cold War era. But what exactly is a rogue state? Does the concept foster a sound approach to foreign policy, or is it, in the end, no more than a counterproductive political epithet? Robert Litwak traces the origins and development of rogue state policy and then assesses its efficacy through detailed case studies of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. He shows that the policy is politically selective, inhibits the ability of U.S. policymakers to adapt to changed conditions, and has been rejected by the United States' major allies. Litwak concludes that by lumping and demonizing a disparate group of countries, the rogue state approach obscures understanding and distorts policymaking. In place of a generic and constricting strategy, he argues for the development of "differentiated" strategies of containment, tailored to the particular circumstances within individual states.

Pages

The Wilson Weekly

Experts & Staff

  • Robert S. Litwak // Vice President for Scholars and Academic Relations and Director, International Security Studies
  • Tonya Boyce // Program Assistant, International Security Studies