Volume 122 - Number 4 - Winter 2007-08

Credibility and the War on Terror
Christopher J. Fettweis examines the importance of ‘‘credibility’’ in the U.S. war on terrorism. He challenges the conventional wisdom that a healthy reputation for resolve keeps a country safer or helps it pursue its goals. He argues that the credibility of the United States—or lack thereof—will not prove to be decisive in the fight against extremism.

Volume 122 - Number 1 - Spring 2007

The Detention and Trial of Enemy Combatants: A Drama in Three Branches
Michael C. Dorf describes the interactions among the three branches of the federal government in addressing the detention and trial of captives in the war in Afghanistan and the broader ‘‘war on terror.’’ He explains that the Supreme Court’s repeated rejections of the Bush administration’s sweeping assertions of wartime authority have erected few insurmountable obstacles to administration policy. Instead, the Court has required the administration to seek authority from Congress, which in turn has shown little appetite for reining in the President.

Volume 121 - Number 3 - Fall 2006

The Geneva Conventions and New Wars
RENÉE DE NEVERS explores how ‘‘new’’ wars—ranging from civil wars to asymmetric war—and new warriors, including warlords, private security companies, and children, fit within the Geneva Conventions. Although the nature of warfare and warriors has changed from the time the Conventions were adopted in 1949, she challenges the view that the Conventions should be abandoned. Rather, she argues, the Conventions should be revitalized to address a broader spectrum of war, because this will generate greater international support for U.S. efforts to combat terrorism.

Volume 120 - Number 4 - Winter 2005-06

Killing Civilians Intentionally: Double Effect, Reprisal, and Necessity in the Middle East
MICHAEL L. GROSS examines the arguments that Palestinians and Israelis offer when innocent lives are taken. He challenges Palestinian claims that existential threats (supreme emergency) or reprisals for past wrongs can justify terror attacks on noncombatants. At the same time, he objects to Israeli explanations that invoke the doctrine of double effect and claim that noncombatants are not killed intentionally but die as an unintended side effect of necessary military operations.

Volume 120 - Number 3 - Fall 2005

Why the Bush Doctrine Cannot Be Sustained
Robert Jervis argues that despite some successes, the Bush Doctrine cannot be sustained because it has many internal contradictions, requires more sustained domestic support than is possible, makes excessive demands on intelligence, places too much faith in democracy, and is overly ambitious. It will, however, be difficult to construct a replacement foreign policy.

Volume 118 - Number 3 - Fall 2003

Understanding the Bush Doctrine
Robert Jervis argues that the Bush doctrine presents a highly ambitious conception of U.S. foreign policy. Based on the premise that this is a period of great threat and great opportunity, the doctrine calls for the assertion and expansion of American power in service of hegemony. He concludes that this assertion and expansion is not likely to succeed.

Volume 117 - Number 4 - Winter 2002-03

Limits of American Power
Joseph S. Nye, Jr. discusses the paradox of the United States having unparalleled military power, yet being unable to impose its will unilaterally on either its allies or its antagonists. He explains clearly why America must adopt a more cooperative engagement with the rest of the world.

Volume 116 - Number 3 - Fall 2001

Hegemon on the Offensive: Chinese Perspectives on U. S. Global Strategy
Yong Deng examines Chinese perceptions of and reactions to the U.S. global power status and grand security strategy after the cold war. He shows that conflict between the United States and China is structural and has been on the rise. The author believes there is a real danger of an escalation of balancing and counterbalancing unless a mechanism of peaceful change is devised.