In the Issue

• Talking About Security
• Taking a Realistic Approach to Pakistan
• Principled Multilateralism: Is it Working in Haiti?
• The Great Firewall of China
• Two Sides of the Deflating Coin

Features

Talking About Security. The Stanley Foundation sees an intrinsic link between global security and national security. With that in mind, last year the Stanley Foundation brought together a group of individuals from other like-minded organizations in the form of a working group to focus on developing a messaging framework drawing on a set of newly commissioned reviews of public opinion data. The result is a Message Builder, a tool to facilitate the preparation of messaging points for spoken or written public communications, on "Talking About the Connection Between US and Global Security." It offers a framework of ideas and suggestions that communicators can use to find their own voice and tailor messages to their own needs.

Taking a Realistic Approach to Pakistan. The United States is providing massive quantities of aid to Pakistan, as much as
$20 billion since the September 11 attacks. This has enabled Pakistan to go through a period of lavish military spending, but there have nonetheless been serious reverses both in the military battle against the radical Islamists and in the transition to democracy. It is tempting for US policymakers to react to these developments by switching support from the army to civilian politicians. The United States, however, should not forget that whatever form of government exists in Pakistan, the army, for good or ill, will continue to be a major force in Pakistani society for many years to come. Owen Bennett-Jones, of the BBC World Service and author of Pakistan: Eye of the Storm, argues the United States must think long term when it comes to Pakistan. In a new Policy Analysis Brief for the Stanley Foundation, he argues for spending the bulk of US aid on education and promotion of the rule of law.

Principled Multilateralism: Is it Working in Haiti? The UN Mission in Haiti has been successful so far in maintaining stability according to Johanna Mendelson Forman in her recent article in the Miami Herald. Mendelson Forman lays out three crucial next steps that would keep Haiti on the path of success. This is the seventh in a series of articles that examines the cases where principled multilateralism has been or can be successful.

Beyond the Headlines

The Great Firewall of China. Tibetan protests in Lhasa have leveled further criticism of China’s human rights record at Beijing. In addition to the violent crackdown of separatists, the incident has called attention to government censorship of the Internet. The Great Firewall of China, the common-name of the Ministry of Internet Information's virtual information shield over the PRC, actively filters China's Internet for content it deems objectionable. Web sites such as YouTube, Google, and those of international organizations which take an active role in criticizing the Chinese government, such as Free Tibet, are blocked or dropped. This process is built upon a unique strategy of cutting off Internet searches. Routing filters, reverse surveillance, and a conditioned process of self-censorship on behalf of China's Internet content providers enable a monopoly over information the public receives. This in turn grants legitimacy to the party line. Many attribute the public’s strong support of the Chinese government to this control.

With last year’s protests in Burma still fresh in mind, the international community has voiced strong objections to China’s regulatory practices. Organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have taken an active role in bringing these human rights violations to light. Indeed, both the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights explicitly outlaw the obstruction of free information from citizens. Despite this pressure, Beijing shows little interest in tearing down its Great Firewall either before or after the Olympic games.

Two Sides of the Deflating Coin. While spring is in bloom, the five-year mark of the US-led invasion of Iraq serves as a reminder of America’s wilting image. At the same time, growing fears of what most economists deem an economic recession have kept many Americans watching their wallets more closely. Foreign currencies gain competitiveness and productivity against the US dollar, resulting in the US tourism industry experiencing a notable influx of foreign vacationers in major US cities, such as San Francisco, New York, and Orlando. Some cities have seen double-digit increases in foreign visitors, while foreign tourism overall stands comparable to pre-9/11 levels. Critics say that a weak US dollar is to Europeans like vacationing in Mexico is to Americans, and perhaps this economic reality check will tamper down US hyperpower status. Yet some unforeseen consequences of a weakening American dollar don’t necessarily direct all attention to Wall Street, painting a more colorful picture in economic troubling times. American goods are now more accessible than ever to the global market, and foreigners’ newfound spending power means shopping galore for many, particularly British and European tourists, whose currencies have strengthened amidst the dollar’s weakening. Additional attractiveness to visit the United States may result from the recently instated Open Skies Agreement, having promised more direct transatlantic flights in an attempt to liberalize air travel. As unfortunate as any economic downturn is, perhaps increased tourism can help rekindle ties between the United States and its friends and allies. But with the dollar having lost 4.3 percent of its value against the euro in the past 12 months, and 34 percent over the past 36 months, the end result of this downturn is still unknown.