by Francis Tusa One has to assume that Boeing is shaking its corporate head in dismay, as its chances of a deal to sell the F/A-18E/F to Brazil took a nose dive. The key thing that has affected the aircraft’s chances has been the abrupt cancellation of the deal for…
A key element of the evolving Asian situation is the relationships among the Asians themselves which has little to do with the United States. Unfortunately, Inside the Beltway usually debates the US approach to China as if it is the only or even key definer of reality in the Pacific. …
4/11/12 by Richard Weitz The Strategic Warning from Astana, Kazakhstan. The logistics trail to Afghanistan is long and costly. The role of Pakistan and Kazakhstan is crucial in providing the “highway” to support Afghan operations. But both nodes are in trouble. The problems dividing the United States from Afghanistan and…
The PNSR Case Studies: The Bottom Line By Richard Weitz The case studies cover a necessarily limited number of national security challenges and analyze a correspondingly finite record of U.S. government performance. This limitation excludes extensive quantitative analysis. Even so, the issues covered, the geographic scope, and historical diversity of…
by Robbin Laird 2012 is perhaps a turning point year in the global fighter market. India’s downselect of the Rafale and the possible selection by Brazil of the same aircraft could have some game changing qualities. First, if this were to occur, this would mean that the US is down…
Thomas Hobson became known in history for what is called Hobson’s choice. A person has a free choice but can only chose one option. For the normal human, this sounds like no choice at all. But for Thomas Hobson, a livery stable owner in Cambridge England, he would offer customers…
by Kenneth Maxwell Brazil's principal newspaper had two stories in its Saturday issue concerning the competition for a new fleet of combat aircraft for the Brazilian air force and the continuing saga of the Super Tucano. In the "Folha de Sao Paulo," Clovis Rossi, writing from New Deli, where President…
By Richard Weitz The PNSR Case Studies: Righting Resource Allocation Allocating resources improperly is a persistent problem with U.S. national security policy. The national security system finds it easier to mobilize resources for hard power assets (e.g., military capabilities) than for soft power capabilities (e.g., civilian agencies or public diplomacy).…
