Syria’s Conflict Economy

Download Syria’s Conflict Economy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : International Monetary Fund
ISBN 13 : 1475533748
Total Pages : 29 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (755 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Syria’s Conflict Economy by : Jeanne Gobat

Download or read book Syria’s Conflict Economy written by Jeanne Gobat and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2016-09-07 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Five years into the ongoing and tragic conflict, the paper analyzes how Syria’s economy and its people have been affected and outlines the challenges in rebuilding the economy. With extreme limitations on information, the findings of the paper are subject to an extraordinary degree of uncertainty. The key messages are: (1) that the devastating civil war has set the country back decades in terms of economic, social and human development. Syria’s GDP today is less than half of what it was before the war started and it could take two decades or more for Syria to return to its pre-conflict GDP levels; and that (2) while reconstructing damaged physical infrastructure will be a monumental task, rebuilding Syria’s human and social capital will be an even greater and lasting challenge.

Syria: Development and Monetary Policy

Download Syria: Development and Monetary Policy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 176 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Syria: Development and Monetary Policy by : Edmund Y. Asfour

Download or read book Syria: Development and Monetary Policy written by Edmund Y. Asfour and published by . This book was released on 1959 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Mobility of Displaced Syrians

Download The Mobility of Displaced Syrians PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464814023
Total Pages : 293 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Mobility of Displaced Syrians by : World Bank

Download or read book The Mobility of Displaced Syrians written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2020-01-27 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The war in Syria, now in its eighth year, continues to take its toll on the Syrian people. More than half of the population of Syria remains displaced; 5.6 million persons are registered as refugees outside of the country and another 6.2 million are displaced within Syria's borders. The internally displaced persons include 2 million school-age children; of these, less than half attend school. Another 739,000 Syrian children are out of school in the five neighborhood countries that host Syria's refugees. The loss of human capital is staggering, and it will create permanent hardships for generations of Syrians going forward. Despite the tragic prospects for renewed fighting in certain parts of the country, an overall reduction in armed conflict is possible going forward. However, international experience shows that the absence of fighting is rarely a singular trigger for the return of displaced people. Numerous other factors—including improved security and socioeconomic conditions in origin states, access to property and assets, the availability of key services, and restitution in home areas—play important roles in shaping the scale and composition of the returns. Overall, refugees have their own calculus of return that considers all of these factors and assesses available options. The Mobility of Displaced Syrians: An Economic and Social Analysis sheds light on the 'mobility calculus' of Syrian refugees. While dismissing any policies that imply wrongful practices involving forced repatriation, the study analyzes factors that may be considered by refugees in their own decisions to relocate. It provides a conceptual framework, supported by data and analysis, to facilitate an impartial conversation about refugees and their mobility choices. It also explores the diversified policy toolkit that the international community has available—and the most effective ways in which the toolkit can be adapted—to maximize the well-being of refugees, host countries, and the people in Syria.

The Welfare of Syrian Refugees

Download The Welfare of Syrian Refugees PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 9781464807701
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (77 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Welfare of Syrian Refugees by : Paolo Verme

Download or read book The Welfare of Syrian Refugees written by Paolo Verme and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book focuses on the largest refugee crisis of our time: the Syrian refugee crisis. It exploits a wealth of survey and registry data on Syrian refugees living in Jordan and Lebanon to assess their poverty and vulnerability status, understand the predictors of these statuses, evaluate the performance of existing policies toward refugees, and determine the potential for alternative policies. Findings point to a complex situation. In the absence of humanitarian assistance, poverty is extremely high among refugees. Current policies including cash transfers and food vouchers are effective in reducing poverty but they remain short of providing economic inclusion and self-reliance of refugees. A shift toward economic inclusion and self-reliance would require a different humanitarian and development paradigm, one that focuses on growth policies for areas affected by refugees where the target population is constituted by refugees and hosting populations alike. This joint study by the World Bank Group and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees helps bridge the historical divide between humanitarian and development work by providing practical solutions for assisting refugees in the short, medium and long-term and to prevent the irreversible loss of social and human capital typically associated with prolonged refugee crises.

The Economic Impact of Conflicts and the Refugee Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa

Download The Economic Impact of Conflicts and the Refugee Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : International Monetary Fund
ISBN 13 : 1475535783
Total Pages : 43 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (755 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Economic Impact of Conflicts and the Refugee Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa by : Mr.Bjoern Rother

Download or read book The Economic Impact of Conflicts and the Refugee Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa written by Mr.Bjoern Rother and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2016-09-16 with total page 43 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent decades, the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) has experienced more frequent and severe conflicts than in any other region of the world, exacting a devastating human toll. The region now faces unprecedented challenges, including the emergence of violent non-state actors, significant destruction, and a refugee crisis bigger than any since World War II. This paper raises awareness of the economic costs of conflicts on the countries directly involved and on their neighbors. It argues that appropriate macroeconomic policies can help mitigate the impact of conflicts in the short term, and that fostering higher and more inclusive growth can help address some of the root causes of conflicts over the long term. The paper also highlights the crucial role of external partners, including the IMF, in helping MENA countries tackle these challenges.

Democratic Transitions in the Arab World

Download Democratic Transitions in the Arab World PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107164206
Total Pages : 357 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (71 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Democratic Transitions in the Arab World by : Ibrahim Elbadawi

Download or read book Democratic Transitions in the Arab World written by Ibrahim Elbadawi and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-01-05 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A cross-country examination of authoritarianism and democracy in North Africa and the Middle East.

The Toll of War

Download The Toll of War PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781464811876
Total Pages : 150 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (118 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Toll of War by : The World Bank

Download or read book The Toll of War written by The World Bank and published by . This book was released on 2017-12-15 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report studies the economic and social impact of the armed conflict in Syria. Bringing together conflict-driven lossof lives, forced displacement, physical damages in capital, and overall economic collapse, it takes stock of theconsequences brought about by one of the most brutal conflicts of our time.The analysis extends our understanding of the Syrian conflict by focusing on the distinct roles played by physicaldestruction, casualties, and disruptions in economic organization in driving the economic and social impact of theconflict. Although visual effects, such as physical destruction, are more often noticed, the "invisible" effects, such asdisruptions in economic networks, increased rent seeking, and the erosion of social trust, play a greater role inexplaining the collapse in economic activity. The persistence of economic effects also differs across various channels.The economic impact of conflict-related casualties is much more persistent than that of other channels.As this report was written, the Syrian conflict was ongoing in its sixth year. The report suggests that the longer theconflict lasts, the slower and more difficult the post-conflict recovery will be.

Reforming the International Financial System for Development

Download Reforming the International Financial System for Development PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231157649
Total Pages : 390 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (311 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Reforming the International Financial System for Development by : Jomo Kwame Sundaram

Download or read book Reforming the International Financial System for Development written by Jomo Kwame Sundaram and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jomo Kwame Sundaram is assistant secretary general for economic development at the United Nations and research coordinator for the G24 Intergovernmental Group on International Monetary Affairs and Development. In 2007 he was awarded the Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. --Book Jacket.

The Origins of the Syrian Conflict

Download The Origins of the Syrian Conflict PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108476082
Total Pages : 265 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (84 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Origins of the Syrian Conflict by : Marwa Daoudy

Download or read book The Origins of the Syrian Conflict written by Marwa Daoudy and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-03-26 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a new conceptual framework drawing on human security to evaluate the claim that climate change caused the conflict in Syria.

Authoritarianism in Syria

Download Authoritarianism in Syria PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cornell University Press
ISBN 13 : 1501725610
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (17 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Authoritarianism in Syria by : Steven Heydemann

Download or read book Authoritarianism in Syria written by Steven Heydemann and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2018-10-18 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For almost forty years Syria has been ruled by a populist authoritarian regime under the Ba'th Party, led since 1970 by President Hafiz al-Asad. The durability and resilience of this regime is a striking contrast to the instability and intense social conflict that preceded the Bath's seizure of power, when Syria was seen as among the least stable of Arab states. This dramatic transition raises questions about how the Ba'th succeeded in constructing the institutions needed to consolidate a radically populist and authoritarian system of rule. The Ba'th's accomplishment also poses a significant theoretical challenge to the widely held view that populist strategies of state building are inherently unstable.Drawing on evidence from Syrian, American, and British archives as well as from published French and Arabic sources, Steven Heydemann explains the capacity of the Ba'th to overcome the obstacles that typically undermine the consolidation of radical populist regimes. He links the Ba'th's adoption of a radical populist strategy of state building, and its capacity to implement this strategy, to the dynamics of social conflict, state expansion, and structural change in the political economy of post-independence Syria. Arguing that conventional accounts of Syrian politics neglect the centrality of institutions and institutional change, Heydemann shows how shifts in the pattern of state intervention after 1946 transformed Syria's political arena.

The Consequences of Chaos

Download The Consequences of Chaos PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
ISBN 13 : 0815729529
Total Pages : 116 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (157 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Consequences of Chaos by : Elizabeth G. Ferris

Download or read book The Consequences of Chaos written by Elizabeth G. Ferris and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2016-04-05 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The massive dimensions of Syria's refugee crisis—and the search for solutions The civil war in Syria has forced some 10 million people—more than half the country's population—from their homes and communities, creating one of the largest human displacements since the end of World War II. Daily headlines testify to their plight, both within Syria and in the countries to which they have fled. The Consequences of Chaos looks beyond the ever-increasing numbers of Syria's uprooted to consider the long-term economic, political, and social implications of this massive movement of people. Neighboring countries hosting thousands or even millions of refugees, Western governments called upon to provide financial assistance and even new homes for the refugees, regional and international organizations struggling to cope with the demands for food and shelter—all have found the Syria crisis to be overwhelming in its challenges. And the challenges of finding solutions for those displaced by the conflict are likely to continue for years, perhaps even for decades. The Syrian displacement crisis raises fundamental questions about the relationship between action to resolve conflicts and humanitarian aid to assist the victims and demonstrates the limits of humanitarian response, even on a massive scale, to resolve political crises. The increasingly protracted nature of the crisis also raises the need for the international community to think beyond just relief assistance and adopt developmental policies to help refugees become productive members of their host communities.

Syria's Economy and the Transition Paradigm

Download Syria's Economy and the Transition Paradigm PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Lynne Rienner Publishers
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 90 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Syria's Economy and the Transition Paradigm by : Samer Abboud

Download or read book Syria's Economy and the Transition Paradigm written by Samer Abboud and published by Lynne Rienner Publishers. This book was released on 2009 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring the recent trajectory of Syria¿s economy, the authors consider the utility of the transition paradigm¿developed to study change in the former communist states¿as an explanatory approach. In the first part of the book, Samer Abboud examines Syria¿s shift to a ¿social market economy,¿ focusing on similarities in and differences between the Syrian and Chinese cases. In the second part, Ferdinand Arslanian compares empirical indicators for Syria with those from the aggregate of transition countries to predict Syria¿s economic performance and the rate of liberalization. A foreword by Raymond Hinnebusch provides context for the study.

Armed Conflict in Syria

Download Armed Conflict in Syria PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN 13 : 9781973754626
Total Pages : 46 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (546 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Armed Conflict in Syria by : Congressional Research Service

Download or read book Armed Conflict in Syria written by Congressional Research Service and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-07-20 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Syrian civil war, now in its seventh year, continues to present new challenges for U.S. policymakers. Following a deadly chemical weapons attack in Syria on April 4, 2017, and subsequent U.S. strikes against Syrian military infrastructure and pro-regime forces, Members of Congress have called on the President to consult with Congress about Syria strategy. Other Members have questioned the President's authority to launch strikes against Syria in the absence of specific prior authorization from Congress. In the past, some in Congress have expressed concern about the international and domestic authorizations for such strikes, their potential unintended consequences, and the possibility of undesirable or unavoidable escalation. Since taking office in January 2017, President Trump has stated his intention to "destroy" the Syria- and Iraq-based insurgent terrorist group known as the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIL, ISIS, or the Arabic acronym Da'esh), and the President has ordered actions to "accelerate" U.S. military efforts against the group in both countries. In late March, senior U.S. officials signaled that the United States would prioritize the fight against the Islamic State and said that Syrian President Bashar al Asad's future would be determined by the Syrian people. Nevertheless, following the April 4 attack, President Trump and senior members of his Administration have spoken more critically of Asad's leadership, and it remains to be seen whether the United States will more directly seek to compel Asad's departure from power while pursuing the ongoing campaign against the Islamic State. Since late 2015, Asad and his government have leveraged military, financial, and diplomatic support from Russia and Iran to improve and consolidate their position relative to the range of antigovernment insurgents arrayed against them. These insurgents include members of the Islamic State, Islamist and secular fighters, and Al Qaeda-linked networks. While Islamic State forces have lost territory to the Syrian government, to Turkey-backed Syrian opposition groups, and to U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters since early 2016, they remain capable and dangerous. The IS "capital" at Raqqah has been isolated, but large areas of central and eastern Syria remain under the group's control. The presence and activities of Russian military forces and Iranian personnel in Syria create complications for U.S. officials and military planners, and raise the prospect of inadvertent confrontation with possible regional or global implications. Since March 2011, the conflict has driven more than 5 million Syrians into neighboring countries as refugees (out of a total prewar population of more than 22 million). More than 6.3 million other Syrians are internally displaced and are among more than 13.5 million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance. The United States is the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to the Syria crisis (which includes assistance to neighboring countries hosting refugees), and since FY2012 has allocated more than $6.5 billion to meet humanitarian needs. In addition, the United States has allocated more than $500 million to date for bilateral assistance programs in Syria, including the provision of nonlethal equipment to select opposition groups. President Trump has requested $191.5 million in FY2018 funding for such assistance and $500 million in FY2018 defense funds to train and equip anti-IS forces in Syria. U.S. officials and Members of Congress continue to debate how best to pursue U.S. regional security and counterterrorism goals in Syria without inadvertently strengthening U.S. adversaries or alienating U.S. partners. The Trump Administration and Members of the 115th Congress-like their predecessors-face challenges inherent to the simultaneous pursuit of U.S. nonproliferation, counterterrorism, civilian protection, and stabilization goals in a complex, evolving conflict.

Syria and the Neutrality Trap

Download Syria and the Neutrality Trap PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0755641418
Total Pages : 201 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (556 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Syria and the Neutrality Trap by : Carsten Wieland

Download or read book Syria and the Neutrality Trap written by Carsten Wieland and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-05-20 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Syrian war has been an example of the abuse and insufficient delivery of humanitarian assistance. According to international practice, humanitarian aid should be channelled through a state government that bears a particular responsibility for its population. Yet in Syria, the bulk of relief went through Damascus while the regime caused the vast majority of civilian deaths. Should the UN have severed its cooperation with the government and neglected its humanitarian duty to help all people in need? Decision-makers face these tough policy dilemmas, and often the “neutrality trap” snaps shut. This book discusses the political and moral considerations of how to respond to a brutal and complex crisis while adhering to international law and practice. The author, a scholar and senior diplomat involved in the UN peace talks in Geneva, draws from first-hand diplomatic, practitioner and UN sources. He sheds light on the UN's credibility crisis and the wider implications for the development of international humanitarian and human rights law. This includes covering the key questions asked by Western diplomats, NGOs and international organizations, such as: Why did the UN not confront the Syrian government more boldly? Was it not only legally correct but also morally justifiable to deliver humanitarian aid to regime areas where rockets were launched and warplanes started? Why was it so difficult to render cross-border aid possible where it was badly needed? The meticulous account of current international practice is both insightful and disturbing. It tackles the painful lessons learnt and provides recommendations for future challenges where politics fails and humanitarians fill the moral void.

Making Politics Work for Development

Download Making Politics Work for Development PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Bank Publications
ISBN 13 : 1464807744
Total Pages : 350 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (648 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Making Politics Work for Development by : World Bank

Download or read book Making Politics Work for Development written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2016-07-14 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Governments fail to provide the public goods needed for development when its leaders knowingly and deliberately ignore sound technical advice or are unable to follow it, despite the best of intentions, because of political constraints. This report focuses on two forces—citizen engagement and transparency—that hold the key to solving government failures by shaping how political markets function. Citizens are not only queueing at voting booths, but are also taking to the streets and using diverse media to pressure, sanction and select the leaders who wield power within government, including by entering as contenders for leadership. This political engagement can function in highly nuanced ways within the same formal institutional context and across the political spectrum, from autocracies to democracies. Unhealthy political engagement, when leaders are selected and sanctioned on the basis of their provision of private benefits rather than public goods, gives rise to government failures. The solutions to these failures lie in fostering healthy political engagement within any institutional context, and not in circumventing or suppressing it. Transparency, which is citizen access to publicly available information about the actions of those in government, and the consequences of these actions, can play a crucial role by nourishing political engagement.

State Building and Late Development

Download State Building and Late Development PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cornell University Press
ISBN 13 : 1501717332
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (17 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis State Building and Late Development by : David Waldner

Download or read book State Building and Late Development written by David Waldner and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2018-05-31 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why does state building sometimes promote economic growth and in other cases impede it? Through an analysis of political and economic development in four countries—Turkey, Syria, Korea, and Taiwan—this book explores the origins of political-economic institutions and the mechanisms connecting them to economic outcomes. David Waldner extends our understanding of the political underpinnings of economic development by examining the origins of political coalitions on which states and their institutions depend. He first provides a political model of institutional change to analyze how elites build either cross-class or narrow coalitions, and he examines how these arrangements shape specific institutions: state-society relations, the nature of bureaucracy, fiscal structures, and patterns of economic intervention. He then links these institutions to economic outcomes through a bargaining model to explain why countries such as Korea and Taiwan have more effectively overcome the collective dilemmas that plague economic development than have others such as Turkey and Syria. The latter countries, he shows, lack institutional solutions to the problems that surround productivity growth. The first book to compare political and economic development in these two regions, State Building and Late Development draws on, and contributes to, arguments from political sociology and political economy. Based on a rigorous research design, the work offers both a finely drawn comparison of development and a compellingly argued analysis of the character and consequences of "precocious Keynesianism," the implementation of Keynesian demand-stimulus policies in largely pre-industrial economies.

Bending History

Download Bending History PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
ISBN 13 : 0815724470
Total Pages : 354 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (157 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Bending History by : Martin S. Indyk

Download or read book Bending History written by Martin S. Indyk and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2013-09-04 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the time of Barack Obama's inauguration as the 44th president of the United States, he had already developed an ambitious foreign policy vision. By his own account, he sought to bend the arc of history toward greater justice, freedom, and peace; within a year he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, largely for that promise. In Bending History, Martin Indyk, Kenneth Lieberthal, and Michael O’Hanlon measure Obama not only against the record of his predecessors and the immediate challenges of the day, but also against his own soaring rhetoric and inspiring goals. Bending History assesses the considerable accomplishments as well as the failures and seeks to explain what has happened. Obama's best work has been on major and pressing foreign policy challenges—counterterrorism policy, including the daring raid that eliminated Osama bin Laden; the "reset" with Russia; managing the increasingly significant relationship with China; and handling the rogue states of Iran and North Korea. Policy on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, however, has reflected serious flaws in both strategy and execution. Afghanistan policy has been plagued by inconsistent messaging and teamwork. On important "softer" security issues—from energy and climate policy to problems in Africa and Mexico—the record is mixed. As for his early aspiration to reshape the international order, according greater roles and responsibilities to rising powers, Obama's efforts have been well-conceived but of limited effectiveness. On issues of secondary importance, Obama has been disciplined in avoiding fruitless disputes (as with Chavez in Venezuela and Castro in Cuba) and insisting that others take the lead (as with Qaddafi in Libya). Notwithstanding several missteps, he has generally managed well the complex challenges of the Arab awakenings, striving to strike the right balance between U.S. values and interests. The authors see Obama's foreign policy to date as a triumph of discipline and realism over ideology. He has been neither the transformative beacon his devotees have wanted, nor the weak apologist for America that his critics allege. They conclude that his grand strategy for promoting American interests in a tumultuous world may only now be emerging, and may yet be curtailed by conflict with Iran. Most of all, they argue that he or his successor will have to embrace U.S. economic renewal as the core foreign policy and national security challenge of the future.