Editor’s Corner

ovember 2008 may still be a year-and-a-half away, but the U.S. campaign season is already in full swing. A growing number of candidates on both sides of the political aisle have already thrown their hats into the presidential ring, and more are expected to join the race in the months ahead. Some of the names are well known; others are less so. But all of their debates, campaigns and policy positions will be profoundly shaped by the successes and failures of the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

As such, it’s not too early to examine the Bush administration’s “scorecard” in foreign policy and national security. We do so with a sextet of articles analyzing everything from the war on terror to stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction. The first comes from former CIA analyst Michael Scheuer, who provides a grim review of Administration failures, conceptual and otherwise, in the War on Terror. Then, the American Foreign Policy Council’s John Wobensmith and Jeff Smith examine the Bush administration’s progress in reforming a segment of our government notoriously resistant to transformation: the intelligence community. Andrew Davenport, vice president at the Conflict Securities Advisory Group, explains how the White House is shifting its terrorism financing focus—from the terrorists themselves to the regimes that enable them.

Ambassador Henry Cooper, former head of the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, follows up with an overview of the state of the current missile defense debate—and the work left to be done in truly defending the American people. Then, Henry Sokolski of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center outlines the remarkable early nonproliferation successes of the Bush team, and the dramatic turnaround that has taken place in the President’s second term. Finally, the Heritage Foundation’s Jim Carafano explores what is sure to become one of the bright spots of the Bush legacy: the Administration’s holistic and effective homeland security strategy.

Moving on, we revisit the issue of Russian democracy in the second installment of our periodic “Response” feature, in which Steve Blank of the U.S. Army War College explains why democratic principles are essential for stable governance in Moscow.

After that, we shift gears and “look ahead” with a quartet of articles on future trends affecting the Middle East, and beyond. Yours truly examines the future of American democracy promotion efforts—and the lessons learned for democratization from the Bush years. Dan O’Shea, the former Coordinator of the Hostage Working Group in Iraq, outlines the strategic dimensions of the kidnapping crisis there and its implications for the larger U.S. effort in the former Ba’athist state. Then, we are pleased to reprint the final report of the Working Group on Iran’s Global Influence convened by the American Foreign Policy Council and the McCormick Tribune Foundation, which offers some intriguing suggestions for U.S. policy toward Iran. Last, but most definitely not least, Larry Haas, former communications director for Vice President Al Gore, details what the Democratic Party needs to do to seize the foreign policy initiative.

As always, this issue of The Journal offers a trio of “Dispatches” from foreign analysts and policymakers. Our insights this time come from Russia, Greece and the European Parliament. Finally, we are pleased to feature reviews of four important books: Mark Bowden’s Guests of the Ayatollah, America Alone by Mark Steyn, Nir Rosen’s In the Belly of the Green Bird, and Dangerous Nation by Robert Kagan.

Here at The Journal, we pride ourselves in going beyond the headlines to provoke real debate about American security policy. We think you will agree that with this issue, we have done just that.