wish they'd done a "judging the bush threat: 1 question" piece but... still a good start http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/060919_20questions.pdf http://www.csis.org/about/ About CSIS The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) seeks to advance global security and prosperity in an era of economic and political transformation by providing strategic insights and practical policy solutions to decisionmakers. CSIS serves as a strategic planning partner for the government by conducting research and analysis and developing policy initiatives that look into the future and anticipate change. Founded in 1962 by David M. Abshire and Admiral Arleigh Burke, CSIS is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. with more than 220 full-time staff and a large network of affiliated experts. Former U.S. senator Sam Nunn became chairman of the CSIS Board of Trustees in 1999, and John J. Hamre has led CSIS as its president and chief executive officer since April 2000.
Not bad, but the thing that always seems to be missing is any understanding of Iran itself. Some of the current silliness proclaims that it is a regime of "mad mullahs" and that's all you need to know about it. Here is an interesting article from Asia Times online that mentions some of the different political forces at work. I think this is interesting because it shows that it is not the same sort of closed society that perhaps Saddam's Iraq was. Neither is it a static and moribund dictatorship but is evolving with various political factions and tendencies shaping the future. Which is not to say it's a perfect democracy, but that "mad mullahs" is far from an adequate description. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HI27Ak01.html IMHO some of the most informed reporting on Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan is to be found on Asia Times: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia.html http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East.html