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In a brilliant and revealing book destined to drive debate about the future of American power, Vali Nasr questions America's dangerous choice to engage less and matter less in the world. Vali Nasr, author of the groundbreaking The Shia Revival, worked closely with Hillary Clinton at the State Department on Afghan and Pakistani affairs. In The Dispensable Nation, he takes us behind the scenes to show how Secretary Clinton and her ally, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, were thwarted in their efforts to guide an ambitious policy in South Asia and the Middle East. Instead, four years of presidential leadership and billions of dollars of U.S. spending failed to advance democracy and development, producing mainly rage at the United States for its perceived indifference to the fate of the region.After taking office in 2009, the Obama administration had an opportunity to fundamentally reshape American foreign policy, Nasr argues, but its fear of political backlash and the specter of terrorism drove it to pursue the same questionable strategies as its predecessor. Meanwhile, the true economic threats to U.S. power, China and Russia, were quietly expanding their influence in places where America has long held sway. Nasr makes a compelling case that behind specific flawed decisions lurked a desire by the White House to pivot away from the complex problems of the Muslim world. Drawing on his unrivaled expertise in Middle East affairs and firsthand experience in diplomacy, Nasr demonstrates why turning our backs is dangerous and, what's more, sells short American power. The United States has secured stability, promoted prosperity, and built democracy in region after region since the end of the Second World War, he reminds us, and The Dispensable Nation offers a striking vision of what it can achieve when it reclaims its bold leadership in the world.

The author first met Richard Holbrooke, the legendary diplomat best known for making peace in the Balkans and breaking plenty of China along the way, at a 2006 conference in Aspen, CO. They sat together at one of the dinners and talked about Iran and Pakistan. Holbrooke ignored the keynote speech, the entertainment that followed, and the food that flowed in between to bombard him with questions. They had many more conversations over the next three years, and after he joined him on Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2007, they spoke frequently by phone. Regardless of what promises candidate Obama made on his way to the White House, Afghanistan now held the future -- his and America's -- in the balance. When Obama took office, the war in Afghanistan was already in its eighth yen. While running for president, Obama had promised a new chapter in US, foreign policy: America would move away from Bush's militarized foreign policy and take engagement seriously. Adapted from the source document.

As tensions between the United States and Iran increase, the question of engagement between the two countries becomes more important than ever. The Forum spoke with leading Iran scholar, Professor Vali Nasr, about the possibility of conflict, Iran's role in the Middle East, and the potential for democracy in Iran. Adapted from the source document.

By toppling Saddam Hussein, the Bush administration has liberated and empowered Iraq's Shiite majority and has helped launch a broad Shiite revival that will upset the sectarian balance in Iraq and the Middle East for years to come. This development is rattling some Sunni Arab governments, but for Washington, it could be a chance to build bridges with the region's Shiites, especially in Iran.

Pakistan's politics has been shaped by the dynamics of civilian-military relations and Islamism's relation to the state. This has created an ongoing negotiation for power in which the military, civilian politicians, and Islamist forces have individually and in alliance with one another
vied for control of Pakistan's politics. General Pervez Musharraf's regime has been no exception to this trend. As its claim to secular military rule proved untenable, it has turned to rely on Islamist forces to manage civilian-military relations.

Kennzeichen der pakistanischen Politik ist der in wechselnden Allianzen geführte Machtkampf zwischen Militär, zivilen Politikern und islamistischen Kräften. Der Beitrag befasst sich schwerpunktmässig mit der Politik von General Pervez Musharraf gegenüber den Islamisten seit den Wahlen von 2002. (DÜI-Hns)