Christopher Herbert is an analyst of foreign affairs with specific expertise in US foreign policy, the Middle East and Asia. He works at the Denver Research Group, writes for the Washington Post's PostGlobal and Global Power Barometer and has served on projects for the United States Pacific Command and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He has degrees from Yale University and Harvard University in Middle Eastern history and politics and speaks English, French, Arabic and Italian. He welcomes any comments and suggestions for his foreign policy blog Simple Intelligence and can be reached at chris@simpleintelligence.org.

Victoria Kataoka Rebuffet is a foreign affairs analyst with specific expertise in US foreign policy, the Middle East and Asia. She works for the Denver Research Group where she writes for the Washington Post’s PostGlobal and Global Power Barometer and recently served as a subject matter expert for a project of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Previously, she worked as a consultant on international development for both UNESCO and the private sector. She holds a degree from Georgetown University and speaks English, French and some Arabic. She welcomes any comments and suggestions for her foreign policy blog Simple Intelligence and can be reached at victoria@simpleintelligence.org.

Blog Entries by Christopher Herbert and Victoria Kataoka Rebuffet

Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

Posted November 6, 2009 | 04:11 PM (EST)


This Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs:

Like Him or Not, Karzai's the Man in Afghanistan
SI Analysis: After opposition candidate Abdullah Abdullah withdrew from the election in protest that voting officials suspected of fraud during the first round would not be replaced,

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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

Posted October 30, 2009 | 04:15 PM (EST)


This Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs:

Iran Rejects Uranium Transfer Deal
SI Analysis: In a show of shrewd and bizarre diplomacy, Iran says that it was willing to cooperate with the West over its nuclear program but sought to change provisions in a deal reached last...

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Foreign Affairs Roundup

4 Comments | Posted October 23, 2009 | 07:53 PM (EST)


The Past Two Week's Top Stories in International Affairs:

The Real Deal with Iran
The 5+1 (UN Permanent Security Council Members plus Germany) were able to reach a draft agreement with Iran, wherein the majority of its enriched uranium will be exported to Russia to...

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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

Posted October 9, 2009 | 05:31 PM (EST)


This Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs:

North Korea Back at the Table, maybe
SI Analysis: North Korea says that it will return to six party talks to discuss its rogue nuclear weapons program, but beforehand they insist on holding direct talks with the...

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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

Posted October 2, 2009 | 03:38 PM (EST)


This Past Two Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs:

Wrestling with Iran and Now a Real Breakthrough
Facts: Following a meeting in Geneva with the 5+1 (UN Security Council Permanent members China, Russia, France, UK and US plus Germany), arbitrated by the EU Foreign Minister, Javier Solana,...

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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

1 Comments | Posted September 18, 2009 | 05:38 PM (EST)


The week's top stories in foreign affairs:

Redirecting Missile Defense

SI Analysis: The Obama administration announces that it is scraping plans for a Eastern European based Missile Defense Shield in favor of a more mobile and agile naval-based missile defense strategy. Critics of the administration contend...

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New Strategy For Afghanistan, Good News Out Of Pakistan, Japan's Elections, Hondurus Crisis, And Columbia's Undemocratic Referendum

3 Comments | Posted September 11, 2009 | 04:13 PM (EST)


These Past Two Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs:

A New Strategy for Afghanistan and A Rare Bit of Good News Out of Pakistan
SI Analysis: The US Senior Commander in Afghanistan Stanley McChrystal submitted his assessment report on the US/NATO AfPaq situation and...

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Potential Peace With North Korea And Iran, Afghanistan Elections, New Leader For Pakistan Taliban And Lethal Attack In Baghdad

3 Comments | Posted August 28, 2009 | 03:49 PM (EST)


These Past Two Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs:

New Prospects for Peace in the Middle East?
SI Analysis: US Special Envoy George Mitchell held talks with Israeli PM Netanyahu in the most recent effort to halt the current stalemate to peace negotiations....

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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

1 Comments | Posted August 14, 2009 | 03:07 PM (EST)


These Past Two Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs:

Afghan Elections
SI Analysis: Presidential elections in Afghanistan will be held on 20 August. Incumbent Hamid Karzai is expected to lead the polls, thanks in part to the Pashtun's shrewd alliances with Hazara Uzbek and Tajik elders...

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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

32 Comments | Posted July 31, 2009 | 11:42 AM (EST)


This Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs:

Push for Peace in Israel
SI Analysis: The Obama administration is making a concerted effort to restart peace talks in Israel. Special Envoy George Mitchell, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and regional national security advisor Jim Jones all made trips to...

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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

4 Comments | Posted July 24, 2009 | 05:53 PM (EST)


The Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs :


The Geopolitical Importance of Syria

SI Analysis: Engagement with Syria seems to be a priority for many different parties with varying and vying interest of late. There have been ongoing discussions by the US and Israel considering opening talks...

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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

Posted July 17, 2009 | 05:35 PM (EST)


The Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs :



Non-Aligned Movement Meeting in Sharm el-Sheik
SI Analysis: Leaders of 50 nations convene in Egypt to discuss the world economic crisis, the universal right to nuclear energy, the fight against poverty and peace and development in general at...
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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

2 Comments | Posted July 10, 2009 | 03:21 PM (EST)


The Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs :



Re-Settling of US-Russia Relations
Facts:US President Barack Obama traveled to Russia this week and met with Russian President Dimitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Beforehand, what was seen as a gesture in good faith, Russia announced that it will...
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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

Posted June 26, 2009 | 05:26 PM (EST)


The Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs :


The End of Iran's Post-Electoral Uprising... for now
Facts:
Protests initially spread from Tehran to the towns of Isfahan, Kerman, Shiraz and Tabriz but die down as Iran expands its violent crackdown by taking on the opposition in...
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Weekly Foreign Affairs Round-Up

Posted June 19, 2009 | 05:26 PM (EST)


The Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs :



What to Make of Iran's Post-Election Uproar

Facts: Incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quickly declared the victor by an incredible two-thirds majority in Iran's recent elections, beating "reformist" candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. Massive protests broke out in...
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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

Posted June 12, 2009 | 04:29 PM (EST)


The Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs :



What the Lebanese Election Results Mean
Facts:
Saad Hariri, the son of assassinated Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, seemed the likely next Prime Minister of Lebanon following the victory of his March 14 Coalition in recent elections. The March 14...
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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

2 Comments | Posted June 5, 2009 | 02:37 PM (EST)


The Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs :



Obama and the Muslim World
Facts: US President Barack Obama completed his much-anticipated trip to the Middle East, stopping in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. In Saudi Arabia, Obama traveled to Riyadh where he discussed with King Abdullah a...
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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

2 Comments | Posted May 29, 2009 | 02:17 PM (EST)


The Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs :



Noisy North Korea
Facts: North Korea performed a nuclear test last weekend which, according to various seismic measurements, amounted to a blast of somewhere between 4 and 20 kilotons (possibly larger than the US' bombing of Hiroshima in 1945). The...
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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

Posted May 15, 2009 | 01:09 PM (EST)


The Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs :



A New Strategy for AfPak
Facts: The US military leader in charge of operations in Afghanistan General David McKiernan is replaced by Lt. General Stanley McChrystal, a counterinsurgency and special operations expert and Director of the US Joint...
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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

Posted May 8, 2009 | 12:20 PM (EST)


The Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs :



AfPak War and Understanding
Facts: Pakistani PM Yousuf Raza Gilani officially announced a military offensive into the Swat Valley to combat the Taliban, expanding the effort already ongoing in the Buner and Dir Districts (and effectively ending the fledgling...
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