Articles by Jackson Diehl



Where Europe Draws the Line

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili kicked off the second wave of freedom movements in formerly Communist Europe in 2003 when he strode into the parliament, rose in hand.

Caught Between Ballots and Bullets

Probably the most interesting reaction to Hamas' victory in the Palestinian elections was one of the least noticed. It came from Essam Erian, a leading spokesman of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is a branch.

An Oil-Rich Test for Bush

In the past two weeks, U.S. President George W. Bush's administration has launched a concerted attempt to translate its pro-democracy rhetoric into action in two little-known Eurasian countries whose importance is about to soar.

Azerbaijan in the Spotlight

Less than six months after U.S. President George W. Bush's inaugural address, the tension between his commitment to democracy and longstanding U.S. security and economic commitments grows steadily more acute, especially in the Muslim world.

Bases Send Crucial Signals

Just a few months ago the United States seemed to have few choices in the strategically important Muslim countries of Central Asia.

Putin's Unchallenged Imperialism

Imagine that an imperial-minded president resolved to intervene aggressively in a strategic country with a fragile democracy to ensure the election of a favored client.

Democracy Is More Wholesome

By now it's well known that the nation ruled with increasing autocracy by President Vladimir Putin is experiencing one of the most rapid and catastrophic declines in human health ever recorded in peacetime. Life expectancy for Russians is plunging, rates of accidents and disease are soaring, and an AIDS epidemic is incipient.

Ukraine's Tipping Point

Viktor Yushchenko ought to be the overwhelming favorite to win Ukraine's presidential election this year.

The Truth About Putin

Considering that she is a marginal challenger to a powerful Russian president embraced by President George W. Bush, Irina Khakamada got quite a reception during a 36-hour visit to Washington last week.

Putin's Neighborhood

Some in the West may still be wondering whether there is really any larger meaning to the campaign being waged by President Vladimir Putin against the country's largest private businessman, Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Iran in Ferment II

The U.S. government has silenced the most effective opposition radio station in Iran.

Words and Deeds

  • 11 June 02
  • The Washington Post
The debates between the Bush administration's foreign policy realists and those who still push for such causes as nation-building, human rights and multilateralism seem to be producing a distinct division of labor.

Free Pass on Chechnya

  • 30 April 02
  • The Washington Post
Watching the rapidly escalating pressure on Israel from the safe distance of Moscow -- the hostile delegations of UN investigators, the demands for an international conference, the talk of European sanctions -- President Vladimir Putin might afford himself a secret smile.


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