Strategic Partners or Estranged Allies: Turkey, the United States, and Operation Iraqi Freedom; Strategic Insights, v. 2 issue 7 (July 2003)

This article appeared in Strategic Insights, v.2 issue 7 (July 2003)Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Electoral Survival of the Most Corrupt Azerbaijan, Georgia, and American Regional Goals; Strategic Insights: v.2, issue 12 (December 2003)

This article appeared in Strategic Insights (December 2003), v.2 no.12Between 15 October and 2 November 2003, contentious elections took place in Azerbaijan and Georgia. Polling was accompanied by government intimidation, results falsification, and clashes between citizens and security forces. Both elections also came at a time when incumbent governments were weak. The election campaigns also drove regime rhetoric about simmering conflicts with neighbors (Azerbaijan) and breakaway groups (Georgia) farther to the right. Because of their strategic location at the nexus of South Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, Azerbaijan and Georgia (along with Armenia) are the pivotal Caucasus countries, indispensable to American interests when it comes to energy, competitive diplomatic power projection, and the War on Terror. During the 1990s, access to Caspian oil and gas drove U.S. policy in Azerbaijan-Georgia. Post-9/11 priorities have hastened the development of American-Caucasus military ties through the Partnerships-for-Peace program and other bilateral initiatives. This document examines why the situation appears to have stabilized in repressive Azerbaijan, while events led to the exit of the incumbent regime in relatively more open Georgia. The document also examines what the evolving situation in Azerbaijan and Georgia means for U.S. strategy

Iraq Now: Choosing Sovereignty or Democracy; Strategic Insights, v. 3, issue 8 August 2004)

This article appeared in Strategic Insights, v.3, issue 8 August 2004)Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Dairy intake and cognitive function in Canadian older adults

Background: Dietary intake is one of the modifiable factors that may affect older adults’ cognitive function in their later years. Few research has considered the potential role of dairy foods on cognitive function. Methods: Across-sectional study was undertaken in 2014. Cognitive function was assessed using The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Rey Complex Figure Test and Recognition Trial (RCFT), Trail-Making Test (TMT), Victoria Stroop Test (VST) and the Digit Span Test (DST). Dietary intake was assessed via estimated 5-day food intake records and analyzed for saturated fat, vitamin D and calcium. Results: A total of 32 participants (8 males and 24 females) (average age= 70.59± 7.07 years; BMI=27.59±4.45 kg/m^2) completed the study. No differences were found between the group who consumed However, a number of associations were found between the nutrients (vitamin D, saturated fat, calcium) found in dairy foods and cognitive performance. A positive correlation was found between the level of vitamin D and the RCFT [r=0.367], the DST [r=0.390], and the MoCA [r=0.362]. Also, a negative correlation was found between the level of saturated fat and performance on the RCFT [r=-0.361]. However, no association was found between calcium level in dairy foods and performance on any of the cognitive tasks. Conclusion: Consumption of dairy foods is associated with better performance on cognitive tasks but underlying mechanisms are still to be determined

SOVRANITÀ DEI TECNOCRATI, MECCANISMO EUROPEO DI STABILITÀ E L’EMERGENZA DA COVID-19

Il 9 aprile 2020, a Bruxelles, l’Eurogruppo ha raggiunto l’accordo sintetizzato nel Report on the comprehensive economic policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic, nel quale si dichiara che “è necessaria una strategia coordinata e globale per far fronte alle esigenze dell’emergenza sanitaria, sostenere le attività economiche e preparare il terreno per la ripresa”, una strategia che “dovrebbe combinare iniziative a breve, medio e lungo termine, tenendo conto delle ricadute e delle interconnessioni” tra le diverse economie degli Stati dell’Eurozona, considerando altresì la “necessità di preservare lafiducia e la stabilità”. Tra queste iniziative, si distingue, per la sua rilevanza, ma anche per la sua problematicità e la conflittualità che ha scatenato tra le forze politiche nazionali e finanche all’interno della stessa maggioranza di governo, il ricorso al Meccanismo europeodi stabilità (MES) sotto la forma di una speciale linea di credito, denominata Pandemic Crisis Support (PCS), che dovrebbe basarsi sull’esistente Enhanced Conditions Credit Line (ECCL) e “adjusted in light of this specific challenge, as a relevant safeguard foreuro area Member States affected by this external shock”

Book Review by Barak A. Salmoni of Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948–1991, by Kenneth M. Pollack

The article of record as published may be found at https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X050310031