Atlantic Council blogs

Turkey’s Wrong Turn

By Editorial Board, New York Times

[Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan should be insisting that the probe be fair and transparent, not trying to derail it.

Syria in The State Of The Union Address

By Frederic C. Hof

In Syria, we’ll support the opposition that rejects the agenda of terrorist networks… American diplomacy, backed by the threat of force, is why Syria’s chemical weapons are being eliminated, and we will continue to work with the international community to usher in the future the Syrian people deserve—a future free of dictatorship, terror and fear.

Barack Obama Gives Sixth Address to Joint Session of Congress

Tomorrow, Council experts will deconstruct #SOTU for members and press on a conference call. Domestic policy is the centerpiece of this year’s speech.

Ukraine: Is Yanukovych Finished?

By Rajan Menon

For a while it looked as if Ukraine’s embattled president, Viktor Yanukovych, had survived the political tidal wave that followed his decision to mothball the Association Agreement he’d hammered out with the European Union and instead to accept a lifeline from Russia (a $15 billion loan plus a one-third reduction in the price of natural […]

France’s Counterterrorism Operations in Africa Deserve US Support

By Editorial Board, Washington Post

[M]ore than 1,000 French soldiers are still fighting Islamic militants in Mali. Another French intervention force has been dispatched to restore order in the Central African Republic.

Finland Orders $123 Million Worth of Stinger Missiles

By Helsinki Times

Finland is set to acquire hundreds of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles from the United States, Carl Haglund (SFP), the Minister of Defence, announced to US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel as the two met in Washington

US Should Challenge European Allies with ‘Frank Talk’ about Defense

By Clemens Wergin, International New York Times

In recent decades, many European states have largely outsourced their security to the United States, which provided a defensive umbrella and protected global trade routes vital for European commerce and energy supplies.

Defense Minister: Germany Needs to Take More Responsibility Around the World

By René Pfister and Gordon Repinski, Spiegel

New Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen says that it is time for Berlin to take more responsibility. She also dreams of a European army.

The Collapse of the Phrase ‘Constitutional Pragmatism’

By Amr Hamzawy

Some of the political groups, parties and public personalities that raised the banner of democracy and supported the constitutional draft issued by the appointed Committee of 50 worked to encourage participation in the recent referendum, calling on citizens to vote ‘yes.’ As part of this campaign, they employed a hollow and misleading phrase: ‘constitutional pragmatism.’