Atlantic Council blogs

France Deploying US-Made Drones to Hunt Al Qaeda in Mali

By Reuters

France will deploy its first U.S.-made unarmed surveillance drones to West Africa by the end of the year, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday, as it seeks to “eliminate all traces of al Qaeda.”

The New Draft Constitution Part II: The Committee’s Work from Within

By Yussef Auf

As Egypt’s constitution writing process has come to an end, and the country is once again gearing up to go to the polls in mid-January in a nationwide referendum, it is worth noting the process that resulted in the drafting of a new constitution, before considering the text itself. The Committee of 50’s performance, as […]

Top News: US Senate bill allows room for aid to return to Egypt

By MENASource

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee overwhelmingly passed legislation on Wednesday to ease tight US controls on aid to Egypt, which was largely cut off after Egypt’s military ousted President Mohamed Morsi last summer.

Rasmussen: Europeans Must be Smarter and Stronger Together

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

On the other side of town, we truly appreciate the European Union’s focus on defence and security. Because we agree that defence matters.

Top News: Police Storm Rights Organization, Arrest Employees

By EgyptSource

Security forces stormed the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) late Wednesday night, arresting several people, and confiscating laptops and other materials from the center.

Ashton: To Secure Peace, Be Ready for Battle

By Catherine Ashton, Wall Street Journal

An effective and coherent security and defense policy is a necessity, not a luxury, for Europe.

Duncan Pickard on Tunisia’s Transitional Process

By MENASource

Tunisia’s transition to a democratic system has recently faced tremendous obstacles as political players negotiate for power. Commentators express worry that the longer the political impasse between Islamist and secular groups continues, the more likely that Tunisia’s process could be derailed.

NATO Secretary General: ‘Our European Allies Lack Critical Capability’

By Sam Jones, Financial Times

Europe must urgently face up to its responsibilities in defence, or face a security crisis on its borders and international marginalisation, according to Anders Fogh Rasmussen, secretary general of Nato.

The Pemex Door Has Opened

Latin America Center Director Peter Schechter and Deputy Director Jason Marczak wrote a guest blog for the Financial Times to coincide with the newly published briefing on Mexico’s energy reform. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto capped a year of reform with a final act that far exceeded expectations of the 47-year-old leader’s first year. Energy […]