Atlantic Council blogs

The Case Against Drone Strikes on People Who Only ‘Act’ Like Terrorists

By Danya Greenfield

As Mark Bowden discusses in this month’s Atlantic cover story, there is great debate about whether drone strikes should be a core component of the U.S. counterterrorism strategy. Of all the the arguments in favor, those those emphasizing effectiveness of signature strikes are particularly dubious.

Top News: Articles in Constitution Committee’s Draft Rejected by NSF, Nour Party

By EgyptSource

The amended draft of Egypt’s 2012 constitution will be announced Thursday or next Saturday, said Ali Awad, the head of a ten member technical committee entrusted with amending the national charter. Both the National Salvlation Front and the Nour Party have announced their rejection of articles within the draft. 

Clapper’s Bodyguard of Lies

By James Joyner

Winston Churchill declared, “In war-time, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.” In the current environment, it’s difficult to know where the truth ends and the lies begin. Last week the Washington Post reported, “The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority […]

Syria: Middle East Peace and the US Credibility Gap

By Fred C. Hof

Reports of significant chemical weapons usage by the Assad regime in the suburbs of Damascus again bring to the fore issues of US credibility deriving from the disconnect between Obama administration rhetoric and action. If the regime’s use of chemical weapons is verified, President Obama will face a stark choice: either use targeted strikes to […]

France Calls for Force if Chemical Arms Confirmed in Syria

By AFP and Wall Street Journal

France is seeking a reaction with “force” if a massacre in Syria involving chemical weapons is confirmed, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Thursday, although he ruled out the use of ground troops.

Iran a Bright Spot in a Bleak Middle East?

By Barbara Slavin

As President Barack Obama returned from vacation this week – a short break interrupted by his need to react to the mayhem in Cairo – he may have been thinking that prospects for a major foreign policy achievement in his second term were fading.

NATO and Japanese Counter-Piracy Force Commanders Meet in Gulf of Aden

By NATO Maritime Command HQ

NATO counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD Force Commander, Commodore Henning Amundsen, met Friday, 16 August 2013, with the Commander of the Japanese Escort Division 6, Captain Tsutomu Iwasawa, on board JS AKEBONO in the Gulf of Aden.

The Myth of US-India Containment

By Robert A. Manning

US Vice-President Biden’s recent trip to India appears to have reinforced fears in China of a containment strategy. This notion exaggerates US policy and underestimates India as an independent strategic actor.

EU Foreign Ministers Speak Out on Cutting Arms Sales to Egypt

By Claire Rosemberg, AFP

The European Union agreed Wednesday to restrict exports of security equipment and arms to Egypt in response to the mounting violence but opted to maintain economic assistance.

EU Suspends Military Exports to Egypt

The EU condemns in the clearest possible terms all acts of violence.