Atlantic Council blogs

Obama Should Call for German Leadership

By Jeff Lightfoot, National Interest

From Jeff Lightfoot, National Interest:  President Barack Obama should use his speech tomorrow at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate to call for more active, confident German leadership of the European Union

Top News: Interior Minister: Islamists Should Not Protest on June 30

Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim called on Islamists not to stage any protests on June 30, as clashes between supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsi would be tantamount to a “furnace of war.” Ibrahim also called on secular forces not to protest on June 21, a day on which Islamists have planned protests.

Obama’s Criticism of No-Fly Zone and Humanitarian Corridors Options for Syria (Video)

By Dan De Luce, AFP

Major Milestone: NATO Transfers Full Responsibility for Security to Afghan Forces

By Tim Craig, Washington Post

From Tim Craig, Washington Post:  The U.S.-led international coalition and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai announced Tuesday that Afghan troops are now taking the lead on security in every province of the country, a milestone that was quickly marred by a new fatal attack in the capital.

Obama Should Call for German Leadership

By Jeffrey Lightfoot

President Barack Obama should use his speech tomorrow at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate to call for more active, confident German leadership of the European Union—which is needed if the continent is to rise above its present political and economic crisis. As Europe’s largest trading, investment and security partner, the United States has a strong interest in […]

The G8 Needs a Standing Agenda: Competitiveness

By Nicholas Dungan

The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, is having a bit of a romp. Last year, the United Kingdom hosted the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, and celebrated Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. This year, Britain holds the rotating presidency of the G8, the high point of which is the heads of government meeting at Loch Erne in […]

Deepening Transatlantic Trade: Historic Opportunity or a Failure to Launch?

By Garrett Workman

As President Obama heads to Europe for the G8 summit in Northern Ireland and a state visit to Berlin, the official launch of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations figures prominently on the agenda. Meanwhile, in Brussels, European Union trade ministers are working feverishly to assuage the fears of certain member-states and secure […]

Assad Says Europe Will ‘Pay Price’ if It Arms Rebels: Newspaper

By Reuters

From Reuters:  Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned Europe in a German newspaper interview that it will "pay the price" if it follows Washington’s lead and delivers arms to rebel forces, saying such a move would spread terrorism to the continent.

Lawlessness Engulfs Sinai’s Bedouins

By Sarah El-Rashidi

Following the Egyptian revolution in January 2011 a nationwide security vacuum has caused great unrest, particularly in the rugged Sinai Peninsula. Sinai’s geographic location bordering Israel and Palestine and its indigenous Bedouin population are the primary concern given the area’s influence on regional and national security. The lack of security in the mountainous desert terrain […]