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Atlantic Council blogs provide short-form analyses from Council experts and a wider community of global voices on the world’s most important news stories.
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MENASource

Mar 21, 2013

A Thawing of Libyan Politics?

By Karim Mezran and Eric Knecht

Recent developments in Libya suggest an opening in the country’s otherwise deadlocked political process, increasing the likelihood of resolving several key issues holding back the country’s transition. The Muslim Brotherhood, led by Mohamed Sawan, and the National Forces Alliance (NFA), led by Mahmoud Jibril, met on March 14 for what appears to be the start […]

Libya

New Atlanticist

Mar 21, 2013

Science and Technology: The Invisible Pillar of Transatlantic Cooperation

By Cathleen Fisher

Cooperation in science and research is embedded in the transatlantic relationship. And yet, ironically, it is politically and diplomatically underused and often considered marginal—or ignored entirely—by the transatlantic policy community. This should change.

Economy & Business Energy & Environment

MENASource

Mar 20, 2013

US Aid to Egypt: The Start of a Serious Conversation

By John D. Lawrence

The recent Egypt debate in the US Senate could easily lead you to two separate, contradictory, and equally correct conclusions.  The first, more charitable than the next, would say that we have the beginning of a substantive political debate over aid to Egypt and overall US-Egyptian relations which that should be good for both countries.  […]

New Atlanticist

Mar 20, 2013

Cyprus Still Has Options, But Damage Already Done

By Megan Greene

Everyone knew that Cyprus would be a tough nut to crack, but few expected this tiny island to be the one country to stand up to the so-called troika of international lenders (the EBC, IMF, and European Commission) and reject a bailout offer. To be clear, the potential consequences for Cyprus of its bravado are […]

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

NATOSource

Mar 20, 2013

Four steps to improve missile defense cooperation btween the U.S. and Poland

By Ian Brzezinski, New Atlanticist

From Ian Brzezinski, New Atlanticist:  For Poland, accepting US missile defense deployments has never been driven by fear of Iran; it is rooted in the desire for an American military presence that reinforces the credibility of NATO’s Article V security guarantee.

NATOSource

Mar 20, 2013

China replaces Britain as fifth largest global arms exporter, report

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  China has become the world’s fifth largest exporter of major conventional arms, replacing the United Kingdom, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report Monday.

United Kingdom

NATOSource

Mar 20, 2013

Stavridis: More direct engagement by US could turn tide in Syria

By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes

From John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes:  Adm. James Stavridis, NATO’s top military commander and head of U.S. European Command, told lawmakers Monday that a more aggressive posture by the U.S. and its allies could help break a stalemate in war-torn Syria.

MENASource

Mar 20, 2013

Looking across Sinai: Israel’s View of Egypt

By Zack Gold

President Barack Obama arrived in Israel this morning. During the many hours he will spend with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other political and military leaders, items at the top of the discussion agenda include the Syrian civil war, the Iranian nuclear program, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, another focus is likely to be […]

NATOSource

Mar 20, 2013

Commander: Some NATO members examining military contingency plans for Syria

By Donna Cassata and Richard Lardner, AP

MENASource

Mar 20, 2013

Top News: Egypt Sees IMF Deal, First Tranche by End-June – Report

By Egypt Source

Egypt’s government expects to sign a deal with the International Monetary Fund by the end of June and to have received the first tranche of a $4.8 billion (3.1 billion pounds) loan by then, the planning minister told Al-Ahram on Tuesday.