Atlantic Council blogs

NATO Chief: Mali and Libya exposed gaps in European defense capabilities

By James Blitz, Financial Times

From James Blitz, Financial Times:  France’s military intervention in Mali has provided a fresh indication of how European states rely heavily on the US when trying to conduct their own operations, Nato’s secretary-general has warned.

Mali: Mission (pas) accomplie

By J. Peter Pham

The triumphalism of French President François Hollande’s visit over the weekend to the fabled desert city of Timbuktu less than a week after French forces pushed out al-Qaeda-linked militants had more than a passing whiff of George W. Bush’s “mission accomplished” landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln ten years ago. Hopefully, both France and the […]

US preparing intelligence assessment of cyber threat from China

By Lolita C. Baldor, AP

From Lolita C. Baldor, AP:  The Obama administration is considering more assertive action against Beijing to combat a persistent cyber-espionage campaign it believes Chinese hackers are waging against U.S. companies and government agencies.

NATO Secretary General strongly condemns attack on US Embassy in Turkey

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  I strongly condemn today’s bomb attack on the Embassy of the United States in Ankara, which killed and injured a number of people.

Turkey, Weary of the EU, Tiptoes Towards the Shanghai Five

By Yavuz Baydar, Huffington Post

From Yavuz Baydar, Huffington Post:  Turkey’s popular, charismatic and impulsive prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, never ceases to surprise. His recent bombshell was about Turky’s flirtation with the "Shanghai Five," The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Hagel Hearings: Garbage In, Garbage Out

By James Joyner

The Senate confirmation hearings over Chuck Hagel’s nomination to be the next secretary of defense were a classic case of garbage in, garbage out. Sadly, they were par for the course in the American national security debate.

Ankara Embassy Bombing: Not Another Benghazi

By Ross Wilson

Once again, hearts and prayers go out to a victim of a terrorist assault on a US diplomatic establishment.  The February 1 suicide attack on the American embassy in Ankara claimed one wounded, a visiting Turkish journalist, and two dead–embassy security guard Mustafa Akarsu and the bomber himself. 

Azerbaijan sharply increases military spending

By AP

Friday’s Protest at the Presidential Palace Turns Violent

By Nancy Messieh

Less than one day after Egypt’s political forces signed a document renouncing violence, Egypt’s streets are once again witnessing violent clashes between protesters and security forces. The 10-point Azhar document in which Egypt’s political forces committed to renouncing violence and engaging in national dialogue has done nothing to quell street violence, a matter which comes […]

New York Times case sheds light on China’s ‘vast army of hackers’

By Paul Harris and Jonathan Kaiman, Guardian

From Paul Harris and Jonathan Kaiman, Guardian:  "This is business-as-usual from what we can tell for aspects of the Chinese government," said Marc Frons, head of the newspaper’s digital technology and its chief information officer.