Atlantic Council blogs

Britain’s Decade of Choices

By Julian Lindley-French

As I write this I am sitting in the Senate Chamber of Church House at the Chief of the Royal Air Force’s air power conference organised by the Royal United Services Institute. Church House is the Supreme Spiritual Headquarters of the Church of England and there can be no better place to discuss the future […]

CIA refutes Benghazi scandal by acknowledging covert operation in Libya

By Eric Schmitt, New York Times

From Eric Schmitt, New York Times:  Security officers from the C.I.A. played a pivotal role in combating militants who attacked the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11

Panetta: US ‘certainly had forces in place’ that could have reached Americans under attack in Benghazi

By Leon Panetta, Department of Defense

From Leon Panetta, Department of Defense:  Excerpt from a Pentagon press conference by Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin E. Dempsey.

Top News: Morsi Delegates Some Emergency Powers to Qandil

By Egypt Source

President Mohamed Morsi on Tuesday delegated Prime Minister Hesham Qandil some powers granted by Emergency Law No.162 of 1958 concerning criminal sentencing, the ratification of court rulings and the assignment of judges to examine complaints.

Son of the Blind Sheikh Rejects al-Qaeda’s Call to Kidnap Foreigners on his Father’s Behalf

By Jayson Casper

  Last week Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda, invited Muslims to kidnap Western hostages to secure the release of the Blind Sheikh, Omar Abdel Rahman. This week, the sheikh’s son invited me to dinner. Abdullah Omar Abdel Rahman believes his father was the victim of an Egyptian-American conspiracy to silence one of then-President Mubarak’s […]

CIA timeline of the assault on U.S. facilities in Benghazi

By David Ignatius, Washington Post

From David Ignatius, Washington Post:  A detailed CIA timeline of the assault on U.S. facilities in Benghazi:

Inside one of U.S. Cyber Command’s offensive units

By John Reed, Killer Apps

From John Reed, Killer Apps:  Ever wonder how long it takes to get one of the U.S. Army’s best cyber operators trained and ready to conduct high-end offensive operations? About five years, according to the Army’s top intelligence official.

Military chief: EU becoming ‘marginal’ in Asia-centric world

By Andrew Rettman, EUobserver

Clinton reveals change in Syrian policy: ‘SNC can no longer be viewed as the visible leader of the opposition’

By Hillary Rodham Clinton, Department of State

From Hillary Rodham Clinton, Department of State:  [W]e are working very hard with many different elements from the opposition – yes, inside Syria as well as outside Syria.