Atlantic Council blogs

Gates in Afghanistan to Assess Troop Withdrawals

By Elisabeth Bumiller, the New York Times

From Elisabeth Bumiller, the New York Times:  Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates landed here on Monday for an unannounced trip to meet with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and begin assessments to determine the number of American troops to be withdrawn from the country in July.

NATO allies concerned over US troop cuts in Europe

By  Spencer Kimball, Deutsche Welle

From Spencer Kimball, Deutsche Welle:  According to Washington, radical Islam had replaced Soviet communism as the existential threat to American interests. To combat this new enemy, then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld initiated an exodus of US soldiers from historic posts in western Europe.

Libyan Ides of March?

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

In the wake of a trillion-dollar war that gave Iran more say than the United States in Iraq’s future, and the longest war in U.S. history in Afghanistan that seems headed for another trillion dollars and is yet to shrink the Taliban insurgency, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates wisely said those who would want to […]

An Arab Strategy? Not as Hopeless as You Think

By Kenneth Weisbrode

“What is to be done?” The famous words of Lenin echo during revolutionary moments like the one now taking place across the Middle East. To the chagrin of many commentators, leaders of the United States and most of Europe have reacted with caution, even passivity, to the dramatic events of what is already being called […]

The surge Afghanistan still needs

By Carl Levin and Jack Reed, the Washington Post

From Carl Levin and Jack Reed, the Washington Post:  The United States and our NATO partners must be prepared to provide substantial financial support to Afghan military forces in the years ahead as they take up the fight. We worry that the international coalition may fall short of supporting an Afghan security structure capable of […]

7 More Journalists Detained in Turkey

By Sebnem Arsu , the New York Times

From Sebnem Arsu , the New York Times:  Seven journalists were detained Thursday in connection with a long-running investigation into a murky network that prosecutors maintain has been plotting to overthrow the government, a case that critics have characterized as a pretext to neutralize dissidents.

Needed: A Vision for the China-U.S. Relationship

By Banning Garrett

What kind of relationship will China and the United States have in ten years? Will it be primarily cooperative and collaborative in the face of the foreseeable – and unforeseeable – challenges the world will face? Or will the two countries drift toward strategic rivalry and hostile competition? During Chinese President Hu Jintao’s state visit […]

Three Horsemen of the New Apocalypse

By Harlan Ullman

What a world! Much of North Africa remains roiled with mass protests against autocratic or crazed leaders. One predictable result has been skyrocketing oil prices with potentially adverse consequences for recovering economies. And, in the United States, a possible shutdown of government looms because America’s two political parties prefer to indulge in a game of […]

Atlantic Update 3/3/11: Transatlantic Perspectives Toward Libya

By Klee Aiken

As the situation in Libya continues to unravel, the transatlantic community is under pressure to develop a cohesive and timely response to what is quickly becoming a humanitarian as well as political crisis. Split priorities and divergent interests have, for now, left the international community with limited tools and policies to bring a peaceful resolution […]

Six new nations join NATO Collective Air Defence

By Allied Command Operations