Atlantic Council blogs

U.S. Has Secret Tools to Force Internet on Dictators

By Spencer Ackerman, the Danger Room

From Spencer Ackerman, the Danger Room:  When Hosni Mubarak shut down Egypt’s internet and cellphone communications, it seemed that all U.S. officials could do was ask him politely to change his mind.

Wildfire in the Middle East

By David Smith

Last December 17, fruit vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself aflame to protest his humiliation and beating at the hands of corrupt officials in Tunisia. This sparked a wildfire that smoked Tunisian strongman Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali out of office and, at this writing, appears to be spreading across the Middle East, from Mauritania to Yemen. Its extent […]

Russia against militarized Arctic

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Russia is opposed to the militarization of the Arctic, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

NYT: Europe should not “follow rules made in Germany, for Germany”

By the Editors, the New York Times

From the Editors, the New York Times:  [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel is finally engaging, but the proposals she, and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, presented to European Union leaders in Brussels on Friday ask too much and do not offer enough in return.

900 Afghans fighters quit Taliban for NATO program

By Deb Riechmann, the AP

From Deb Riechmann, the AP:  Despite Taliban threats against their lives, nearly 900 militants have quit the fight and enrolled in an Afghan government program luring insurgents off the battlefield, a NATO official said Monday.

NATO leader: Egyptian unrest may hurt Europe

By Slobodan Lekic, the AP

From Slobodan Lekic, the AP:  The unrest roiling countries such as Egypt and Tunisia could cause economic hardship in Europe and increase illegal immigration, NATO’s top official warned Monday.

Nato chief warns Europe over defence budgets

By James Blitz, the Financial Times

From James Blitz, the Financial Times:  Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Nato’s secretary-general, has issued a stark warning that European nations “cannot afford to get out of the security business” by slashing national defence budgets in order to help meet fiscal deficit targets.

The IdealoRealist Moment

By Frederick Kempe

Perhaps the most positive outcome of the Munich Security Conference that ended Sunday was the blurring of the lines between realism and idealism–often considered irreconcilable approaches to U.S. foreign policy–when it comes to Egypt in particular and the Middle East more broadly. What appears to be emerging is what I would call “IdealoRealism.” In short, […]

Frank Wisner on Mubarak: Gaffe or Conflict of Interest?

By James Joyner

 Frank Wisner, President Barack Obama’s envoy to Cairo who generated controversy over the weekend by declaring that Egypt’s Hosni "Mubarak must stay in office" to facilitate a smooth transition, has been recalled following revelations that he has financial ties to Mubarak’s regime. The Independent’s Robert Fisk broke the news that Wisner is a lead attorney at the […]

New NATO HQ to cost 1 billion euros, officials reveal

By DPA