Atlantic Council blogs

Obama on Afghanistan, a Nuclear Alliance, and the NATO-Russia Reset

By Barack Obama, the International Herald Tribune

From Barack Obama, the International Herald Tribune:  Neither Europe nor the United States can confront the challenges of our time without the other.

Breaking the Security Cooperation Logjam Between Russia and the West

By Tomáš Karásek and Jakub Kulhanek

NATO is gearing up to meet in Lisbon to sign off on its new strategic doctrine and Russia is in the spotlights again with a new offer of partnership with the Alliance in the pipelines. Yet, despite vague proclamations the current rapprochement on security matters lacks any solid foundation on which the West and Russia […]

NATO’s Missing Agenda Item in Lisbon

By Ian Brzezinski

As NATO leaders prepare for their summit in Lisbon this week, attention has focused on the war in Afghanistan, approval of a new Strategic Concept (NATO’s roadmap for the future), and the challenge of sustaining the alliance’s military capabilities in an era of fiscal crisis. Missing from the agenda is the future of the U.S. […]

German Alert Followed Namibian Airport Scare

By Michael Slackman and Eric Schmitt, the New York Times

From Michael Slackman and Eric Schmitt, the New York Times:  Namibian authorities halted and searched a flight bound for Munich on Wednesday morning after luggage screeners found an untagged laptop bag containing batteries wired to a fuse and clock, a discovery made just hours before Germany issued a rare security alert.

Portuguese spy chief quits ahead of NATO summit

By Barry Hatton, the AP

Moscow Expands NATO’s Routes

By Stephen Fidler and Gregory White, the Wall Street Journal

From Stephen Fidler and Gregory White, the Wall Street Journal:  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will sign an agreement with the leaders of the NATO alliance on Saturday aimed at expanding the use of supply routes through Russia into Afghanistan

U.S. Nukes in Europe Unnecessary

By Micah Zenko, the Council on Foreign Relations

From Micah Zenko, the Council on Foreign Relations:  When NATO leaders gather in Lisbon this weekend to endorse the alliance’s new Strategic Concept, the most contentious component will be the role assigned to U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in Europe.

Former US Ambassador to NATO previews key issues at Lisbon Summit

By the Council on Foreign Relations

From the Council on Foreign Relations:  Excerpts from interview of Robert E. Hunter (Senior Advisor at the RAND Corporation and U.S. ambassador to NATO from 1993 to 1998) by Bernard Gwertzman (Consulting Editor, Council on Foreign Relations).

NATO Mobilizes for Cyber Warfare

By Pascal Mallet, AFP

From Pascal Mallet, AFP:  In 1989, before the Internet revolution, Suleyman Anil was the lone man in charge of the security of NATO’s IT system, armed with a single computer. Two decades later, with the threat of cyber attacks on the rise, Anil oversees two teams tasked with protecting the networks of the alliance’s political […]

Bulgaria: What NATO means for us

NATO has released new videos on YouTube providing national perspectives on the Alliance.