Atlantic Council blogs

NATO and the EU: Achieving Unity of Effort in a Comprehensive Approach

By Leo Michel

Amidst a spate of disturbing reports about Afghanistan and impending deep cuts in the UK, German, and other allied defense budgets and force structures, security affairs cognoscenti could be forgiven for overlooking some positive news about the Euro-Atlantic relationship:  NATO and the EU still enjoy broad support despite their current travails. According to the recently […]

NATO: “No Trainers, No Transition”

By William B. Caldwell, Allied Command Operations

From William B. Caldwell, Allied Command Operations:  In the past ten months there has been measured progress in the Afghan National Security Force (ANSF); in quality as well as quantity.

Petraeus buys Afghan war time. But how much?

By Reuters

From Reuters:  General David Petraeus‘ clout as the U.S. commander credited with turning around the Iraq war is buying time in Congress as he attempts to do the same in Afghanistan, senior lawmakers said on Monday.

Tracking Iran’s nuclear money trail to Turkey

By Louis Charbonneau, Reuters

A NATO Cyber Alliance

By Kevin Coleman, Defense Tech

From Kevin Coleman, Defense Tech: Last week U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn III discussed the five-pillar strategy with NATO leaders in Europe in efforts to promote joint cyber security initiatives.  According to a press services report, Lynn held the discussion with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen before delivering a briefing to the alliance’s […]

An Ally in Exile?

By John Barry, Newsweek

From John Barry, Newsweek:  No other NATO ally has the ability—and willingness—to deploy forces like Britain. Which is why the Pentagon is standing by with a sense of foreboding as the U.K. undertakes a formal review of its defense posture.

Global Governance: Vital But Impossible?

By James Joyner

This morning, the Atlantic Council hosted the launch of Global Governance 2025, a report following a long collaboration with several partners.  The fundamental takeaway is that, while cooperation between the United States and Europe is essential, it "is no longer enough to effectively manage global challenges."  Instead, key players from around the globe will need […]

Secretary General welcomes Afghan parliamentary elections

By NATO

From NATO:  On behalf of the NATO Alliance, I congratulate the Afghan people today on the Parliamentary Elections, despite the violence carried out by those attempting to deny the people’s most basic democratic right. Afghan voters and parliamentary candidates have once again shown their determination to resist intimidation as they choose their own leaders and […]

Ground Zero Mosque Test of Islamic Values

By David Smith

America’s usually sleepy summer has this year been riddled with debate over plans to build a mosque just two blocks from the site of New York’s World Trade Center—dubbed Ground-Zero—destroyed by terrorists on September 11, 2001.  US President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are promoting the mosque, but a CNN poll […]

US, Britain and France deepen cooperation among their Air Forces

By Defense News

From Defense News:  The air forces of Britain, France and the U.S. are looking at ways to work more closely together by cooperating on strategy and doctrine – and future systems – at their most senior levels. "I have a French officer and a British officer in my [strategic studies group], and we have exchanged […]