Atlantic Council blogs

The Black Sea as the New North Sea

By Boyko Nitzov

The North Sea region went from being an area of gas exporters to importers and then back to being exporters.  History may well repeat itself in the Black Sea region.

Palestinian Authority Seeks Future NATO Presence

By the Jerusalem Post

From the Jerusalem Post:  The Palestinian Authority is considering allowing the permanent stationing of NATO forces in the future Palestinian state, London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Quds al-Arabi reported Palestinian sources saying Wednesday. The NATO forces would be able to prevent arms smuggling into the future state and to monitor that it would remain demilitarized. Under any […]

NATO, Russia to Link Tactical Anti-Missile Systems

By the AP

From the AP:  NATO and Russia say they will boost efforts to develop a joint system to protect their troops from attack by short-range missiles. NATO spokesman James Appathurai said Wednesday that the former Cold War rivals have agreed to strengthen cooperation on linking their systems – once NATO nations approve the alliance developing its […]

Finnish PM Says Finland Should Keep NATO Door Ajar

By Xinhua

Lavrov Tells EU, NATO Not to Meddle in CIS Affairs

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Wednesday the European Union and NATO against interfering in the internal affairs of post-Soviet states. Lavrov told the lower house of parliament that events such as the Ukrainian elections and the Kyrgyz revolution prove that interference in the internal affairs of independent states can produce […]

Trouble in River (Thames) City?

By Harlan Ullman

Britain’s May 6 election and the formation of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government were remarkable events. With Tory leader David Cameron as prime minister and Lib Dem head Nick Clegg as deputy PM, some commentators regard this union as transformative in changing the way British politics are conducted.

The Rest of NATO’s Fleet of AWACs Resume Operations

By Allied Command Operations

From Allied Command Operations: After completing the repair of corrosion damage and successful ground tests, all NATO E-3A have returned to the skies to resume flight operations all over Alliance airspace. The first flight to support the counter-terrorism Operation Active Endeavour over the Mediterranean started on Monday, 17 May 2010. The entire NATO AWACS fleet […]

Russian, NATO Defense Ministers May Meet in June

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  The Russia-NATO Council may meet on a ministerial level in the middle of June, the first such gathering since Russia’s August 2008 war with Georgia, Moscow’s ambassador to the military alliance said on Monday. "The preliminary date is June 10 or 11, although it is purely preliminary, because we cannot talk about […]

NATO: Reboot or Delete?

By Sarwar Kashmeri

It would be a pity to let NATO fade away; because it will then have to be reinvented someday. And that will not be easy. Today’s NATO is an increasingly dysfunctional organization, still searching for a new role two decades after the end of the Cold War. Left dangling in this state NATO will soon […]

Political Correctness

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

A gaffe in Washington is when someone inadvertently blurts out the truth. There is a reluctance in the nation’s capital, bordering on paralysis, to be politically incorrect. After six decades as a journalist, I have no hesitation in casting political correctness aside if it shades or distorts the truth.