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Atlantic Council blogs provide short-form analyses from Council experts and a wider community of global voices on the world’s most important news stories.
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President Donald Trump, February 10, 2011 (photo: Gage Skidmore)

NATOSource

Jul 5, 2018

Trump Tells NATO Allies to Pay More for Defense, Raising Tensions Ahead of Summit

By David Jackson, USA Today

President Trump is telling NATO allies they must pick up more of the costs for defense of the alliance, ratcheting up tensions

NATO Northern Europe
Congressman Rick Larsen (photo: Rick Larsen)

NATOSource

Jul 4, 2018

Congressman Criticizes ‘Needlessly Provocative’ Trump Letter to Norway

By Rick Larsen, Office of Congressman Rick Larsen

Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), the Co-Chair of the Friends of Norway Caucus and a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee sent a letter to President Trump

NATO Northern Europe
UK Defense Minister Gavin Williamson & Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, November 20, 2017 (photo: Sgt. Jette Carr/Department of Defense)

NATOSource

Jul 4, 2018

Mattis Letter Warns that British Defense Capabilities are at Risk

By Reuters

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis threatened to replace Britain with France as its main military ally unless London ramps up its defense spending,

France NATO
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, June 28, 2017 (photo: Sgt. Jette Carr/Department of Defense)

NATOSource

Jul 4, 2018

German Defense Minister Stands Ground Against Trump on National Defense Spending

By Tobias Buck, Financial Times

Germany’s defence minister has dismissed US accusations that her country is not spending enough on its military,

Germany NATO

New Atlanticist

Jul 4, 2018

Six Ways NATO Can Address the Russian Challenge

By Dominik Jankowski

Anti-Access/Area-Denial capabilities (A2/AD)—the ability to prevent an adversary from entering an area of land, sea, or air—have become a major component of military force postures for powers around the globe, but Russia is the most committed to advancing their development. Russian A2/AD capabilities are shaping NATO’s neighborhood and the Alliance needs a comprehensive strategy to […]

NATO Russia

NATOSource

Jul 4, 2018

A US Ambassador Resigned over Trump’s Attacks on European Allies

By Washington Post and Foreign Policy

From the Washington Post: The U.S. ambassador to Estonia — a NATO ally bordering Russia — abruptly resigned Friday, telling friends that he cannot abide President Trump’s apparent hostility toward institutions that have stabilized Europe

NATO Northern Europe

UkraineAlert

Jul 3, 2018

How the Tymoshenko We All Know Is Changing

By Mykola Vorobiov

On June 20, Yulia Tymoshenko officially announced that she’s running for president, which is no great surprise. The former prime minister tops the polls and it’s her race to lose.

Ukraine

EnergySource

Jul 3, 2018

Is power ever too cheap to meter?

By Branko Terzic

Despite decades of safe operation at over 100 power stations generating carbon free electricity, nuclear power remains a controversial topic in the United States. Nuclear opponents often remind the public that proponents once promised that electricity from nuclear power would be “too cheap to meter,” a promise that has so far gone unfulfilled. However, a […]

Energy Markets & Governance

New Atlanticist

Jul 3, 2018

Defining Success at NATO’s Summit: Political Unity and Military Readiness

By Ian Brzezinski

NATO’s July 11-12 summit in Brussels will be defined by two basic objectives: demonstrating political unity and resolve and advancing military readiness. The latter provides the means necessary to deter and defeat adversaries. Only with the former can this community of democracies fully leverage those capabilities. Both are critical to the effectiveness and long-viability of […]

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Jul 3, 2018

NATO Must Meet Russia’s Hybrid Warfare Challenge

By Rihards Kols

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s use of military force and hybrid warfare tactics in his country’s immediate neighborhood and beyond has brought into question NATO’s ability to defend its eastern border. Russian hybrid warfare, with an increased focus on asymmetric and nontraditional military capabilities, has made it considerably more difficult for NATO to counter destabilization efforts, […]

NATO Security & Defense