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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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New Atlanticist

Oct 16, 2012

Home Cost of Wars

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

The American Society of Civil Engineers issued a cry of alarm five years ago in the form of three separate report cards on the state of the nation’s infrastructure in 15 major categories — from bridges to rail lines, pipelines, dams, waterways, highways and all other publicly regulated facilities.

Economy & Business

NATOSource

Oct 16, 2012

Number of Syrian refugees crosses Turkey’s red line for creating buffer zone in Syria

By Today’s Zaman

From Today’s Zaman:  The number of Syrian refugees in Turkey has now exceeded 100,000, a level that Turkey said could trigger actions such as the creation of a buffer zone because it would struggle to accommodate more than 100,000 refugees.

MENASource

Oct 16, 2012

Top News: SCC President: Court’s Status in Draft Constitution ‘A Step Backwards’

By Egypt Source

Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court  rejected its status in the first draft of the new constitution issued last week , at a press conference on Tuesday. Court president Maher al-Beheiry labeled the articles pertaining to the court’s status "a step backwards and a flagrant intervention in the court’s affairs."

New Atlanticist

Oct 16, 2012

Baltic Energy Security: Today’s Historic Opportunity

By Matthew Bryza

For the first time in modern history, the Baltic states can rely on their own actions to attain energy security.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

MENASource

Oct 16, 2012

Egypt’s Draft Constitution Part 1: State and Society

By Nancy Messieh

The following is Daily News Egypt’s translation of the first part of the draft constitution, featuring articles relating to State and Society. Several articles within this chapter of the draft constitution continue to be a source of conflict or concern.  Salafi forces are already campaigning against the draft constitution, primarily due to their inability to sway the Constituent Assembly […]

MENASource

Oct 16, 2012

Nour Party Dispute Resolved, But New Islamist Parties May Still Benefit / أحزاب إسلامية جديدة تسعي للاستفادة من أزمة حزب النور

By Magdy Samaan

A rift within the Salafi Nour Party over the organization’s leadership has been contained, but the very public dispute has left several unanswered questions about the Islamist movement in its wake. Are the disputes within the Nour Party related to an inability to take a truly democratic approach within the party ranks? And while resolved, […]

NATOSource

Oct 16, 2012

Don’t Forget NATO

By James Goldgeier, International Herald Tribune

From James Goldgeier, International Herald Tribune:  In awarding this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union, the Nobel committee quite rightly noted the E.U.’s critical role in Europe’s transformation “from a Continent of war to a Continent of peace.”

European Union International Organizations

MENASource

Oct 16, 2012

Israel, the PA, and the Inevitable Palestinian Spring

By Alex Simon

While domestic and international media are abuzz with talk of upcoming elections in both the United States and Israel, scant attention has been paid to the municipal elections set to take place in the West Bank on October 20. In fact, many Palestinians are themselves unmoved by the prospect of elections, which they view as […]

Israel Middle East
Nobel Prize EU

New Atlanticist

Oct 15, 2012

Nobel Peace Prize: Right Continent, Wrong IGO

By James Joyner

The Norwegian Nobel Committee surprised most observers with its award of the peace prize to the European Union for its contributions to “the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.” The Telegraph‘s Iain Martin  wonders whether the committee has “been infiltrated by satirists or opponents keen on discrediting the organization.” Observing that, in […]

European Union International Organizations

NATOSource

Oct 15, 2012

Rebel Arms Flow Is Said to Benefit Jihadists in Syria

By David E. Sanger, New York Times

From David E. Sanger, New York Times:  Most of the arms shipped at the behest of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to supply Syrian rebel groups fighting the government of Bashar al-Assad are going to hard-line Islamic jihadists, and not the more secular opposition groups that the West wants to bolster

United States and Canada