Atlantic Council blogs

NATO’s Article 5 and the Riga Test

By Julian Lindley-French, New Atlanticist

From Julian Lindley-French, New Atlanticist:  The Riga Conference is a jewel in the crown of security conferences. Yesterday I shared a panel with the Italian, Latvian and Norwegian defense ministers, together with Ambassador Sandy Vershbow, NATO’s US Deputy Secretary-General to discuss “NATO post-Chicago”. 

US-Mideast Policy Is Isolating America, Not Iran

By Sarwar Kashmeri

Two thirds of the U.N.’s countries recently signed a communique expressing support for Iran’s nuclear energy program and rejecting, what they termed, the United States’ unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic. A flashing red light that signals the American policy aimed at isolating Iran in order to curb its nuclear ambitions appears instead to have […]

Majority of EU and US citizens polled view each other as more important for their national interests than Asia

By Transatlantic Trends

From Transatlantic Trends: Key Findings 2012, German Marshall Fund of the United States:  Transatlantic Trends paints a picture of a complex relationship between the United States and Europe, and how they respond to global challenges.

Top News: Egyptian opposition parties merge to form the Conference Party

By Tarek Radwan

As political parties scurry to establish themselves before the parliamentary elections, expected to take place after the constitution is approved, 10 parties have decided to merge and form a single political party, the Conference Party. Around 15 other political parties initially agreed on the idea of an alliance, adding that they would further discuss the […]

Turkey’s Ambassador on Syria: ‘We must act, act now and act decisively’

By Namik Tan, Atlantic Council

From Namik Tan, Atlantic Council:  [F]rom Libya to Egypt, and from Iraq to Yemen, every day, the developments in the Arab world are keeping us on our toes.  But nowhere is the challenge more immediate and the humanitarian imperative so dire than in Syria. 

Turkish Ambassador: ‘We need a strong trans-Atlantic alliance’

By Namik Tan, Atlantic Council

Morsi: from Backup Candidate to President with Absolute Power / مرسي من مرشح احتياطي لرئيس بصلاحيات مطلقة

By Haitham Tabei

In less than two months, Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi transformed from a ‘backup’ candidate into a powerful president. During his first days in office, it was said that he had no powers and was subservient to the Muslim Brotherhood’s Guidance Office. Now he has become a president with expanded powers that give him control over […]

Intelligence chief: ‘Brussels is one of the big spy capitals of the world’

By Andrew Rettman, EUobserver

From Andrew Rettman, EUobserver:  For many in the age of foreign policy "resets" and "win-win" talks, espionage sounds like a thing of the past.

Turkish Ambassador Calls For NATO to ‘Act Decisively’ in Syria

By James Joyner

In the most powerful call for action yet by his government, Turkish Ambassador Namik Tan declared, “The implosion of Syria is a regional conflagration that threatens international peace and security. What we expect from our partners is a serious engagement and meaningful contribution to the resolution of this conflict.”

Fearing for Islam / الخوف على الإسلام

By Magdy Samaan

‘Innocence of Muslims’, the film that sparked a wave of violent protests across the Middle East is not the first work of its kind, deemed an unacceptable violation of religion by Muslims, while the west defends it as an example of freedom of expression. For the most part, protests of this kind are a simple […]