Atlantic Council blogs

Deputy SecGen Vershbow: ‘Much remains to be done’ to diminish military capabilities gap in NATO

By Alexander Vershbow, NATO

From Alexander Vershbow, NATO:  The U.S. “pivot to Asia” reflects the growing challenges of that region. But it is also an opportunity. Better connectivity with Asia is not only in the United States’ interests. It is also in Europe’s interest. This “pivot” has raised questions about the European Allies’ ability to do more for their […]

Top News: Rights group: New Police Powers Law Recreates Mubarak-Era Emergency Regime

By Egypt Source

A controversial draft bill, named the ‘protecting society from dangerous people’ bill, replicates the worst features of the widely-misused and now defunct emergency law, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR).

Deep-Water Oil Rigs as Strategic Weapons

By Martin N. Murphy

This, at least, is how Wang Yilin, Chairman of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), chooses to view them. He reportedly told an audience at CNOOC’s headquarters in Beijing in May that ‘large-scale deep-water rigs are our mobile national territory and a strategic weapon’.

United States on a Path to Nowhere

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

The round-the-clock killing of U.S. military advisers by Afghan soldiers they are training coupled with some $200 million worth of jet fighters and attack helicopters destroyed in a heavily fortified allied base in Afghanistan by Taliban guerrillas disguised in U.S. military uniforms are the latest reminders that 11 years of fighting have strengthened rather than […]

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