Atlantic Council blogs

Before taking on Syria, U.S. should heed lesson of the past

By Kiron K. Skinner

On June 6, 1982, Israel, seeking to relieve pressure on its northern borders by dismantling the Palestine Liberation Organization’s base of operation, invaded Lebanon, a country beset by civil war and Syrian occupation. Soon thereafter, France, Italy and the United States formed a multinational force to help stabilize the country — as differing factions of […]

Euro-Realism: Why We Need a New European Security Strategy

By Julian Lindley-French

I am a Euro-realist, neither a Euro-sceptic, nor a Euro-fanatic. My motivation is to drive through the fathoms of political fantasy and folly pouring forth from the current crisis, much of its cascading down from on high as a generation of failed political leaders try to hide behind a rhetorical deluge.

Confrontation in the Med? EU to enforce arms embargo against Syria

By Slobodan Lekic, the AP

Taking the Cyberattack Threat Seriously

By Barack Obama, the Wall Street Journal

From Barack Obama, the Wall Street Journal:  [T]he cyber threat to our nation is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face.

The ‘pivot to Asia’ strategy takes a pounding

By Chris Carroll, Stars and Stripes

Five Lessons We Should Have Learned in Afghanistan

By Joshua Foust

As the war in Afghanistan reaches its 2014 transition, when the major combat mission ends and U.S. troops take on a more sedate training role, we should take the chance to look back on what lessons we’ve learned there. With the war shifting from outright combat to maintaining the Afghan government and security forces; can […]

Time to stop waffling on Syria

By the Editors of the Washington Post

From the Editors of the Washington Post:  The Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad has suffered a series of blows in recent days

UK Defense Chief To NATO: Pull Your Weight In Europe While US Handles China

By Otto Kreisher, AOL Defense

Top News: Administrative Court Recuses Itself from Controversial Cases

By Tarek Radwan

The State Council Administrative Court ruled Thursday that it does not have the jurisdiction to consider legal challenges to the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration or the president’s decision to reinstate the People’s Assembly, state TV reported. The court referred challenges to the latter to the Supreme Constitutional Court, according to state-run MENA. 

It’s the Competitiveness, Stupid

By Frederick Kempe

America deserves better. If only this year’s presidential candidates were as focused on global competitiveness as are America’s business leaders, the world’s most important economy and democracy would already have become the “Comeback Kid,” portrayed on this week’s Economist cover as a muscle-bound Uncle Sam.