Atlantic Council blogs

Stop Playing Games over Europe Mr. Cameron

By Julian Lindley-French

In an article yesterday in London’s Sunday Telegraph, British Prime Minister David Cameron hinted at a possible in/out referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU. “Let us start to spell out in more detail the parts of our European engagement we want and those we want to end”, Cameron urged.

Top News: Morsi Spokesman Backpedals on Dissolved Parliament and Abdel Rahman

By Tarek Radwan

Acting presidential spokesman Yasser Ali said that President Mohamed Morsy’s statement in his Cairo University speech on Saturday regarding the return of the “elected institutions” did not necessarily mean the return of the dissolved parliament. “It means the matter would be discussed in a legal framework, even if it means new elections,” he said. Ali […]

Managing the US Relationship with Egypt

By Michele Dunne

 This piece was first published in the Washington Post "On the basis of mutual respect” was how the White House characterized President Obama’s pledge to work with Egypt’s newly sworn-in president, Mohammed Morsi , in a phone call congratulating Morsi upon his election last month. It was a well-chosen phrase, one that undoubtedly resonated with Morsi and others in the […]

Syria’s Rebels Are Winning

By Michele Dunne

Distracted by the tumult caused by the Syrian shoot down of a Turkish F 4, few observers have noted that the Syrian conflict has turned a corner.  What I myself termed a “slow motion train wreck” of inexorable slaughter of civilians by government forces and militias just a couple of weeks ago has now shifted […]

Vershbow: ‘NATO has stood by Georgia, and we will continue to do so’

By Alexander Vershbow, NATO

From Alexander Vershbow, NATO:  NATO is based on shared values and principles – freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. 

NATO and Turkey: Moribund Alliances, Military Snares, and Unnecessary Wars

By Doug Bandow, CATO

From Doug Bandow, CATO:  NATO fulfilled its Cold War role by deterring rather than sparking conflict. Yet if Turkey and Syria come to blows, the transatlantic alliance could turn into a transmission belt of war for America.

President-elect Mohamed Morsi Takes an Informal Oath in Tahrir

By Nancy Messieh

As president-elect Mohamed Morsi’s speech was coming to an end in Tahrir Square, two soldiers could be seen trying to form the beginnings of a human barricade in front of him, at the edge of the stage. Morsi promptly pushed their hands away, stepped forward and lifted his arms, waving at the crowds chanting beneath […]

Names and rank of missing Turkish pilots

The Turkish press has published the names of the two pilots missing after their aircraft was shot down by Syria last Friday.

Assad forces bombard northern towns, avoid Turkish border

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Reuters

From Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Reuters:  Helicopter gunships bombarded a strategic town in northern Syria overnight and tanks moved close to the commercial hub of Aleppo, rebels said, but kept well clear of new Turkish air defenses

Soviet collapse holds a lesson for the euro

By Philip Stepgens, the Financial Times

From Philip Stepgens, the Financial Times:  The conviction that, whatever else happened, the state and socialist system were immutable, proved the downfall of Soviet policy makers.