Atlantic Council blogs

How should the U.S. pick its allies?

By Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy

From Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy:  What if we were starting from scratch, and doing a "zero-based" assessment of U.S. alliance options?

NATO Chief Sees Parallels Between Syria and Balkans

By Paul Geitner, the New York Times

From Paul Geitner, the New York Times:  The secretary general of the NATO alliance, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said on Monday that the wars in the Balkans in the 1990s illustrated what might befall Syria unless Russia and the West agreed on a  “unified, clear message” to the Syrian government to stop the violence.

Top News: Aboul Fotouh Endorses Mohamed Morsi

By Tarek Radwan

The campaign for eliminated presidential contender Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh released a statement on Sunday declaring its support for Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Mursi. The statement emphasised that backing Mursi, who heads up the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), represented the only way to defeat presidential finalist Ahmed Shafiq, ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister.

The Economic Platforms of the Egyptian Presidential Candidates

By Mohsin Khan and Svetlana Milbert

Whoever emerges as the winner of the Egyptian presidential elections on June 16-17 will have to urgently address the state of the economy, which has sharply deteriorated since the toppling of Hosni Mubarak last year. Unemployment, inflation, currency crisis, and public sector debt are just some of the pressing issues that the newly elected president […]

Egypt’s Injudicious Judges

By Mara Revkin

In recent weeks, the lines separating Egypt’s legal and political realm have gone from blurry to invisible. Some of the fiercest battles seen over the course of the transition have been played out in courtrooms, raising the question: Have judges replaced politicians as Egypt’s reigning power-brokers? Controversial verdicts in the trial of Hosni Mubarak and […]

Turkey will soon announce $4 billion missile defense decision

By Umit Enginsoy and Burak Ege Bekdil, Defense News

Enduring Soft Power of the United States

By Derek Reveron

The rise of China and the US pivot to the Pacific has renewed the debate about American decline. One look at America’s university campuses will confirm that its soft power, at least, endures. 

Two NATOs in One

By Anne-Marie Slaughter, WE-NATO

From Anne-Marie Slaughter, WE-NATO:  As I said and wrote before the NATO summit (here and here), one of the most important dimensions of this summit was Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s articulated vision of NATO as “the hub of a network of global security partnerships,”

Germany’s Defense Minister slams “coffee house intellectuals” calling for military intervention in Syria

By Deutsche Welle

From Deutsche Welle:  Germany’s defense minister on Monday rejected the suggestion that military intervention was the way to go in efforts to bring an end to the fighting in Syria.

Negotiating a Solution to the Security Problem in Libya

By Karim Mezran

The security situation in Libya remains tenuous. In addition to the well publicized clashes between competing militias, there is continuous infiltration of armed elements from neighboring countries, especially Egypt, that range from mere criminal gangs to terrorist groups which cause tension and threats to the whole area.