Atlantic Council blogs

Digital Spies: The Alarming Rise of Electronic Espionage

By Adam Piore, Popular Mechanics

Ukraine Boosts Military Budget by 30%

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Ukraine’s 2012 military spending will increase by around 30 percent, to about $2 billion or 1.1 percent of GDP, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s financial department said on Wednesday.

France to Lay Down First Mistral for Russia in February

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  The first Mistral class amphibious assault ship for Russia will be laid down at the start of February in a French shipyard, a military industry official told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

Russia ‘to deploy missiles on EU border this year’

By AFP

From AFP:  Russia plans to deploy Iskander missiles on the European Union’s border later this year, a source in its western Baltic Fleet told the Interfax news agency on Wednesday.

Top News: Thousands Rally in Tahrir on the Anniversary of the Revolution

By Mara Revkin

Security forces and military personnel are noticeably absent from Tahrir as tens of thousands pack the square on January 25 for celebrations and demonstrations commemorating the anniversary of the revolution.

Obama: ‘We’ve made it clear that America is a Pacific power’

By Barack Obama, the White House

From Barack Obama, the White House:  Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our enemies.  From Pakistan to Yemen, the al Qaeda operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing that they can’t escape the reach of the United States of America.  From this position of strength, we’ve begun to wind down […]

Will Labor Movements Play a Role in January 25 Demonstrations?

By Nadine Abdalla

One year after the revolution triggered by the slogan, “Bread, Freedom and Social Justice,” Egyptians have gained some freedoms – despite the continuous crackdown on civil society and activist – but so far they have seen little progress toward the goals of achieving social and economic justice.

How the World Could—And Maybe Should—Intervene in Syria

By Anne-Marie Slaughter, the Atlantic

From Anne-Marie Slaughter, the Atlantic:  A full-fledged civil war in Syria could quickly become a proxy war between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and/or at least some NATO countries on one side against Iran, Russia, Hizbollah, and possibly Iraq and Hamas on the other.

NATO to sign delayed UAV deal before Chicago Summit

By Flightglobal

From Flightglobal:  NATO’s long-running process to order an Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) capability could at last achieve a contract signature within the next few months, although the scale of its programme appears to have again been revised.