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Atlantic Council blogs provide short-form analyses from Council experts and a wider community of global voices on the world’s most important news stories.
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MENASource

Nov 25, 2011

To Elect or Not Elect?

By Michele Dunne

The SCAF continues to insist that parliamentary elections will begin on time November 28.  Whether that actually happens or not might be determined by the size and character of the protest that is now beginning in Tahrir.  Revolutionary groups have promised a “millioniya” (million man march); that is hard, but not impossible, to carry off […]

MENASource

Nov 25, 2011

News Update: November 25, 2011

By Mara Revkin

The SCAF has appointed 78-year-old Kamal Ganzouri as Egypt’s new prime minister. Ganzouri previously served as Mubarak’s prime minister from 1996-1999. A military source said that Ganzouri will be tasked with forming a salvation government to replace Sharaf’s cabinet, which collectively resigned last week. Protesters have overwhelmingly rejected news of the appointment, with thousands rallying […]

MENASource

Nov 25, 2011

Is Kamal Ganzouri the Answer?

By Michele Dunne

The reported SCAF appointment of Kamal Ganzouri to head a new cabinet, replacing Essam Sharaf, is one of several steps the military leadership is taking to try to quell demonstrators’ anger without meeting their main demand:  that the SCAF relinquish power now.

MENASource

Nov 24, 2011

News Update: November 24, 2011

By Mara Revkin

Members of the SCAF and High Electoral Commission announced at a press conference that parliamentary elections will be held on schedule next week, despite escalating violence. The SCAF offered "regrets and deep apologies" for the deaths of protesters but is continuing to refuse calls for an immediate end to military rule. Meanwhile, fourteen political movements […]

New Atlanticist

Nov 24, 2011

Eurozone Crisis Hits Germany

By James Joyner

“The debt crisis is burrowing ever deeper, like a worm, and is now reaching Germany,” says Free Democrat Party backbencher Frank Schaeffler, a member of Angela Merkel’s governing coalition. Indeed, the country that all are looking to to save the Eurozone from collapse is now in big trouble. Germany fell short in its attempt to sell […]

Economy & Business European Union

New Atlanticist

Nov 23, 2011

Russia’s Red Alert

By James Joyner

Russian President Dimitry Medvedev announced today that he would “immediately put the missile attack early warning radar station in Kaliningrad on combat alert” and take other aggressive steps to counter NATO’s missile defense system. In an official statement reprinted on NATOSource, Medvedev claims this step was taken after NATO and the United States rebuffed repeated gestures from […]

Missile Defense NATO

NATOSource

Nov 23, 2011

White House will not change missile defense plans despite Medvedev’s warning

By FoxNews

From FoxNews:  The U.S. is not planning on making any changes to its missile defense system in Europe, a U.S. official said Wednesday, despite a warning from Russia’s president that Moscow will target the U.S. system if Washington goes ahead and deploys the planned shield.

United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

Nov 23, 2011

Russian Stereotypes: A Flawed Analysis Resulting in Inadequate Policy Choices

By Isabelle Francois and Brett Swaney

The relationship between Russia and NATO is in dire need of radical rethinking.  In the past two decades, the evolving security environment has provided opportunities for NATO and Russia to establish new levels of cooperation but diverging perceptions continue to cause the relationship to stagnate.  For the better part of the last decade, Western analysts […]

NATO Russia

NATOSource

Nov 23, 2011

Medvedev willing to sabotage US-Russia arms control unless agreement reached on NATO missile defense

By Charles Clover and James Blitz, the Financial Times

From Charles Clover and James Blitz, the Financial Times:  Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s president, has warned that a failure by the US to take into account Russian objections to a planned Nato anti-missile shield would spark a new arms race and derail efforts to improve frosty relations between Washington and Moscow.  Accusing the US and its […]

United States and Canada

NATOSource

Nov 23, 2011

Russia downplays US and NATO decisions on CFE treaty

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  NATO’s decision to curb its cooperation with Moscow on the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty will not harm Russia’s interests, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. United States and a number of its NATO allies announced on Tuesday they will no longer exchange information on conventional weapons and troops with […]

United States and Canada