Atlantic Council blogs

Fiddling While Libya Burns

By Anne-Marie Slaughter, the New York Times

From Anne-Marie Slaughter, the New York Times:  President Obama says the noose is tightening around Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi. In fact, it is tightening around the Libyan rebels, as Colonel Qaddafi makes the most of the world’s dithering and steadily retakes rebel-held towns. The United States and Europe are temporizing on a no-flight zone while the […]

Arab decision boosts prospect of EU military action in Libya

By Andrew Rettman, the EUobserver

From Andrew Rettman, the EUobserver:  The Arab League has given the green light for Western powers to impose a no-fly zone in Libya, prompting France to step up its campaign for military action. The 22-member league in a resolution on Saturday (12 March) called for the UN Security Council to quickly issue a mandate for […]

President Obama needs allies to move on Libya

By Barbara Slavin, POLITICO

From Barbara Slavin, POLITICO:  The best way to confront him now is to get his neighbors in the African Union and Arab League to back measures by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to protect Libyan opposition forces, ordinary civilians and oil installations.

Estonia: NATO needs an extensive cyber shield

By the Office of the President of Estonia

From the Office of the President of Estonia:  The President, Mr. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, met with the Cyber Force Commander of the United States of America, General Keith B. Alexander, who is also the Director of the US National Security Agency (NSA).

NATO’s Cyber Defense Concept requires funding new tech

By Julian Hale, Defense News

NATO and Russia developing joint counterterrorism system

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Kommersant has learned that Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are in the final phase of a classified joint project called Standex, to help identify even low-yield bombs carried by suicide bombers. The first tests will be carried out on the Paris metro. Serial production of the device is scheduled to […]

Biden sees missile defense and new CFE treaty as priorities

By Joe Biden, the White House

From Joe Biden, the White House:  European security — using America’s improved relationship with Russia as a model, we also reset relations between Russia and NATO during last year’s Lisbon Summit, and a great deal of credit goes to President Medvedev.

Before Internet

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

The Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist factions staged hit-and-run attacks against government buildings and officials in the early 1980s and almost succeeded in killing the president of a country that has remained eerily quiet during the geopolitical tsunami that is still sweeping the Arab world. You’re supposed to guess which country. The president was on […]

New Commander for NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps

By Allied Command Operations

From Allied Command Operations:  Lieutenant General James Bucknall has assumed command of NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) from Lieutenant General Sir Richard Shirreff who is assuming the appointment of Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

Iran and the Arab Sandstorm

By Jonathan Paris

Much has been said about Iran taking advantage of the instability in the Arab world to increase tensions. Sending two ships through the Suez Canal to a Syrian port, at this time, signalled Iran’s desire to project Iranian power far beyond its neighbourhood. But such stunts miss the point. The more important consequences of the […]