New Atlanticist

Top Pentagon Official Disputes Russian Claims that Aegis Ashore Violates INF Treaty

By Larry Luxner

Russia must return to compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty or face unspecified consequences from the United States, a top Pentagon official warned June 25 in a keynote address to the Atlantic Council. Brian P. McKeon, Principal Deputy Secretary for Policy at the Department of Defense, denied a continuing charge by the Kremlin […]

Latest Pew Study on America’s Global Image Reveals Some Surprises

By Larry Luxner

Africans generally love the United States, as do most of India’s 1.3 billion people, but Russians aren’t thrilled with US foreign policy, and Israelis—although they consider America their strongest ally—simply don’t trust President Barack Obama very much. People worldwide, however, generally support US military efforts against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), even […]

US Missile Defense Systems Must Adapt to Emerging High-Tech Threats

New dangers abound, from Russia to Iran to Asia-Pacific, warns Gen. James Cartwright Growing technological sophistication by countries and terrorist groups hostile to the United States are forcing the Pentagon to change long-held views about missile defense, said Gen. James E. Cartwright, Former Vice Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. “The landscape has […]

Nuclear Expert Outlines India’s ‘Command and Control’ Policy

By Larry Luxner

Retired Brigadier Arun Sahgal, one of India’s top experts on nuclear policy, reasserted his country’s “no first use” doctrine in a June 23 presentation to the Atlantic Council. Sahgal, Director of the New Delhi-based Forum for Strategic Initiative, doesn’t represent official thinking, but he spoke from thirty-six years of experience in the Indian Army. “India’s […]

Asian, Latin American Diplomats Debate TPP as Trade Bill Advances in Congress

With US lawmakers on the verge of granting the White House fast-track authority to negotiate complex free-trade accords, diplomats representing four of Washington’s eleven allies in the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership—Chile, Japan, Peru, and Singapore—gathered June 23 at the Atlantic Council to discuss TPP’s implications. The event, sponsored by the council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, […]

Putin Defaulting on the Social Contract

By Peter Sattler

The corrupt bargain on which Russian President Vladimir Putin built his regime, provision of wealth to loyal officials and a decent standard of living to the people, is in dire straits. As the economy shrinks and the Kremlin adjusts its expenditures, Putin must be aware that the threat of a coalition of disgruntled officials and […]

Mac Thornberry Warns of Growing Threats in Face of Likely Obama Defense Bill Veto

Mac Thornberry, the new Chairman of the US House Armed Services Committee, accused President Barack Obama on June 23 of “holding hostage” the nation’s security by threatening to veto the annual defense appropriations bill, which passed the Senate on June 18 by seventy-one to twenty-five with “overwhelming bipartisan support.” Thornberry (R-TX), said the $612 billion […]

Dominican Plan to Deport Thousands of Haitians Sparks International Outrage

By Larry Luxner

Tensions have flared for decades between the two countries that share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, but the bitterness has now reached a boiling point with the Dominican Republic’s imminent forcible deportation of up to two hundred thousand stateless people of Haitian descent back over the border to Haiti. On June 22, more than five […]

Obama’s Upcoming Visit to Ethiopia Recognizes Country’s ‘Enormous Importance’

Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham applauds decision to add Ethiopia to African itinerary Nearly 112 years after the United States and Ethiopia established diplomatic ties, US President Barack Obama will become the first sitting American leader ever to visit the East African nation—a visit the Atlantic Council’s J. Peter Pham says is long overdue. “This […]

Jacobson: Rousseff Visit ‘Critical’ for US-Brazil Relations

By Larry Luxner

With less than two weeks to go before Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s June 30 trip to Washington, the State Department’s top Latin America official says she’s optimistic the long-delayed visit will mark “the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship.” Roberta Jacobson, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, spoke June 19 at […]