New Atlanticist

Azerbaijan Accession to NATO Long-Term Project

By Alexandros Petersen

News.Az interviews Alexandros Petersen, senior fellow at the Eurasia Centre at US think-tank the Atlantic Council. Do you view Azerbaijan as a NATO member in the nearest perspective? In the short-term, Azerbaijan will not be a NATO member for two reasons: the Alliance is wary of extending full membership to the South Caucasus countries due […]

800-pound gorillas and other critters

By Harlan Ullman

Despite ubiquitous references to 800-pound gorillas inhabiting imaginary rooms metaphorically constructed around highlighting or hiding critical issues, few people have had that pleasure in practice. Yet, our patois has accepted and accommodated this interesting turn of phrase to describe a decisive or compelling fact or reality that dominates a particular issue. To turn to the […]

Federalism for Afghanistan: Success Won’t Be Found in Kabul

By Derek Reveron

Even though we are about two months away from “surge force levels” in Afghanistan and five months away from the planned strategy review, a number of commentators have used the Stanley McChrystal – David Petraeus transition as an opportunity to reconsider the mission’s success. Unfortunately, military operations like those in Afghanistan defy the use of […]

Help Our Friends Fight with Us: Ratify the Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties with the UK and Australia

By Damon Wilson and Jonathan Ruemelin

President Obama will host British Prime Minister David Cameron for the first time at the White House on Tuesday as both sides try to reassure the other that the ‘special relationship’ is indeed special.  There is no better way to calm the waters in the special relationship than by decisive Senate action to approve the […]

AfPak Success Requires India Inclusion

By Ayesha Jalal

Iran Sanctions Saga: Enter the EU

By Emanuele Ottolenghi

Next week the European Union will introduce new sanctions against Iran. These new measures, which expand UN sanctions and follow comparable measures in the United States, will target Iranian energy, air transport and shipping lines, and financial institutions in an effort to compel Tehran to abandon its unlawful nuclear activities. In the past, the EU […]

Kyrgyzstan Sits on a Precipice

By Ross Wilson and Damon Wilson

Lockerbie Conspiracy?

By Alex Massie

First things first: it is extremely inconvenient, even embarrassing, that Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi is still alive nearly a year after he was released from Greenock Prison on the grounds that he was believed to have not much more, and perhaps fewer, than three months to live. Nevertheless, the fact that he has lived longer than […]

New & Improved European Parliament? The View From Europe

By Scott Bleiweis

Last week’s approval of the SWIFT agreement demonstrates Parliament’s implementation of the “co-decision” powers granted by last December’s Lisbon Treaty. But what does its new status really mean? Several MEPs provided their takes to the BBC. Diana Wallis from the U.K. believes, [T]he European Parliament has clearly been the big winner, with new powers as […]