New Atlanticist

EU Hydra: Which Head to Talk To?

By Matthew Czekaj

Since the ratification of the EU Lisbon Treaty, a new joke has been circulating in Brussels: in response to Henry Kissinger’s inquiry as to who to call to speak to ‘Europe,’ that number finally exists.

Possible Deliverables at OSCE Summit in Kazakhstan: Part 1

By Vladimir Socor

Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the OSCE, to be crowned by the summit of 56 heads of state in Astana, can hardly ignore Russia’s challenges to the post-Cold War international order (EDM, July 27). Fortuitously, Kazakhstan’s chairmanship and the summit coincide with round anniversaries of the OSCE’s fundamental documents: the 1975 Helsinki Final Act and the 1990 […]

European Defense Cuts: Look on the Bright Side

By James Joyner

Europe’s Big Three are slashing already paltry defense budgets in the wake of the global recession.   Germany’s cuts could be as deep as forty percent.   Some are arguing that this will be a good thing for transatlantic security, forcing the allies to rationalize spending and interlink their forces more effectively. Reuters‘ Dave Graham reports in […]

Afghanistan’s Four Musketeers

By Harlan Ullman

The episode that led to the resignation of U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan has created an opportunity for constructing the foundation for a more stable region. Much will rest on the four U.S. flag and general officers with overarching responsibilities for the region and whether their […]

Sweden Developing Greater Regional Defense Role

By Magnus Nordenman

In August the sunny calm and quiet that is a Swedish summer will be shattered by the impact of Joint Direct Attack Munitions dropped by F-16CM Fighting Falcons from US Air Force Europe.

Secrecy and Strategy in Afghanistan

By Bernard Finel

I don’t condone leaking secrets. But nor do I condone a policy that can only work in secret. Yes, there are some narrow tactical initiatives that make sense as covert action. But, even then, secrecy is a wasting asset, and any strategy that requires secrecy in the long-term is likely doomed to failure. Our strategy […]

Moscow Uses Anti-Iran Sanctions as Bargaining Leverage on Washington

By Vladimir Socor

To hinder Iran’s uranium-enrichment program, the US has introduced sanctions that bar deliveries of gasoline and other refined oil products to Iran. The European Union is following the US lead in this case. Russia’s initial response is calculated to suggest that it does not consider itself bound

Elvis bin Laden

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

The "Veterans Today" Network, a one-man show on the Internet created and run by Gordon Duff, a 100 percent disabled Marine Vietnam veteran, states flatly that 9/11 was a CIA/Mossad conspiracy and that Osama bin Laden wasn’t involved and died in 2001. This can easily be dismissed as yet another example of deliberately disseminated disinformation […]

Afghanistan Leaks Reignite Debate, Undermine Security

By James Joyner

The early consensus, thankfully, is that the leak of 92,000-odd classified intelligence documents contain little information of note to close observers.   As Tufts professor Daniel Drezner snarks, "So it turns out that the war in Afghanistan is not going well and Pakistan is playing a double game?  Well, knock me down with a feather!!" […]

Khakis over civvies: Posturing in Pakistan and India

By Barkha Dutt