Category: Blogs

A Light in the Mire

By Julian Lindley-French

Edward Gibbon, in his masterly Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire wrote, “all that is human must retrograde if it does not advance.” Having just come back from a two day NATO meeting in the Eternal City one is beginning to see that in the fabric of the people and the place.

Britain’s Royal Navy can’t muster a dozen ship’s for a naval review to honor Queen’s diamond jubilee

By Neil Tweedie and Thomas Harding, the Telegraph

From Neil Tweedie and Thomas Harding, the Telegraph:  Britain is celebrating only the second diamond jubilee in its history. The occasion calls for a naval review, a staple of coronations and other great moments in the life of the nation, but it is not to be.

Top News: SCAF Expected to Issue Constitutional Declaration Before Run-Off

By Tarek Radwan

The SCAF is expected to issue a supplementary constitutional declaration clarifying the powers of the incoming president days before he is elected, according to Al-Shorouk newspaper.

NATO strikes transport deals to skirt Pakistan

By Slobodan Lekic, the AP

From Slobodan Lekic, the AP:  NATO has concluded agreements with Central Asian nations allowing it to evacuate vehicles and other military equipment from Afghanistan and completely bypass Pakistan, which once provided the main supply route for coalition forces.

Britain fears NATO military gaps after US shift to Asia

By NewsCore

Is the Eurozone Really in Danger?

By Sarwar Kashmeri

The euro is in danger. Greece’s exit is imminent. Are Portugal and Spain next? That’s what the media headlines tell us. Brown Brothers Harriman’s Marc Chandler begs to differ. He tells Sarwar Kashmeri, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, that the glue that holds the eurozone together is stronger than the media reports. (8.5 minutes)

How deep is the partisan divide over multilateralism in U.S. foreign policy?

By Joshua W. Busby, Jonathan Monten, and William Inboden, Foreign Affairs

From Joshua W. Busby, Jonathan Monten, and William Inboden, Foreign Affairs: [H]ow deep is the partisan divide over the place of multilateralism in U.S. foreign policy?

Mubarak and the State of Emergency Sacrificed

By Michele Dunne

In another of the strange turns that have characterized Egypt’s post revolutionary trajectory, suddenly this week Hosni Mubarak and the state of emergency that typified and sustained his 30 year rule were set aside with 48 hours of each other.  Although the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) never had the courage to lift […]

Developing Democracy in Egypt: A Work in Progress

By Catriona Knapman

The presidential elections were met with high expectations in Egypt. Yet the results of the polls have brought much disillusion and disappointment, forcing second-round voters to choose between the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate (Mohamed Morsy) and an ex-regime candidate (Ahmed Shafik), who together won only half of the vote in the first round. After the official […]