Category: Blogs

Does the US Army Have a Mission?

By John Deni

Judging from the media and the blogosphere, there is panic among the Army staff in the halls of the Pentagon these days, as leaders cope with dramatic cuts in force structure and a new defense strategy that appears to favor naval and air power at the expense of the country’s ground forces.  

Dealing with Strategic Uncertainty

By Maleeha Lodhi

If the purpose of Track II diplomacy is for unofficial efforts to explore ways of addressing difficult problems, then a recent interaction in Bangkok organized by the University of Ottawa and the Atlantic Council lived up to that expectation. The three-day meeting brought together former military officials and diplomats from Pakistan and India to discuss […]

Egypt’s NGO Crisis: Political Theater Preventing Democratic Progress

By Ahmed Morsy

Hopes were high that the second session of the NGO trial, held on March 8, would yield a resolution to the worst crisis in US-Egypt relations since the 1967 war. Robert Becker, the only indicted American who did not choose to leave the country after the travel ban was lifted, said he stayed to stand […]

Top News: Rising Calls for Cabinet Reshuffle

By Mara Revkin

Ahmed Fathi, head of the Brotherhood’s Shura Council, said Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri’s government is “weak and shaky” and increasingly vulnerable to calls for a cabinet reshuffle. “I believe the People’s Assembly is headed in the direction of withdrawal of confidence from this government, perhaps in the next few days,” Fathi said.

Britain concerned about Obama’s pivot away from Europe

By Andrew Chuter, Defense News

Gul: ‘Turkey is against the intervention by any force which is from outside the region’

By Lin Noueihed, Reuters

China testing cyber-attack capabilities, report says

By Ellen Nakashima, the Washington Post

From Ellen Nakashima, the Washington Post:  For a decade or more, Chinese military officials have talked about conducting warfare in cyberspace, but in recent years they have progressed to testing attack capabilities during exercises

Obama explains moving G-8 to Camp David

By Lynn Sweet, the Chicago Sun-Times

From Lynn Sweet, the Chicago Sun-Times:  Obama said the summit was moved because he wanted to use the Camp David retreat to huddle informally with foreign leaders, and the idea to do so did not occur to anyone until after Chicago was booked.

Moscow Wants Missile Defense Talks at NATO Summit

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  The Russian president is unlikely to attend a NATO summit in Chicago if the missile defense issue is not on its agenda, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Tuesday.

Why Wars Are Won

By Harlan Ullman

Last week’s column explored the questions of why wars start and why wars are lost. Flawed assumptions, miscalculations and misperceptions, ideologically driven assertions and the failure to examine potential consequences are among the better explanations.