Category: Blogs

Brigade Combat Team Cuts Don’t Translate into Budget Savings

By John Deni

The recent announcement that the Obama administration plans to cut two of the four remaining US brigade combat teams (BCTs) in Europe came as no surprise to those tracking the ongoing debate over the future size of the American military and the Army in particular. Assuming the Army is getting smaller, it’s obviously easier to […]

Foreign Policy Challenges That Will Keep People Awake at Night

By Harlan Ullman

Suppose the very unpredictable and nasty surprises that befell presidential hopeful Mitt Romney last week somehow afflicted global politics on a far grander scale?

View from Cairo the “Morning After”

By Mara Revkin

After sunset on the anniversary of the Egyptian revolution, calls for anti-government protests began to overshadow the previously festive atmosphere in Tahrir Square.

Lugar to scrutinize arms sales by NATO allies to Russia

Senator Richard Lugar has commissioned the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to examine the sale of military equipment and technology by NATO allies to Russia.

Video: Dispatch from Tahrir Square

By Mara Revkin

Mara Revkin interviewed EgyptSource contributor Magdy Samaan from Tahrir Square on January 25, amid celebrations and protests commemorating the anniversary of the Egyptian revolution. Greetings from Cairo on January 25. I have been closely observing the anniversary protests on the ground with my colleague Magdy Samaan, a former visiting fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik […]

The State of the Union: A Missed Opportunity

By Riley Barnes

The State of the Union (SOTU) address is not usually focused on foreign policy, and rightfully so. With our current economic woes, education problems, and immigration issues, we have plenty of reason to look inward. Still, President Obama missed a great opportunity last night—one that would have only required a sentence or two. I found […]

New Sanctions Aimed at Averting Wider Conflict

By Barbara Slavin

European countries are imposing unprecedented sanctions against Iran in part in hopes of preventing an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear installations that could further destabilize the Middle East and wreak havoc on the global economy. The decision Monday by the European Union to phase out purchases of Iranian oil by Jul. 1 is timed to […]

Digital Spies: The Alarming Rise of Electronic Espionage

By Adam Piore, Popular Mechanics

Ukraine Boosts Military Budget by 30%

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  Ukraine’s 2012 military spending will increase by around 30 percent, to about $2 billion or 1.1 percent of GDP, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s financial department said on Wednesday.

France to Lay Down First Mistral for Russia in February

By RIA Novosti

From RIA Novosti:  The first Mistral class amphibious assault ship for Russia will be laid down at the start of February in a French shipyard, a military industry official told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.