Category: Timely Commentary & Analysis

Afghan Leader Ashraf Ghani: Obama Pullout Plan Poses New Challenge

Ashraf Ghani, the former World Bank official who is one of two candidates in the June 14 presidential runoff election, said that President Obama’s West Point speech this week on foreign policy sharply compresses the time available for US troops to complete their mentoring of Afghan security forces. President Obama’s “West Point speech telescopes a […]

Algeria Needs Reform Strategy to Avoid Upheaval

Just weeks after Algeria’s sitting President Abdulaziz Bouteflika was confirmed to serve a fourth term in an election highly criticized by the opposition, the question is raised: what are the prospects for economic and political reform in the North African country in light of mounting economic pressures?

What’s Next? Missile Defense in 2030

After a full day of discussion on the regional aspects of missile defense, the conference’s capstone panel looked at missile defense in the world of 2030. James N. Miller, former under secretary of defense for policy and Atlantic Council board director, Robert Stein, a senior fellow of the US Defense Science Board, and Dean Wilkening, […]

Missile Defense in the Asia Pacific

Speaking at the Atlantic Council’s Global Missile Defense Conference on May 28, Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr., Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced a plan to reinforce its regional missile defense arrays in Northeast Asia by deploying a $950 million Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to South Korea. This announcement […]

Defense Cooperation in the Arabian Gulf

In his commencement address to West Point graduates today, President Obama described his vision of a foreign policy that is founded not only upon a strong military but also by a web of alliances and partnerships that better position the United States as a global leader. Allies and partners, like those of the GCC countries, […]

The Challenge of Federalism in Yemen

As Yemen’s Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) begins to work out the details of the country’s proposed federal system, the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East launched “The Challenge of Federalism in Yemen,” an issue brief by nonresident fellow Rafat Al-Akhali. Al-Akhali traveled from Sana’a, Yemen to Washington for a discussion on May […]

Missile Defense Agency: A Retrospective

In a unique and unprecedented event, the last three former directors of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA)—Lt. Gen. Ronald T. Kadish, USAF (Ret.), LTG Patrick O’Reilly, USA (Ret.), and Lt. Gen. Henry A. Obering, USAF (Ret.)—discussed the impact MDA has had in helping the US military acquire the necessary missile defense capabilities to compete in […]

Transatlantic Missile Defense Architecture

By Cassandra Lewis

In the run up to the September NATO Summit in Wales, leading experts addressed the transatlantic missile defense structure and its future. The panel discussion featured Robert Bell of the US mission to NATO, Alexis Morel of Thales, and Kurt Volker of the McCain Institute for International Leadership. The panel was moderated by John Rood […]