Category: Timely Commentary & Analysis

NATO’s Strategic Ace: Vladimir Putin

By Harlan Ullman

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was on the road to irrelevance. The most successful military alliance in history has lacked a real enemy since the Soviet Union disintegrated a quarter of a century ago.  After a dozen years of war in Afghanistan,  NATO’s role is coming to an ignominious end. Because of Afghan President […]

Crisis in Ukraine: What Does This Mean for the Global Economy?

As the crisis in the Crimea continues, the Atlantic Council hosted a members conference call discussion of how the crisis will affect both the Ukrainian and Russian financial systems, featuring Anders Aslund, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute and adjunct professor at Georgetown University, and Michael Marrese, head of Central-Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa […]

Adapting US Policy to Local Realities in Syria

As the conflict in Syria enters its fourth year, US policy has consistently failed to achieve its stated object: a negotiated political transition based on the mutual consent of the regime and opposition. The United States and its Western allies have focused on summits and high-level diplomacy as the most effective means to that laudable […]

Tunisia’s Next Chapter

The Nexus Between Politics, Economy, and Security Tunisians made a critical leap in solidifying the country’s path to democratic transition as they approved a new constitution based on general consensus between different parties and factions across the country.  In light of these developments, the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East hosted a roundtable discussion […]

The 2014 QDR: An Effective Plan for Future Strategy?

The release of the 2014 quadrennial defense review (QDR) marks a crucial point in which the US Department of Defense reassesses its current capabilities and whether or not the United States is sufficiently prepared for the pressing security challenges posed by the world of the future. On Tuesday, March 04, 2014, Vice President and Director […]

Moldovan Prime Minister: Ukraine Crisis Deepens Our Need to Join Europe

The three-month-old crisis in Ukraine, escalated last weekend by Russia’s invasion of Crimea, has steeled Ukraine’s small neighbor, Moldova, to step up its efforts to reform its economy and political system so it can integrate as quickly and well as possible with Europe, Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca told diplomats, US officials, and other policymakers […]

Transatlantic Focus is Key to Helping Moldova Join Europe

By Damon Wilson

As a Small Nation Faces Russian Pressure, Europe’s Future is on the Line Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leancă’s meetings at the White House today are a crucial sign of US support for his leadership and for Moldova’s Euro-Atlantic future, especially alongside Russia’s invasion of Moldova’s neighbor, Ukraine. In November, Moldova, alongside Georgia, signed a European […]