Category: Content Series

The military implications of Catalonian secession—an update

By James Hasik

assuming that Catalonia was admitted to NATO, what would the newly independent country contribute? At the 2014 Strategic Foresight Forum at the Atlantic Council, Anne Marie Slaughter of the New America Foundation opined that an independent Catalonia would do a fine job of defending itself. After all, Catalonia is a country of over 7 million people, with more than $300 billion in GDP. Spending just 1.6% of that—well below the widely-ignored NATO threshold, of course—provides over $4.5 billion annually. y de-emphasizing the military forces that any landlocked country will have, and instead steering investments towards those it is comparatively positioned to provide, Catalonia could punch above its weight in European political affairs.

The roots and evolution of Iran’s regional strategy

By Suzanne Maloney

Understanding what drives Iran’s regional policies is crucial to confronting its challenges. In her new paper, entitled The Roots and Evolution of Iran’s Regional Strategy, Suzanne Maloney, deputy director of foreign policy and senior fellow for Middle East policy at the Brookings Institution, explores how the Islamic Republic operates throughout the Middle East, and the […]

The new Russia sanctions law: What it does and how to make it work

By Daniel Fried, Brian O’Toole

In “The New Russia Sanctions Law–What It Does and How to Make It Work,” authors Ambassador Daniel Fried, distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council and former coordinator for sanctions policy at the US State Department, and Brian O’Toole, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, explain that Congress primarily adopted the law to block […]

Hellyer in The Globe and Mail: Seeing the Human Side of Islamic State Helps to Defeat Them

By H.A. Hellyer

Read the full article here.

Hellyer in The National: Outrage, Shallow Populism and Symbolic Gestures Will Not Help the Rohingya

By H.A. Hellyer

Read the full article here

An EU air force is impossible; Fortunately, it’s not necessary.

By James Hasik

To rebuild robust air forces, Europeans should just get back to basics. Early last month, as David Cenciotti of the Aviationist reported, A-10Cs of the Maryland Air National Guard were again practicing landings and take-offs from stretches of highway in Estonia, though with occasional casualties amongst the roadsigns. About a year prior, it was A-10Cs of the […]

Smarter Faster: The power of resilience after 9/11

Ellinas in InCyprus: Global Gas Price Changes

By Charles Ellinas

Read the full article here.

An EU navy is impossible; Fortunately, it’s not necessary.

By James Hasik

To rebuild robust naval forces, Europeans should think less like Americans, and more like Russians. As I noted yesterday, Brexit has opened all sorts of talk about the future of British and European military activities. To continue the argument today, let’s tack towards naval matters. In “All the Queen’s Ships” (Proceedings of the US Naval Institute, January […]