Content

Issue Brief

Mar 13, 2014

The Kurdish Question and US-Turkish Relations in a Changing Middle East

By Jeffrey Mankoff and Müjge Küçükkeleş

Growing disorder throughout the Middle East has created the possibility for major changes to the status of Kurdish minorities in Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. Turkey’s handling of its own Kurdish minority and its relations with Kurdish groups throughout the region are creating new challenges for US foreign policy and US-Turkish relations. The failure of Ankara’s […]

Turkey

Issue Brief

Mar 7, 2014

Breaking taboos: Youth activism in the Gulf States

By Kristin Diwan

In a new Atlantic Council issue brief, Breaking Taboos: Youth Activism in the Gulf States, Visiting Senior Fellow Kristin Diwan contends that youth activists are bringing new forms of civic engagement and political contestation to the Arab states in the Gulf region.  Evaluating  youth movements in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain, Diwan contends that although […]

Saudi Arabia The Gulf

Issue Brief

Mar 5, 2014

Zooming in on Syria: Adapting US policy to local realities

By Faysal Itani & Nathaniel Rosenblatt

The key to ending the crisis in Syria is a better understanding of local players and power dynamics. By viewing the conflict through a local prism, the United States and its Western allies can help build a coherent, capable, and legitimate opposition, which is an essential ingredient for any political transition or even negotiations. In […]

Syria

Issue Brief

Feb 27, 2014

Completing Europe: Georgia’s Path to NATO

By Damon Wilson

At his first public address in Washington at the Atlantic Council this week, Georgia’s new prime minister, Irakli Garibashvili, unequivocally committed Georgia to a Euro-Atlantic future that would include NATO and European Union membership. Garibashvili argued that Georgia’s democratic credentials, efforts to normalize its relations with Russia in spite of the latter’s provocations, and contribution […]

The Caucasus

Issue Brief

Feb 13, 2014

The economic consequences of the Arab Spring

By Mohsin Khan

In a new issue brief, Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Mohsin Khan contends that although political turmoil has dominated economic decision-making in the Arab transition countries and Jordan and Morocco during the last three years, there is some encouraging evidence that these economies will turn around in 2014. Analyzing economic developments in the Arab transition […]

Libya Morocco

Issue Brief

Feb 12, 2014

Egypt’s labor dilemma

By Mustansir Barma

In a new Atlantic Council issue brief, “Egypt’s Labor Dilemma,” author Mustansir Barma analyzes the current issues facing the labor movement in Egypt and the failure of the government to improve the economic situation for workers and employers. Barma, a former senior economic researcher at the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, argues that each […]

North Africa

Issue Brief

Jan 28, 2014

Ten Ideas for Smarter NATO Missile Defense

By Patrick O'Reilly

In the latest issue brief from the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, “Ten Ideas for Smarter NATO Missile Defense,” Atlantic Council Nonresident Senior Fellow and former Director of the Missile Defense Agency Lt. Gen. Patrick O’Reilly, USA (Ret.) outlines ten feasible and cost-effective ways for NATO to encourage its member states to contribute to […]

Issue Brief

Jan 23, 2014

Getting democracy promotion right in Egypt

By Amy Hawthorne

In a new Atlantic Council issue brief, “Getting Democracy Promotion Right in Egypt,” Amy Hawthorne contends that although the near-term prospects for democracy in Egypt are bleak, there is more the United States can do to promote democratic change over the longer term. Hawthorne, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for […]

North Africa

Issue Brief

Jan 22, 2014

Negotiating Libya’s Constitution

By Karim Mezran and Duncan Pickard

Libya’s future as a democracy hinges on the constitution-drafting process and the ability of the constituent assembly to consider and adequately address major political and security challenges. A new Atlantic Council issue brief, “Negotiating Libya’s Constitution,” examines the political and security context of Libya’s constitution-making process, concerns related to the constitution-drafting body, and potentially divisive […]

Libya

Issue Brief

Jan 3, 2014

Cybersecurity and Tailored Deterrence

By Franklin D. Kramer and Melanie J. Teplinsky

To create a more stable and secure cyber space, “Cybersecurity and Tailored Deterrence” by Franklin D. Kramer, distinguished fellow for the Brent Scowcroft Center, and Melanie J. Teplinsky, adjunct professorial lecturer at American University’s Washington College of Law, recommends that the United States utilize a hybrid model of cybersecurity with tailored deterrence as a key […]

Cybersecurity Security & Defense