National Security

Obama Gives Passionate Defense of Iran Nuclear Deal

By Barbara Slavin

When President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize shortly after taking office in 2009, he was the first to admit that the honor was premature. Compared to historical giants like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela, Obama told the Nobel committee, his own accomplishments had been “slight.”  But as the first US […]

Defending the Iran Nuclear Deal

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Iran bound ‘in perpetuity’ not to build a nuclear bomb, says Obama administration official Iran is not permitted to build a nuclear weapon after the duration of the agreement reached in Vienna this week, nor does the deal give the Islamic Republic a “signing bonus” in terms of immediate sanctions relief, a senior Obama administration […]

The Iran nuclear deal is not in the US national interest

By Matthew Kroenig

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed July 14 between Iran and the P5+1 puts verifiable limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Assuming Tehran abides by the terms of the accord, Iran will not be able to build nuclear weapons for the lifetime of the deal, but the agreement presents […]

The Middle East Transformed by Iran Agreement? Take a Deep Breath; Here’s Why Not

By Richard LeBaron

The reactions to the nuclear agreement with Iran announced July 14 were utterly predictable. Those against the agreement yesterday are those against the agreement today. Those for it are still for it. The Obama administration will fight for its approval by Congress and the Netanyahu administration will fight against it. Republican presidential hopefuls are all […]

An Opportunity to Discuss Iran’s Support for al-Assad

The nuclear deal reached July 14 between Iran and the so-called P5+1—the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany—presents an opportunity for the Obama administration and its partners to address Iran’s support for Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, writes Frederic C. Hof, a Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for […]

Here’s What You Need to Know About Lindsey Graham’s Foreign Policy Agenda

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Republican presidential hopeful wants more US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, would reject a ‘bad’ nuclear deal with Iran Republican presidential candidate Sen. Lindsey Graham laid out an interventionist foreign policy in a July 8 address that was peppered with blistering critiques of President Barack Obama as well as some fellow Republicans and tough talk […]

GCC No-Shows ‘Another Unfortunate Milestone’ in US-Gulf Ties

Leaders wanted more than ‘just a statement and more weapons sales’ out of Camp David summit, says Atlantic Council’s Pavel The decision by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and three other Arab leaders to skip a May 14 summit with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders at Camp David reflects deep unhappiness among Washington’s Gulf partners over […]

Climate Change and National Security

By Brent Scowcroft Center

On April 17, the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security’s Strategic Foresight Initiative hosted a workshop on “Climate Change and National Security” as part of our ongoing partnership with the Government of Sweden. Given the clear national security dimensions of climate change and the politically contentious nature of the climate debate, this workshop served as […]

Is the United States Really Indispensable?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Analysts debate US role in the face of global challenges President Bill Clinton, speaking in 1996 on the US-backed NATO military intervention in Bosnia, described the United States as an “indispensable nation.” Scholars debated that premise April 30 at the Global Strategy Forum hosted by the Atlantic Council’s Strategy Initiative in Washington. Xenia Wickett, Dean […]