Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

Rebalanced and Refocused?: US Regional Security Strategy in Asia Facing a Rising China

By Adrienne Chuck

On December 12, the Atlantic Council’s International Security Program held its second installment of the Cross-Strait Series, a continuing discussion on the state of US-China-Taiwan relations.

Strategy Session with National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Bulgaria

By Jason Harmala

On December 9, the Atlantic Council’s International Security Program hosted an off-the-record strategy session with Svetlin Yovchev, national security advisor to Boyko Borisov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria. He was previously head of Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security and earlier he worked in the former National Security Service.

Military Option Recedes Amid Tug-of-War Over Iran Policy

By Barbara Slavin

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, said Friday that he believes that sanctions and diplomacy are the right strategy to deal with Iran’s nuclear programme and that the United States “is doing everything we can to accomplish the stated objective without resorting to military force”.

Security and Partnership in an Age of Austerity

By Jason Harmala

On December 9, the Atlantic Council hosted a conversation with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey, moderated by Washington Post opinion writer David Ignatius.

Transforming Toward a Smarter Alliance: NATO Reform in the Age of Austerity

By Jason Harmala

On December 7, the Atlantic Council hosted a conference on NATO’s continued reforms and transformation in the age of austerity. This conference took stock of the progress to date on NATO’s reform efforts first established at the NATO Summit in Lisbon. The conference also provided recommendations and possible ways ahead for further reforms in order […]

NATO Reform: Key Principles

By Kurt Volker and Kevin P. Green

Ambassador Kurt Volker, senior advisor to the International Security Program and member of the Atlantic Council’s Strategic Advisors Group, and Vice Admiral Kevin P. Green, USN (Ret.), vice president for defense and intelligence for IBM Federal, outlined several key principles for NATO reform in a new issue brief. Download the PDF

The Gulf Cooperation Council Must Rethink the Arab Awakening

By Rena Zuabi

Through a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Saudi Arabia on November 27, vice-president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi recently named opposition leader Mohammed Basindwa as Yemen’s new interim prime minister.

Impulses: Trends That Will Shape India’s World

By Adrienne Chuck

On December 2, the Atlantic Council’s Strategic Foresight Initiative and South Asia Center hosted a discussion on the global trends shaping India’s future towards 2030.

The United States and the Global Future

By Adrienne Chuck

On December 2, the Atlantic Council’s Strategic Foresight Initiative and the US National Intelligence Council hosted a workshop entitled “The United States and the Global Future” to inform the upcoming Global Trends 2030 report.

US Ratchets Up Economic Pressure on Iran

By Barbara Slavin

Under intense pressure from the U.S. Congress and U.S. presidential election politics, the Barack Obama administration Monday declared the Islamic Republic of Iran a “primary money laundering concern” – a designation that stops short of blacklisting Iran’s Central Bank but is intended to persuade more foreign governments, banks and companies to curtail business with Iranian […]

Transatlantic Approaches to Security in an Evolving Arctic

By Jason Harmala

On November 17, the Atlantic Council hosted a part-day conference on Arctic security. The event began with a word of welcome by Board Director Sherri Goodman, and an introduction by Ambassador Wegger Chr. Strommen of Norway, who stressed the importance of Arctic issues not only to Norway, but to the world. 

Beginning of the End for Assad?

By Barbara Slavin

Actions by the Arab League this week have given a regional seal of approval to Syrian opposition forces and could mark the beginning of the end of the Assad family dictatorship that has ruled Syria for more than 40 years. Regional experts and members of the Syrian opposition expect the process to be long, complicated […]

Iran: Not Necessarily a Nuclear Apocalypse

By Harlan Ullman

Last week, the United Nation’s International Atomic Energy Agency released an assessment of Iran’s nuclear programs. While not overly alarmist, the report warned that, based on inputs from nearly a dozen different national intelligence agencies, Iran was developing programs in virtually all categories essential for production of nuclear weapons as well missile delivery systems. Iran […]

The US-Turkey Missile Defense Agreement

On November 9, the Atlantic Council hosted an off-the-record roundtable discussion with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Eric Rubin and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Space and Defense Policy Frank Rose.