Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

WikiLeak-Proofing The Pentagon

By James Joyner

Wired‘s Spencer Ackerman reports on the Pentagon’s measures to fix obvious flaws in its security revealed by the Wikileaks debacle.

The Most Significant Threat to NATO

By James Joyner, the New Atlanticist

From James Joyner, the New Atlanticist:  Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, generated quite the buzz with his proclamation last week that, "The most significant threat to our national security is our debt."  The same could be said for the NATO alliance.

Pentagon’s Greatest Threat

By Harlan Ullman

Let us be blunt. The U.S. Department of Defense and the entire federal government face a fiscal crisis far worse than any threat posed by al-Qaida, Iran or North Korea. Barring another Sept. 11th shock to the system, the massive debt and deficits will force defense budgets to shrink dramatically. Sadly, the U.S. government may […]

The Most Significant Threat to NATO

By James Joyner

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, generated quite the buzz with his proclamation last week that, "The most significant threat to our national security is our debt."  The same could be said for the NATO alliance. Mullen explained that "ability for our country to resource our military" will be "directly proportional" […]

Determining Citizenship: Belgianization of Central Europe

By Matthew Czekaj

Romanian President Traian Basescu is on a mission to right the wrongs of Stalin, and he does not care what the Western European media have to say about it.  In a recent joint interview with Moldovan Acting President Mihai Ghimpu, Basescu affirmed that Romania has granted citizenship to 17,000 Moldovan nationals this year.

Wars of Religion

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

In his 30-year career with the FBI, Oliver "Buck" Revell dealt with all manner of transnational crime and terrorism and held numerous senior positions with the bureau. In mid-1985, he achieved the highest rank in career government service when he became the FBI director’s deputy for counter-terrorism and counterintelligence activities. All manner of awards and […]

West Point Superintendent on Educating Cadets in Complex Global Environment

By Sarwar Kashmeri

In the latest installment of the New Atlanticist Podcast Series Atlantic Council senior fellow Sarwar Kashmeri interviews LTG David Huntoon, recently-appointed Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY. Huntoon discusses how the Academy is adapting to a complex and rapidly-changing global environment, and the importance of instilling tomorrow’s military leaders with a well-rounded […]

Fighting the Peace Spoilers

By Andrew Kessinger

On January 24th the U.N. Security Council – with backing from the Obama administration – decided to remove five former high-ranking Taliban leaders from its global terrorist blacklist. The move was controversial for a reason: it was the first time sanctions had ever been lifted for Taliban members and signaled that the international community was […]

Iraq and Afghanistan Eroding Transatlantic Bonds

By Magnus Nordenman

Wars fundamentally change militaries. For example, the bloody and muddy stalemate of World War I led defeated Germany to invest in the innovative use of armor and firepower to break that stalemate. The U.S. experience in Vietnam led to the rise of the professional and all-volunteer force that is now fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. […]

China’s Economic Miracle Has Limits

By Mohan Guruswamy

The inexorable growth of China’s GDP has now taken it past Japan and it now takes aim at surpassing that of the USA, whose economy is at present more than two and a half times bigger. It took China a little less than a decade to make a similar leap to overtake Japan. But then […]

Pakistan: Assessing the Tragedy

By Mohsin Khan and Shuja Nawaz

The floods in Pakistan have affected one-fifth of the country (an area roughly the size of England) and engulfed large parts of all four provinces—Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (formerly the North West Frontier Province). The vast scope of the damage makes this a truly national disaster with long-term economic and political consequences. With waters […]

Afghan Officials Back Conway: Withdrawal Date “Invigorates” Taliban

By Hamid Shalizi, Reuters: U.S. plans to begin drawing down forces in Afghanistan from next July are "invigorating" insurgents, Afghan officials said on Wednesday, agreeing with a blunt assessment given by the top U.S. Marine.

Eurasia Reimagined

By Samuel Charap and Alexandros Petersen

As Kyrgyzstan descended into chaos after President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted in April 2010, most observers were focused on the fate of the key U.S. airbase there. They feared that Moscow had orchestrated the unrest as revenge for Bakiyev reneging on his alleged promise to shut down the base and would now demand that the […]

Iraq: Mission Accomplished…Again

By Derek Reveron

Pakistan At Risk: Rains or Guns of August?

By Harlan Ullman

As the rains continue and floodwaters roar into Sindh and Punjab, the future of Pakistan as both a state and nation is in grave doubt. To understand the magnitude of this catastrophe, imagine if in the United States much of the landmass from Boston to New Orleans east of the Mississippi was under 20 feet […]

Pakistan Flooding of Biblical Proportions

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

Pakistan Flood Recovery: Can Zardari Deliver Aid?

By Shuja Nawaz

The current flood in Pakistan is the worst ever-natural disaster to strike that country even as it is fighting an existential threat from a major Taliban insurgency inside its Western border. The grim situation: 20 million homeless, a fifth of the country affected by floodwaters, and a government that was unprepared, despite warnings from its […]

When National Security Overlaps with Human Security

By Derek Reveron

For the second time this year, naval forces have been involved in major operations that have little to do with combat at sea. Instead, Sailors and Marines operating from dozens of warships have responded to natural disasters. Earlier this year in Haiti, traditional warships delivered food, water, and medical supplies. On amphibious ships, the large […]

Pakistani SOS

By Harlan Ullman

If Shakespeare were to write a tragedy today, it could well begin: “Alas poor Pakistan. I knew it well.” Facing existential economic and security threats, it hardly needed a third, in this case the catastrophic “super flood” that became a massive water sword slashing through Pakistan’s underbelly. Estimates are that as many as 20 million […]