Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

Turkey’s Role in Resolving Nagorno-Karabakh

By Alexandros Petersen

Alexandros Petersen, nonresident senior fellow at the Council’s Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, was interviewed by Leyla Tagiyeva of Azerbaijan’s News.Az on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Tempering Afghan Optimism

By Don Snow

The recent announcements and statements of support for President Obama’s “surge” in Afghanistan have left me a bit confused, and I wonder if readers can help me out here. Something just does not compute.

Azerbaijan Key Energy Player with Limited Options

By Alexandros Petersen

Azerbaijan’s ongoing dispute with Turkey about transit terms and revenues for natural gas heading to Europe across Anatolia, as well as uncertainties about the Nabucco pipeline project, have compelled highest-level officials at Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company (SOCAR) to publicly consider the option of exporting hydrocarbons eastward, potentially to China and other East Asian markets.

Chicago As a Terrorist Center

By James Joyner

Citing reports that a Chicago man has been arrested for helping to plan the Mumbia terror attacks, Bernard Finel snarks, “I guess we need a surge in Chicago, too?”

4.5 Acres of Sovereign and Mobile American Territory

By Sarwar Kashmeri

I am flying aboard a Grumman C2-1 Greyhound, a powerful twin-engine turboprop nicknamed “COD” for Carrier Onboard Delivery. It’s the U.S. Navy’s aerial workhorse — its Jeep so to speak — ferrying passengers, cargo, engines, spare parts and whatever else is needed back and forth from land to the fleet’s aircraft carriers.  We’re about 100 […]

Climate Change and National Security

By Derek Reveron

Amid the flurry of discussion caused by “climate-gate” and debates about CO2 emission caps, the relationship between climate change and security is likely to be overlooked in Copenhagen. Unlike traditional security issues like nuclear warheads, missile proliferation, or naval modernization, climate change often escapes national security discussions. Ozone depletion, CO2 emissions, and rising sea levels […]

Obama’s Afghanistan Strategy Panel Transcript

Afghanistan Panel Event Speakers: Kimberly Kagan, President, Institute for the Study of War LtCol Gregory Lemons, Atlantic Council Marine Corps Senior Fellow; veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq wars David Sedney, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia Damon Wilson, Vice President and Director, International Security Program, Atlantic Council

Afghanistan Deadline: What Happens in July 2011?

By James Joyner

Most of the postmortems of President Obama’s Afghanistan strategy speech focused on the announcement of an 18 month timetable after which a drawdown and handover to local forces would begin. Opposition Republicans took the president at his word and warned about signaling weakness, whereas critics in his own party saw the deadline as a cynical […]

Obama Afghan Plan: A Wing and A Prayer

By Don Snow

On Tuesday night, President Obama announced his new “strategy” for Afghanistan. It held few surprises, just disappointments. The President’s rhetoric soared, as usual. The content did not. Instead, he sent the country down the road with a series of assumptions and plans that can be called, at best, a wing and a prayer.

Behind Obama’s Afghanistan Decision

By Kurt Volker

All of Washington – and much of the world – was waiting to hear President Obama’s Tuesday night speech about the war in Afghanistan.

Who’s Really Running Pakistan?

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

From his former incarnation as strategic adviser to Pakistan’s politico-religious parties, the one-time Pakistani intelligence chief Hamid Gul has resurfaced as de facto minister of propaganda and disinformation for the Taliban insurgents. In a dramatic reincarnation for the “meray mutabiq” (“my opinion”) program on Geo television, Gul said the Taliban has 88,000 troops and 35,000 […]

How Iraq Could Win the War in Afghanistan

By Richard Miniter and Sebestyén Gorka

As strategists and commentators dissect President Obama’s West Point speech, the conversation all too often gets stuck on troop levels. What is missing is a strategic assessment and a willingness to transfer America’s hard-won lessons learned in Iraq, especially in the Al Anbar province, to Afghanistan.


Obama’s Afghanistan Speech: Reactions From Around the World

By James Joyner

President Obama’s speech outlining his Afghanistan exit strategy was much anticipated.  It was addressed to the American people, of course, but also to our NATO and ISAF allies and the people in Afghanistan and its neighbors.  Naturally, not everyone is pleased.

Certain Obama, Uncertain Allies

By Shuja Nawaz

There is no doubt about it now. This is Obama’s War. He took full ownership of it last night. From the history to the conduct of operations, warts and all. He acknowledged how and why the United States went into Afghanistan, why it has stayed, and why it will leave under his timetable, with all […]