Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

The US Military’s Ethics Crisis

By James Joyner

Military officers behaving badly have been making headlines. But, rather than a sign of widespread corruption, the fact that they’re being caught and disciplined is an indication of how seriously the profession takes its ethical responsibilities. From massive cheating scandals with Air Force and Navy nuclear officers and Army National Guard recruiters to generals and admirals abusing the perks of their office or […]

Addressing the Food, Water, and Energy Nexus

The relationship between food, water, and energy resources are shaping our world and its future, and managing the “nexus” of the interdependencies among these goods is arguably one of the most critical challenges facing policymakers in the transatlantic area. A draft report discussed at an Atlantic Council event today argues that Africa plays an especially […]

Modernizing the Military: The Case of Norway

Despite its relatively small size, Norway punches above its weight in defense investment and leadership in NATO operations at a time when many European countries are cutting defense budgets and turning inward. ​Norway is at the forefront of NATO’s efforts to modernize military forces and enhance interoperability to ensure the Alliance’s continued effectiveness in a new security landscape.

A Mideast Watershed: The End of US Domination?

A 35-Year Pax Americana is waning, says former Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren The recent years’ decline of US power and assertiveness in the Middle East has created a power vacuum there that may end 35 years of American pre-eminence in the region, said Michael Oren, Israeli historian and former ambassador to the United States. “While […]

A New US Crisis Response Force for Africa

“Send in the Marines” Is Now a Faster Option Following the deadly September 2012 attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, the Marine Corps created a new crisis response force for Africa – smaller and faster than its predecessors – and recently ordered its first emergency mission.  On January 3, a team of Marines […]

Urbanization in Latin America

By Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

Cities are global leaders whose innovative policies are increasingly transcending boundaries to shape domestic and international trends. The relative power of cities to influence the global agenda will only increase in the coming decades. More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas; by 2050, 70 percent, or more than six billion people, […]

On the Road To Medellín: Urban Innovation at Home and Abroad

Cities are at the forefront of global leadership. Not only are cities where all global trends—such as increased diffusion of power, individual empowerment, and the complex interplay of the food-water-energy nexus—come together, but local governments and their partners are already addressing this century’s great global challenges and finding innovative solutions.

Policy Workshop on NATO in an Era of Global Competition

The year 2014 will be pivotal for NATO as it draws down from the mission in Afghanistan, prepares for the 2014 summit in Wales, and grapples with new political challenges to the transatlantic community, from the crisis in Ukraine to the ongoing Syrian civil war. While NATO remains a manifestation of the values and commitments […]

Iran: Rethinking the Endgame

By Robert A. Manning and James Clad

It is with no small amount of trepidation that US and EU negotiators gear up for new talks on a final nuclear deal with Iran later this month. Fierce US congressional criticism of the “5+1” nuclear deal with Iran is missing the point, and promise, of an accord. One need not buy President Rouhani’s self-serving assertion […]

Munich Security Conference Luncheon

The Munich Security Conference was first launched over five decades ago with a clear purpose: to be the world’s foremost annual gathering for the international security community. While the Munich Security Conference has remained the world’s preeminent international security conference since its inception, the contours of the international security landscape have changed dramatically in the […]

Megacity Slums and Urban Insecurity

By Peter Engelke and Magnus Nordenman

What is the most pressing security challenge facing the world’s megacities? It’s their slums, write Peter Engelke and Magnus Nordenman. Today, they highlight some of the conditions that make them fertile breeding grounds for conflict and instability.

Roundtable on Regional Perspectives on Nuclear Diplomacy with Iran

In November 2013, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) signed an interim agreement on the Iranian nuclear program. While a significant breakthrough, the deal has not been universally considered a guarantee against Iranian acquisition of nuclear weapons. Focusing on regional views of nuclear diplomacy with Iran, the […]