Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

Capitalizing on the Urban Future

On October 31, 2013, the Strategic Foresight Initiative (SFI) of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security hosted the launch event for USAID’s Policy for an Urbanizing World.

Global trends and the future of NATO: alliance security in an era of global competition

By Barry Pavel and Magnus Nordenman

The latest issue brief by Barry Pavel, Atlantic Council VP and director of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, and Magnus Nordenman, Brent Scowcroft Center deputy director, argues that global shifts in economic and military power, demographics, resource demand, and other critical megatrends will require NATO to overhaul its long-term strategy for the future. […]

Leveraging Europe’s Potential for Transatlantic Missile Defense

By Ian Brzezinski and Patrick O’Reilly

One of the most important initiatives concerning US and European security has been the Washington-led effort to build a transatlantic missile defense architecture to counter the growing threat posed by the proliferation of missile technologies. This threat includes Iran’s increasingly capable missiles that many project will be soon able to  strike the United States, as well […]

The Geopolitical Contradictions of the NSA Scandal

By Jeffrey Lightfoot

Europe’s infatuation with Barack Obama started and ended in Germany. The European public fell head over heels in 2008, when then-candidate Obama addressed hundreds of thousands of adoring Germans at the Victory Column. His story was compelling and reminded Europeans of everything they loved about America. Best of all, candidate Obama spoke like a European, […]

Discussing Baltic Challenges with Latvian Minister of Defense

On October 29, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security hosted an off-the-record strategy session with the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Latvia, H.E. Artis Pabriks, to discuss current and future security challenges to the Baltic region.

Strategy Session Focuses on Nordic Regional Security Model

On October 29, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security hosted a not-for-attribution strategy session on regional security cooperation in the Nordic region with Lieutenant General Arto Tuomas Räty, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Finland.

Discussing Spanish Security Challenges

On October 28, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security hosted a not-for-attribution strategy session with H.E. D. Pedro Morenés Eulate, Spanish minister of defense, to discuss the most pertinent security challenges facing Spain today as it examines its response in an age of defense budget austerity.

Will Turkey Implement Smart Defense?

By Patrick O’Reilly

Prime Minister Erdrogan’s recent announcement that Turkey is in discussions with China Precision Machinery Export-Import Corporation (CPMIEC) to acquire the FD-2000 (export version of the HQ-9) as Turkey’s first long-range anti-missile system is a significant step backward from the “Smart Defense” initiative endorsed by all leaders at the 2012 NATO Summit.

Workshop Focuses on Extended Deterrence in Northeast Asia

On October 24, the Atlantic Council hosted the second not-for-attribution workshop on extended deterrence in Northeast Asia with leading experts in the field, moderated by Barry Pavel, vice president and director of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security of the Atlantic Council, and Kurt Campbell, chairman and chief executive officer of the Asia Group […]

The Military and the Shutdown: Assessing the Damage

By James Joyner

With the government back in business, it’s worth reflecting on the toll the sixteen-day shutdown inflicted on the nation’s defense. While most of the media attention went to relative trivialities like service-academy sports and the closure of war memorials, we wasted enormous resources that could otherwise have gone toward the nation’s security.

Future US Military Attachés Gather

On October 21, the Atlantic Council hosted a not-for-attribution roundtable discussion with future US Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard attachés, moderated by Magnus Nordenman, deputy director of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security of the Atlantic Council.

Dynamic Corporate Strategy Forum Discussion

On October 18, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security held a private, roundtable discussion for its Corporate Strategy Forum on the topic of “The Outlook for Government Services.” Speaking to the issues of the place of services businesses in the scheme of the defense industry were Stan Soloway, president and CEO of […]

Strategy Session with Romanian Minister of National Defense

On October 18, the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative hosted an off-the-record strategy session with Romanian Minister of National Defense H.E. Mircea Duşa to discuss the strategic outlook for Southeastern Europe and the transatlantic security issues shaping NATO’s 2014 Summit.

Scowcroft Center Launches Report in China

The Brent Scowcroft Center’s Strategic Foresight Initiative launched their recent report China-US Cooperation: Key to the Global Future at an event in Bejing. The report was published in partnership with the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) and supported by the China-United States Exchange Foundation. An impressive group of speakers and panelists participated in the […]

US-China: A New Model of Great Power Relations

By Stephen J. Hadley

This week Atlantic Council board director Stephen J. Hadley, principal at RiceHadleyGates and former national security adviser to President George W. Bush, delivered a lecture at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy on the future of the US-China relationship. The full text of his remarks are below.

Atlantic Council Delegation to Taiwan

On October 7-10, 2013 a delegation from the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security visited the Republic of China (Taiwan) to discuss a host of security and economic issues with top leaders, academics, and think-tank representatives. The group paid visits to several high-level officials, including the President of the Republic of China, the […]

A Conversation with Urban Ahlin on Disruptive Technology

On October 10, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security hosted an off-the-record roundtable on disruptive technologies for Mr. Urban Ahlin, Swedish Member of Parliament and foreign policy spokesperson for the Social Democratic Party of Sweden.

Peter Ho Discusses Building Actionable Foresight

On October 9, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security hosted an off-the-record roundtable discussion on building actionable foresight for urban resilience with Mr. Peter Ho, Senior Advisor for the Centre for Strategic Futures in the Republic of Singapore. 

Strategy Session with Swedish Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee

On October 7, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security hosted an off-the-record strategy session with the Swedish Parliament Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.