Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

Roundtable on US-Russia Relations and Mutually Assured Stability

By Jason Harmala

On April 5, the Atlantic Council held a meeting with a senior experts team, led by Ellen Tauscher, vice chair of the Brent Scowcroft Center, and Igor Ivanov, president of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC). The Atlantic Council will be undertaking a joint project with RIAC—a new initiative to help reframe US-Russian relations from […]

Why Less Is More on the Korean Peninsula

By Rajan Menon

On February 12, North Korea conducted its third nuclear weapons test. The UN tightened existing economic sanctions in response. Since then, the Korean peninsula has become an even more dangerous place than usual. Now that’s saying a lot. There’s no place on earth that, per square mile, contains more soldiers and armaments.

Methane Hydrates: A Second Gas Revolution?

By Robert Manning

Speculation is rampant that a new gas cornucopia is coming. After a successful Japanese experiment to extract natural gas from methane hydrates 1,000 meters below the surface and 50 miles off its shores, some are beginning to wonder if the “shale revolution” was just the beginning. But don’t hold your breath. There is no question […]

The Measured Madness of North Korea

By Rajan Menon

You’ve got to hand it to North Korea’s young leader Kim Jong-un: the man is a past master at panic promotion. He learned from the master, his dad, Kim “Dear Leader” Jong-il, whose tantrums, threats, and theatrics routinely rattled South Korea, Japan, and the United States. The reactions that followed were invariably the same: the […]

An Inconvenient or Irritating Truth: Applying Law to the New Face of Modern Warfare

By Jason Thelen

In war, there are rules. Some were written long ago in treaties. Others are found in binding customs written in volumes of commentary compiled over time. The point is that these rules can all be found in written form to cite and to reference. They can be used to describe who can be targeted in […]

Kurdish Leader: End Armed Struggle

By Ross Wilson

Turkey’s long-time nemesis Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the so-called Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), delivered an historic message on the March 21 Nowruz holiday that marks the beginning of spring calling for a new beginning between Kurds and Turks.

Bolstering Jordan to Enhance Regional Security

By John Raidt and Jeffrey Lightfoot

President Barack Obama can significantly bolster regional security and advance US interests in his upcoming trip to the Middle East by offering increased support to Jordan to help it cope with the highly consequential spillover effects of the conflict in Syria. The influx of 3,000 refugees per day into Jordan from Syria—including an unknown number […]

Experts Discuss Feasibility of Expanding NATO’s Global Partnerships

On March 20, 2013, the Atlantic Council held an event to launch the newest report by Atlantic Council Distinguished Fellow Franklin D. Kramer entitled “NATO Global Partnerships: Strategic Opportunities and Imperatives in a Globalized World.”

Conference Call: Implications of the Obama Administration’s Missile Defense Announcement

By Jason Harmala

On March 19, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security held a conference call on the implications of the Obama administration’s March 15 announcement regarding changes to US missile defense plans and deployments.

Muddling Through from One NATO Ministerial to Another

By Isabelle Francois

NATO Defense Ministers recently met for their periodic discussions on allied capabilities and operations, and engaged with their counterparts from partner countries to discuss the way ahead in Afghanistan. Automatic US budget cuts which went into effect on March 1st were looming large. The Pentagon spokesman, George Little, announced on the eve of the ministerial […]