Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

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New Atlanticist

May 14, 2012

Priorities for the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago

By Ian Brzezinski

The Chicago Summit will be important in large part because of the context in which it takes place. That context includes: A war in Afghanistan from which both the US and Europe appear to be disengaging; Economic crises on both sides of the Atlantic that have atrophied European defense capabilities; A qualified success in Libya […]

Afghanistan NATO

Issue Brief

May 13, 2012

It’s Time to Put the Nuclear Issue Behind Us

By George Robertson, Franklin C. Miller, and Kori Schake

In a new Atlantic Council issue brief, authors Lord Robertson, Franklin C. Miller, and Kori Schake urge NATO heads of states to put nuclear issues behind them when they gather in Chicago this week. They argue that it is time to halt the internecine warfare which distracts Western national security experts, and has no obvious […]

NATO Russia

New Atlanticist

May 11, 2012

NATO and the Transatlantic Bargain

By Franklin Kramer

The United States’ recent defense strategy emphasizes a “strategic turning point” and a “broader range of challenges and opportunities.” The NATO Summit, which will be held in Chicago May 20 and 21, will offer the transatlantic countries a first opportunity to respond and two key elements will be “pivoting”—expanding the focus on the larger world […]

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

May 11, 2012

Determining Libya’s Trajectory

By Sarwar Kashmeri

Some six months after the end of the war in Libya the situation on the ground appears unstable and chaotic. Is what one sees in Libya simply the normal chaos that precedes a new state? Sarwar Kashmeri, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, speaks with Dartmouth Professor Dirk Vandewalle, a noted expert on Libya. (8.5 minutes)

Libya
Globe

Event Recap

May 9, 2012

The Future of Europe in an Interconnected and Polycentric World

By Jason Harmala

The Atlantic Council and the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) hosted a lunch debate and presentation of the European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS) report.

European Union International Organizations
Forum on the Ratification of the Law of the Sea Convention

Event Recap

May 9, 2012

Forum on the Ratification of the Law of the Sea Convention

By Adrienne Chuck

On May 9, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke to a gathering of US national security and business leaders in Washington, DC, convened by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Atlantic Council.

United States and Canada

New Atlanticist

May 9, 2012

Ballistic Missile Defense Cooperation: How the US Can Kick-Start Smart Defense

By Michael Hannan

With the shift in priorities to the Pacific and the Arabian Gulf outlined in the president’s new Defense Strategy Guidance, it is critical for the US to operationalize its international partnerships in order to further our national interests. With growing fiscal constraints faced by the United States military, we must call on historic allies and […]

Europe & Eurasia

New Atlanticist

May 4, 2012

Iran and al Qaeda: More Enemies Than Allies

By Barbara Slavin

Newly released correspondence from Osama bin Laden’s hideout in Pakistan contradicts US assertions that al-Qaeda has a close relationship with Iran. According to a US analysis of letters found in the Abbottabad compound when US Special Forces killed bin Laden a year ago, “the relationship is not one of alliance, but of indirect and unpleasant […]

Iran

New Atlanticist

May 2, 2012

Why the Obama Administration’s Drone War May Soon Reach a Tipping Point

By James Joyner

In a speech Monday at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, John Brennan, President Obama’s counter-terrorism advisor, made a forthright defense of the drone war currently being conducted against Islamic militants in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia.

Drones Technology & Innovation

New Atlanticist

May 2, 2012

Beyond OBL: Time for Bold Moves

By Shuja Nawaz

What a difference a year makes! Today school children play cricket on the ground where a year ago Osama Bin Laden lived…and died. The sun is shining in Abbottabad. But clouds fill the horizon for the United States-Pakistan relationship.

Pakistan

New Atlanticist

May 1, 2012

Chinese Navy Joins Carrier Club; Still Junior Member

By Michael Hannan

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN) continues to prepare its new aircraft carrier (SHI LANG) for operations and train a nascent cadre of naval aviators to launch and return to the deck of a moving ship. Beyond developing the day-to-day tasks involved with driving a carrier and conducting flight operations, the Chinese military must painstakingly […]

China

New Atlanticist

Apr 30, 2012

How Risky Was the Osama bin Laden Raid?

By James Joyner

CFR’s Micah Zenko asks, “How Risky Was the Osama bin Laden Raid?”

New Atlanticist

Apr 26, 2012

Afghanistan Victory Not in Sight

By James Joyner

In a speech to the Atlantic Council this week, Major General John Toolan, just returned from a year commanding NATO forces in southwestern Afghanistan, both highlighted the tremendous progress coalition forces have made since the beginning of the Afghan surge and candidly acknowledged how much work remains to be done.

Afghanistan NATO

New Atlanticist

Apr 25, 2012

Nuclear Iran Not Inevitable, Says Israel’s Defense Chief

By James Joyner

Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, the head of Israel’s military, says that Iran’s leaders have not yet decided to develop nuclear weapons and that they may well never take that step.

Iran Nuclear Nonproliferation

New Atlanticist

Apr 24, 2012

The Cruel Calendar

By Shuja Nawaz

South Asia is still struggling for some semblance of stability following last year’s turmoil. The next two years promise little respite as the effects of clashing political and economic calendars threaten to create further vortices of violence and political battles in the region.

Nuclear ICBM

New Atlanticist

Apr 23, 2012

Nuclear Weapon Reductions Must be Part of Strategic Analysis

By Henry Kissinger and Brent Scowcroft

A New START treaty reestablishing the process of nuclear arms control has recently taken effect. Combined with reductions in the U.S. defense budget, this will bring the number of nuclear weapons in the United States to the lowest overall level since the 1950s. The Obama administration is said to be considering negotiations for a new […]

Nuclear Nonproliferation Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Apr 23, 2012

‘Containment’ Not a Dirty Word When It Comes to Managing Iran

By Barbara Slavin

In recent months, as the debate over Iran’s nuclear program has become increasingly heated, US President Obama and other senior officials have insisted that “containing” Iran is not an option. Indeed, Obama assured Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in March that his policy was “prevention,” even if that required […]

Commanders Series

Apr 23, 2012

Fighting and Rebuilding in Helmand and Nimruz Provinces Revisited: A Commander’s View

By Jason Harmala

The commander of International Security Assistance Force, Regional Command Southwest (RC-SW), Major General John A. Toolan Jr., joined the Atlantic Council on April 23 for a conversation moderated by Barry Pavel, director of the Council’s Program on International Security.

Afghanistan International Security Assistance Force

New Atlanticist

Apr 18, 2012

The Kabul Blame Game

By Derek Reveron

Last weekend’s attacks in Afghanistan demonstrates that the Haqqani Network remains committed to conducting attacks, Afghan security forces are effective, and blame game politics are alive and well. Consider President Karzai’s statement: “The fact terrorists were able to enter Kabul and other provinces was an intelligence failure for us and especially for NATO.” In retort, […]

Afghanistan NATO

New Atlanticist

Apr 17, 2012

Siachen: Ten Questions

By Maleeha Lodhi

It was in April twenty-eight years ago that the seeds of the Siachen conflict were sown. This April nature struck a cruel blow when an avalanche hit the area, burying 139 Pakistani soldiers and civilian workers. The tragedy is a poignant reminder of the need to settle a long-standing, costly dispute. Because facts have been […]

India Pakistan
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