Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

Russia Smiles

By David Smith

As America defeated Algeria to advance in the World Cup, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived in California to kick off a round of intense diplomatic activity. Smiling, he toured Silicon Valley in search of money and technology. Still smiling in Washington, he accepted US President Barack Obama’s backing for Russian membership in the World Trade […]

Afghanistan-Iraq-Iran: A three-front war?

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

There is no better illustration of the futility of the $1 trillion Iraq war than news photos of a long line of gasoline tankers lined up bumper to bumper as they leave Iraq to enter Iran. The U.N. Security Council decision to strengthen economic measures against Iran and U.S. President Barack Obama signing into law […]

Did China Just Win the Caspian Gas War?

By Alexandros Petersen

Natural gas is in the midst of a transformative moment. The advent of shale gas, the growth of seaborne liquefied natural gas (LNG), and a new “green” image for the old hydrocarbon brought more uses, attention and yes, even controversy, to global gas markets. But the world’s most influential player in all this is neither […]

Transatlantic Data Sharing: Moving Forward By Moving Backwards

By James Joyner

With a refreshing candor almost never seen from sitting officials, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and European VP for Justice Viviane Reding vowed to work together to share data on terrorism and criminal investigations while safeguarding privacy of citizens on both sides of the Atlantic.  Despite the can-do attitude, they made it clear that the U.S. […]

NATO Strategic Concept Drivers

By Harlan Ullman

Since its creation in 1949, NATO has been at one crucial crossroads or another in which the future of the alliance seemed at stake. Today, as NATO is working on a new Strategic Concept to replace the current one approved eleven years ago in 1999, the alliance must come to grips with the challenges and […]

Russian Spy Arrests: James Bond Meets Woody Allen

By Harlan Ullman

Reports of the arrests last week of 11 alleged Russian agents operating a deep cover espionage ring for Moscow Center in the heart of the United States sounded more like farce and folly than serious spying. So far no classified material has been found in the spies’ possession and the major charge against them is […]

Can NATO Be Saved?

By Sarwar Kashmeri

Sarwar Kashmeri, Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council’s International Security Program, was interviewed by Vermont Public Radio about NATO, its future, and how it could be saved by allying with the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy. You can listen to the interview using the audio player below, or read the transcript that follows. Audio […]

Central Asia: Reset Won’t Fix It

By David Smith

Cyber Attacks and Article 5

By James Joyner

As the North Atlantic Treaty Organization completes its new Strategic Concept, it should be resist expanding its guarantee of automatic response to include cyber and other unconventional attacks. Otherwise, it may fracture the alliance while, perversely, decreasing security against said actions. In a February speech to the Atlantic Council, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strongly suggested that […]

The Afghans’ War, not the Afghan War

By Derek Reveron

The confirmation of General David Petraeus as the new commander in Afghanistan has sparked renewed debate on the efficacy of counterinsurgency and the likelihood of success in Afghanistan. Though there will be a new commander in Kabul, we should not expect a new strategy.

South Caucasus on the Brink of War

By Borut Grgic

Afghan Quagmire

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

"The Endless Game" cartoon in the Financial Times showed U.S. President Barack Obama and a Taliban insurgent batting back and forth a coffin-shaped projectile over the smoking ruin of a building. Another in the International Herald Tribune has U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal boarding a U.S. transport as an Afghan soldier waves goodbye. Atop a […]

A Formula to Fix America’s Pakistan Policy

By Shuja Nawaz

The Obama administration coined a new phrase upon taking office, "AfPak," to refer to the importance of tackling Afghanistan and Pakistan’s problems in a coherent way. With the firing of General Stanley McChrystal, it’s clear the White House is reformulating its policy toward the Karzai government in Kabul. But what has happened to Pakistan policy? […]

9 Reasons U.S. is Losing in Afghanistan

By Harlan Ullman

Early in 2008, the Atlantic Council released a report over the signature of its chairman, retired U.S. Marine Gen. James L. Jones that began, “Make no mistake: NATO is not winning in Afghanistan.” After a firestorm of protest from Brussels, the word “NATO” was changed to “the international community.” Legend has it that the report […]

Deciding on an OSCE Summit

In the issue brief “Behind the Eight Ball: Deciding on an OSCE Summit,” co-authored by the Chairman of the task force, Senator Chuck Hagel, Patriciu Eurasia Center Director Ross Wilson, and Vice President and International Security Program Director Damon Wilson argue that the U.S. focus on Central Asia since 9/11 through the prism of the […]

Uncertain Kyrgyzstan: Rebalancing US policy

The international community is failing to respond in ways commensurate with the crisis

Russian Spy Ring Arrested in USA

By James Joyner

Ten Russian agents posing as Americans and living  in the suburbs of DC, New York, and Boston for a decade to glean valuable intelligence have been arrested by the FBI. Scott Shane and Charlie Savage for NYT: An F.B.I. investigation that began at least seven years ago culminated with the arrest on Sunday of 10 […]

Where Do Russia and NATO Stand Now?

By Scott Bleiweis

Ambassador Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s representative to NATO, speaks with Atlantic Council senior fellow Sarwar Kashmeri in the latest installment of the New Atlanticist Podcast Series.

Petraeus’ Afghanistan Reality

By Shuja Nawaz

President Obama’s decision to replace General Stanley McChrystal with Centcom commander General David Petraeus has unleashed a tidal wave of commentary, with expectations that the second coming of Petraeus will yield results in Afghanistan that perhaps were unattainable before. Nothing could be further from reality. Indeed, the underlying situation in Afghanistan and — don’t forget […]

McChrystal Out, Petraeus In

By James Joyner

As expected, President Obama has sacked  Stanley McChrystal, stripping him of the Afghanistan command for insubordination.  Unexpectedly, he replaced him with David Petraeus. While I’ve been critical of the administration’s handling of Afghanistan — as recently as this morning — this was a brilliant stroke.  And the speech itself struck all the right notes. I […]