Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

Explore the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s latest insights, commentary, articles, media hits, and in-depth reports

All commentary & analysis

New Atlanticist

Dec 28, 2008

Taliban Shadow Government Nears Kabul

By James Joyner

The Taliban is in de facto control of an increasing part of Afghanistan, Jason Straziuso and Amir Shah report for the AP. The Taliban has long operated its own shadow government in the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan, but its power is now spreading north to the doorstep of Kabul, according to Associated Press interviews […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Dec 28, 2008

Euro at 10

By James Joyner

The euro turns ten with the new year and the tributes are rolling out.    An AP “Euro at a Glance” piece shows the vital statistics: • The euro zone currently encompasses 15 countries with a combined population of 320 million and a 16.4 percent share of world gross domestic product.

New Atlanticist

Dec 27, 2008

Pakistan Readies for War with India

By James Joyner

Pakistan is reportedly moving large numbers of troops to its border with India and canceling leave for soldiers.  At the same time, however, it is signaling that it wishes very much to avoid war.

Pakistan
STOCK India-Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Dec 26, 2008

Pakistan Scales Down Anti-Terrorist Operations

By James Joyner

Pakistan has diverted troops away from anti-terrorist operations in order to safeguard against an attack from India.  Meanwhile, India and Saudi Arabia are calling for “joint action” against terrorists.  BBC: The Pakistani military has scaled down its operations against Islamist militants in the north-west following tensions with India, officials say.

Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Dec 26, 2008

Bypassing NATO?: Ukraine and Georgia Seek to Strengthen Ties with U.S.

By Peter Cassata

Will the U.S. extend security guarantees to Georgia and Ukraine on a bilateral basis?  With NATO MAPs not on the table for the foreseeable future, pacts with the U.S. are emerging in both countries.  However, Ukraine’s is nonbinding, and as my colleague James Joyner points out, Georgia’s seems largely symbolic.  RFE/RL ran two articles about […]

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Dec 25, 2008

Geogia-U.S. Accord: Better than Nothing

By James Joyner

The United States and Georgia will sign a “strategic partnership treaty” in the New Year, AFP reports. “Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Grigol Vashadze and the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will sign a strategic partnership treaty on January 4 in Washington,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Khatuna Iosava told AFP. 

The Caucasus

New Atlanticist

Dec 24, 2008

Islamic Banks Surge, Thanks to Financial Crisis

By James Joyner

One unexpected byproduct of the global financial crisis has been a boom for Islamic banks.  AP business writer Emma Vandore explains: France is becoming the latest country to woo Islamic banks, which avoided much of the damage from the subprime mortgage crisis by following strict principles laid out in the Quran — as the global […]

STOCK - Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Dec 23, 2008

U.S. Will Fund Militias in Afghanistan

By Peter Cassata

Echoing similar measures used in Iraq, the U.S. will begin funding militias in remote areas of Afghanistan to help fight the Taliban. 

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Dec 23, 2008

Paris Mayor Doesn’t Write Letter, NYT Publishes Anyway

By James Joyner

The New York Times yesterday published a letter by Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris, assailing Caroline Kennedy’s status as apparent frontrunner for the Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton.  The author termed it “surprising and not very democratic, to say the least.” 

New Atlanticist

Dec 23, 2008

India-Pakistan Walking Line Between War and Peace

By James Joyner

India is playing it close to the vest with information on last month’s deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai.  Interpol secretary general Ronald Nobel says that his agency has been kept out of the loop, BBC reports.

India
Afghanistan's Ring Road

New Atlanticist

Dec 22, 2008

Surge Strategy in Afghanistan

By Peter Cassata

Hopes are high that a new Afghanistan strategy and 30,000 extra U.S. troops will prove to be a turning point in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, much as similar measures changed the nature of the counterinsurgency in Iraq. 

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Dec 19, 2008

Fighting Poverty with Profit

By James Joyner

Alan Wood argues that it’s time to rethink how we fight poverty in the developing world, shifting from aid to profit-based approaches.  Quite a while ago, trade and development economist Peter Bauer (1915-2002) of the London School of Economics famously remarked that aid was a transfer of wealth from poor people in rich countries to […]

Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Dec 18, 2008

NATO a House Divided Against Itself?

By James Joyner

NATO must “find a political voice or collapse,” says Times of London defense editor Michael Evans.  “It has become so multi-tasked, so desperate to get involved in everything from cyber warfare to anti-piracy and missile defence, let alone a hugely draining and complex campaign in Afghanistan, that it has lost its way.”

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Dec 16, 2008

EU Piracy Force Given Green Light to Sink Ships

By Peter Cassata

“Robust” is the word now being used to describe the EU’s mandate for its new anti-piracy mission, Operation Atalanta, in Somalia’s treacherous waters.  With NATO’s Operation Allied Provider officially ending last Friday, news is beginning to leak about Atalanta’s rules of engagement. 

European Union International Organizations

New Atlanticist

Dec 15, 2008

Chinese Wisdom on the Financial Crisis

By Derek Reveron

James Fallows in this month’s Atlantic brings a Chinese view to the global financial crisis and planned U.S. economic stimulus plans. Based on an interview with the President of the China Investment Corporation, Gao Xiquing, China offers some words of wisdom to the incoming Obama administration as it attempts to restart the U.S. economy—be nice; […]

New Atlanticist

Dec 12, 2008

China on a Diet as Consumption Drops?

By Peter Cassata

Figures published Wednesday on China’s economy show the country doing worse than the World Bank previously anticipated, boding poorly for China’s chances of avoiding the global downturn as well as for the West’s hopes of possible bailout assistance from Asia. 

Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Dec 11, 2008

Fixing NATO

By James Joyner

“What About NATO?” asks an unsigned Economist editorial, with the ambitious subhead “How the alliance should move forward.” Its premise is that the Georgia crisis demonstrated NATO’s lack of will to stand up to Russian aggression and created serious doubts among the Alliance’s new members, especially “Poles, Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians” and that therefore “NATO’s […]

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Dec 10, 2008

How Special is the Special Relationship?

By James Joyner

Retired brigadier and author Allan Mallinson writes in the Times of London that the special relationship between the UK and the US “needs repair work.”

United Kingdom

New Atlanticist

Dec 9, 2008

Counterterrorism Strategy Reboot

By Bernard Finel

Here is a paradox to consider: The implementation of the Bush Administration’s counter-terrorism strategy has been more successful than anyone could have expected and yet the threat from violent jihadist groups remains undiminished. 

New Atlanticist

Dec 8, 2008

Jones Continues to Draw Praise

By James Joyner

Atlantic Council chairman and National Security Advisor-designee Jim Jones continues to get widespread plaudits.  While Hillary Clinton is a household name and Bob Gates is an incumbent getting widespread praise for his performance, Jones is a relative unknown outside establishment circles.  

Load More

Newsletter

Stay connected with us by signing up for our weekly newsletter “The Strategist” to be notified of all upcoming events, new publications, recent media hits, and exclusive updates within the Scowcroft Center:

The Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security works to develop sustainable, nonpartisan strategies to address the most important security challenges facing the United States and the world.

Learn more