Scowcroft Center Commentary & Analysis

Manning and Przystup: Obama-Abe Summit should Overcome Dangerous ‘Mirror-Image Trust Gap’

By Robert A. Manning and James Przystup

As U.S. President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gear up for a timely summit, a festering sense of uncertainty and unease stalks the U.S.-Japan alliance as it approaches a critical juncture. After an exciting first year marked by renewed economic dynamism and impressive efforts to enhance Japan’s global strategic posture, Abe’s pragmatic streak […]

Bitcoin and the Future of Currency

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Pinning down exactly what Bitcoin is like identifying Superman in old comics. Legal, financial, and political experts approach the issue from different angles—labeling Bitcoin into categories which established governments and institutions can understand and control. Meanwhile, technologists and innovators view virtual currencies as nothing less than a […]

Corporate Strategy Forum Discusses Next Military-Industrial Revolution

Three years into an “age of austerity” in Western military spending, expectations are building for a wave of restructuring in the defense industry, similar to what followed the end of the Cold War. Just as before, fundamental change to the context for international security is resetting customers’ expectations, investors’ outlooks, and, in turn, corporate strategies.

Senator Warner Discusses Ukraine, Transatlantic Policy, and American Domestic Debates

After several years in which the Defense Department has struggled with continuing resolutions and budget uncertainty, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the interplay of such budget battles — particularly over defense — and geopolitical developments. US Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) spoke on this intersection of America’s domestic politics and its international power at an […]

General Amos Discusses Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Marine Corps

In an era of divergent threats and decreased budgets, the US military is pressed to formulate an overarching strategy that maximizes the limited resources available. The US Marine Corps, the nation’s smallest military branch, will have to confront these challenges with a smaller end-strength level around 175,000 and twenty-one Marine infantry combat battalions. Commandant of […]

European Energy Security and the Ukraine Crisis

The Atlantic Council, Grupa Lotos, and the Embassy of Poland to the United States were delighted to host host General James. L Jones, Chairman of the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, former Supreme Allied Commander, and former United States National Security Advisor for a discussion of European Energy Security.  

The Future of US-Korea Alliance and Extended Deterrence in East Asia

The US-Republic of Korea Defense Treaty, which continues to serve as the cornerstone of the bilateral alliance and underwrite its central role in Washington’s rebalance strategy to the Asia-Pacific, marked its 60th anniversary in 2013. Through extended deterrence and the full range of conventional and nuclear US military capabilities, the United States remains dedicated to […]

Crafting Public Diplomacy for an Urbanized World

On March 20, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, in partnership with the US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, hosted a roundtable focusing on the future of public diplomacy in the context of global trends. Titled Crafting Public Diplomacy for an Urbanized World, the roundtable examined how the US government, through public […]