Scowcroft Center Commentary & Analysis

Keynote Remarks: NATO in an Era of Global Competition

The Ukraine crisis serves as a stark reminder that peace and stability in Europe cannot be taken for granted, according to Norwegian Minister of Defense Ine Eriksen Søreide, during her keynote address at the Atlantic Council’s NATO in an Era of Global Competition conference. On Russia, she explained, “NATO has a neighbor that has demonstrated […]

Opening Remarks: NATO in an Era of Global Competition

On June 25, General Brent Scowcroft, former US national security advisor and current opened the Atlantic Council’s conference on NATO in an Era of Global Competition with remarks on NATO’s continued importance and the need for the Alliance “to adjust to a world that is endlessly and rapidly changing, beset by forces we’ve never really […]

Working Group on Emerging Technologies and Innovation in the Gulf

As Paul Saffo, a senior fellow with the Brent Scowcroft Center and noted futurist, said, we have moved on from a consumer economy to a creative economy where makers and doers produce high economic and societal value with original ideas. Three-dimensional printing, do-it-yourself biology, and crowd-sourced ventures are just a few examples of this transformative […]

Transition Seminar for NATO Secretary General-designate Stoltenberg

At a time when NATO is challenged by Russia’s continuing destabilization of Ukraine, faces a wide array of asymmetric security challenges, and seeks to navigate the transition in Afghanistan, the Alliance is also gearing up for a new Secretary General to lead NATO through this changing era of global competition and regional tensions.

NATO’s Challenges and Opportunities: An Italian Perspective

Given its key geopolitical location by the Mediterranean, Italy is often first among the NATO allies to experience the consequences of unrest and political instability in North Africa and the Middle East. Along with its substantial contributions to Operation Unified Protector over Libya, Italy is one of the Alliance’s most important voices in formulating Alliance […]

Conference Call: Debrief on Obama’s Trip to Europe and the NATO Defense Ministerial 6/11

Given Russia’s continuing destabilization of Ukraine, President Obama began the month of June in Europe reaching out to reassure America’s European allies of the United States and NATO’s resolute commitment to the defense and security of Europe. The President’s trip to Poland, Belgium, and France culminated in the announcement of the European Reassurance Initiative. This […]

Estonian Chief of Defense Private Strategy Session

Since the inception of the Ukraine crisis, Estonia has played a critical role in enhancing security on NATO’s eastern border, including hosting a large-scale NATO exercise, STEADFAST JAVELIN 1, which tested allied forces on their ability to work together as well as maintaining NATO’s readiness and combat effectiveness.

China and America: At a Dangerous Tipping Point

By Robert A. Manning, James Clad

The notion of a cooperative U.S.-Chinese economic relationship, balanced by security hedging, has run aground. Just a year ago, presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping met in California and, in shirtsleeves, proclaimed a “new type of major-power relationship.” A noble aspiration, perhaps. But in the interim, such stage-managed optimism has been dangerously overtaken by a […]