Europe & Eurasia

A Leadership Role for Greece

Roundtable discussion with Ambassador Anastasis Mitsialis, secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece On January 1, Greece will assume the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Relations Program hosted Ambassador Anastasis Mitsialis, secretary-general of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Wednesday for a roundtable discussion on […]

NATO Chief Hopes for New EU Defense Commitment

By Bryan McManus, AFP

NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen hopes EU leaders will commit to new military capabilities and cooperation at this week’s summit

NATO Commander Concerned at Russian Missile Deployment

By Sabine Siebold, Reuters

NATO’s military commander voiced concern on Tuesday at Russia’s deployment of Iskander missiles in its Baltic Sea territory of Kaliningrad

French Seek Permanent EU Defense Fund

By Hugh Carnegy, Financial Times

In an effort to put its allies on the spot, President François Hollande is poised to demand, at a Brussels summit on Thursday, that the EU sets up a permanent fund to finance operations such as France’s intervention in the Central African Republic.

Ukraine’s President Yanukovych: He Got Game

By Adrian Karatnycky

It’s been a pretty good two days for Ukraine’s embattled President Viktor Yanukovych, despite three weeks of massive protests against his reversal of plans to tighten cooperation with the European Union. Monday brought news that government-friendly candidates (most running as independents) won four out of five parliamentary by-elections, most of them in areas that should be […]

China Ascendant: Is Conflict Inevitable?

By Rajan Menon

Thucydides’ purpose in his great epic was to account for “what led to this great war falling upon the Hellenes.” He acknowledged that what we know as the Peloponnesian War was produced by many different disputes and depicted them masterfully, laying bare their specificities. But, in the opening pages, he warns us that dwelling on […]

FROM KYIV: Ukraine’s Massed Protesters Have Pushed Their Country to a Tipping Point

By Adrian Karatnycky

Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Adrian Karatnycky just returned from Ukraine’s turbulent capital, and will be analyzing the political crisis there for the New Atlanticist. His first report . . . KYIV — For twenty-six days Ukrainians have stood in protest demanding that their president, Viktor Yanukovych, reject the blandishments of autocratic Russia. Instead, they insist […]

US and NATO Allies Voice Concern over Russian Deployment of Iskander Missiles

By Steve Gutterman, Reuters

From Steve Gutterman, Reuters:  The reports caused alarm in Poland and the Baltic states, which are wary of Russian military movements after decades of dominance by the Soviet Union.

Russia Confirms Deployment of Iskander Missiles on NATO Borders

By RIA Novosti and RT

From RIA Novosti:  Russia confirmed Monday that it has deployed tactical ballistic missiles near its borders with NATO but said the move did not violate international agreements.

Turn Ukraine Back Toward the European Union

By Paula J. Dobriansky

While it is very late in the game, it is not too late to return Ukraine to the path of European integration. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, enraged by President Viktor Yanu­kovych’s recent rejection of painstakingly negotiated trade agreements with the European Union, continue to protest Yanukovych’s apparent turn toward Moscow and the corruption and cronyism […]