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New Atlanticist

May 2, 2012

Beyond OBL: Time for Bold Moves

By Shuja Nawaz

What a difference a year makes! Today school children play cricket on the ground where a year ago Osama Bin Laden lived…and died. The sun is shining in Abbottabad. But clouds fill the horizon for the United States-Pakistan relationship.

Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Apr 30, 2012

Pakistan: The Hotel California of World Politics

By Julian Lindley-French

Pakistan is a nuclear power with a population of some 187 million of whom between 25 and 30 percent live below the UN-defined poverty line situated in just about the most fraught place on the planet. This weekend’s tragic and brutal murder of Red Cross aid worker Khalil Dale has once again brought home how […]

Afghanistan Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Apr 26, 2012

Afghanistan Victory Not in Sight

By James Joyner

In a speech to the Atlantic Council this week, Major General John Toolan, just returned from a year commanding NATO forces in southwestern Afghanistan, both highlighted the tremendous progress coalition forces have made since the beginning of the Afghan surge and candidly acknowledged how much work remains to be done.

Afghanistan NATO

New Atlanticist

Apr 24, 2012

If Socialist Wins France, European Union Will Be ‘Irrelevant’

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

Award-winning journalist Arnaud de Borchgrave tells Jim Meyers and John Bachman of Newsmax that French President Nicolas Sarkozy will “squeak through” his upcoming election and remain in office, but a Sarkozy loss would lead to a decline of the European Union that could render it “irrelevant.”

Afghanistan European Union

Commanders Series

Apr 23, 2012

Fighting and Rebuilding in Helmand and Nimruz Provinces Revisited: A Commander’s View

By Jason Harmala

The commander of International Security Assistance Force, Regional Command Southwest (RC-SW), Major General John A. Toolan Jr., joined the Atlantic Council on April 23 for a conversation moderated by Barry Pavel, director of the Council’s Program on International Security.

Afghanistan International Security Assistance Force

New Atlanticist

Apr 19, 2012

Lost in Space: NASA’s Sixty-three Million Dollar Russian Taxi Rides

By Arnaud de Borchgrave

The Space Shuttle Discovery flying piggyback on a Boeing 747 for its “Last Hurrah” flight around the Washington Monument and the White House was a grim reminder of misplaced and misspent priorities. The storied 30-year space shuttle program, which began with the launch of Columbia, April 12, 1981, ended last July, when Atlantis landed back […]

Afghanistan

New Atlanticist

Apr 18, 2012

The Kabul Blame Game

By Derek Reveron

Last weekend’s attacks in Afghanistan demonstrates that the Haqqani Network remains committed to conducting attacks, Afghan security forces are effective, and blame game politics are alive and well. Consider President Karzai’s statement: “The fact terrorists were able to enter Kabul and other provinces was an intelligence failure for us and especially for NATO.” In retort, […]

Afghanistan NATO

New Atlanticist

Apr 17, 2012

Siachen: Ten Questions

By Maleeha Lodhi

It was in April twenty-eight years ago that the seeds of the Siachen conflict were sown. This April nature struck a cruel blow when an avalanche hit the area, burying 139 Pakistani soldiers and civilian workers. The tragedy is a poignant reminder of the need to settle a long-standing, costly dispute. Because facts have been […]

India Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Apr 17, 2012

Demilitarization of the Siachen Conflict Zone: Challenges and Prospects

By Gurmeet Kanwal

The death of 124 Pakistani soldiers and 14 civilians in an avalanche in the Siachen conflict zone has once again brought to the fore the dangers of the continued deployment by India and Pakistan to safeguard the Actual Ground Position Line, despite the fact that an informal cease-fire has been holding up quite well since […]

Pakistan

New Atlanticist

Apr 16, 2012

Cheapening NATO’s Security Promise Weakens It

By James Joyner

After an incident last week in which two Syrians were killed by Assad regime forces while attempting to flee to safety in Turkey, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan declared that “NATO has a responsibility to protect Turkish borders.”

Afghanistan NATO

Experts