Featured Publications
Labor, Technology, and Innovation in Europe: Facing Global Risk through Increased Resiliency
The Political Kaleidoscope Turns Again in Crisis-Challenged Iran: 2013 Elections
The Trilateral Bond: Mapping a New Era for Latin America, the United States, and Europe
Egypt's Litigious Transition: Judicial Intervention and the Muddied Road to Democracy
A New Deal: Reforming US Defense Cooperation with Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: Ambitious but Achievable
Time to Move from Tactics to Strategy on Iran
Council News
Barry Pavel on NATO in a New Security Landscape (Federal News Radio)
Barry Pavel, Atlantic Council vice president and director of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, joins Federal News Radio to speak about why America's rebalance to Asia and the Middle East makes our relationship with European countries and NATO different.
Frederic Hof Discusses G8 Talks on Syria Conflict (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Frederic C. Hof, senior fellow with the Hariri Middle East Center, appeared on Australia’s primetime news program to discuss the G8 countries’ talks on the Syria conflict, the Obama administration’s plans to arm the Syrian opposition while seeking a negotiated settlement, and the broader regional implications of the Syria conflict.
James Joyner on Intelligence Oversight (The National Interest)
Atlantic Council managing editor James Joyner asks in The National Interest, "Why Should Congress and the Courts Care About Snooping If Citizens Don't?"
J. Peter Pham Discusses Al-Qaeda Franchise’s MANPADS Manual (CNN)
J. Peter Pham, director of the Atlantic Council’s Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, was interviewed by Brian Todd on CNN’s Situation Room in a segment on the discovery of evidence in northern Mali that al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) may have acquired surface-to-air missiles.
Ansari Africa Center
The Atlantic Council established the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center in September 2009 with a mission to promote strong geopolitical partnerships with African states and to redirect US and European policy priorities towards strengthening economic growth and prosperity on the continent.
The Africa Center provides thought leadership on emerging security, geopolitical, and economic challenges in Africa through congressional testimony, publications, briefings, events, and a robust media presence. The Center assists policymakers in addressing the complex security challenges facing Africa, including the problems of state collapse; humanitarian crises; piracy; the growing nexus between extremism and criminality in West Africa and the Sahel; the ongoing political transitions in North Africa; ongoing challenges in Central and Southern Africa; and the growing impact of Islamist extremism on African polities and economies. Within the context of the Atlantic Council’s work to promote constructive US leadership and engagement in international affairs, the Center supports and collaborates with the public and private sectors in forging practical solutions to challenges and opportunities—particularly economic opportunities—in Africa. The Center seeks to persuade policymakers and the public sector of the strategic importance of Africa while analyzing the efforts of new actors on the continent—including China, India, Brazil and Turkey—and their impact on US and European interests. In its newest initiative, to be launched in 2013, the Center will inform decisions about participating in Africa's economic and commercial opportunities by engaging in a collaborative partnership to create an innovative real-time African Investment Scorecard.
Over the course of the past year, the Africa Center has provided an important platform for assessing and revising US policy toward Sudan and South Sudan and has been at the cutting edge of analysis on the growth of extremism in the Sahel and West Africa as well as the fragile progress being made in Somalia. In addition to ongoing work on these specific geopolitical challenges, the Center’s programming focuses on five policy initiatives: Influencing African Security Policy, African Prosperity, Emerging Economic Powers in Africa, Conversations with African Leaders, and Leaders of Tomorrow.
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
To join the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center mailing list, email africa@acus.org.
NEW LOCATION
The Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East and the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center are located in the Atlantic Council’s Satellite Office at 888 16th Street, NW | 8th Floor | Washington, DC 20005.
Conflict and Opportunity on the Nile
J. Peter Pham | June 19, 2013
Last week, Ethiopia’s parliament unanimously ratified a treaty with five of its neighbors that opens the way for broad regional cooperation on the use of the waters of the Nile River.
IntelBrief: Obama and Africa: Too Little, Too Late?
June 18, 2013
In the latest in the series of “IntelBriefs” on African security issues being produced by the Atlantic Council’s Michael S. Ansari Africa Center in partnership with the Soufan Group, an international strategic consultancy, Africa Center Deputy Director Bronwyn Bruton and Intern Sam Fishman assess the potential for further engagement between the United States and Africa in light of President Barack Obama's upcoming trip to Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania.
Bronwyn Bruton Speaks on Somali Piracy at the World Bank
June 13, 2013
Bronwyn Bruton, deputy director of the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, spoke at an event launching the World Bank’s newly released report, The Pirates of Somalia: Ending the Threat, Rebuilding a Nation.
J. Peter Pham Discusses Al-Qaeda Franchise’s MANPADS Manual (CNN)
June 12, 2013J. Peter Pham, director of the Atlantic Council’s Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, was interviewed by Brian Todd on CNN’s Situation Room in a segment on the discovery of evidence in northern Mali that al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) may have acquired surface-to-air missiles.
J. Peter Pham Interviewed about Somali Piracy (NPR)
June 03, 2013J. Peter Pham, director of the Atlantic Council’s Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, was interviewed by Robert Siegel on recent trends in piracy off the coast of Somalia for today’s edition of the NPR’s All Things Considered.
J. Peter Pham Discusses African Union (VOA)
June 03, 2013J. Peter Pham, director of the Atlantic Council’s Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, was interviewed by Carol Castiel on the fiftieth anniversary of the African Union (AU) and its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity, as well as the security challenges that were discussed at recent AU summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for this week’s edition of the Voice of America’s Encounter.
Rudolph Atallah Discusses AQIM's Internal Strife with Terrorist Leader (CNN)
May 30, 2013Rudolph Atallah, senior fellow in the Atlantic Council’s Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, was featured on CNN with Barbara Starr to discuss the inner workings of the al-Qaeda branch in North Africa, including a letter from its leaders to terrorist Mokhtar Belmokhtar indicitating their dissatisfaction with his performance.
Crisis in the Sahel: Trafficking
Rudolph Atallah | May 28, 2013
Organized crime—especially various forms of smuggling and narco-trafficking—is the lifeblood of the vast under-governed expanse of the Sahara. It is within this largely decentralized and politically corrupt milieu that terrorists and criminals work together to access weapons and money to sustain their symbiotic operations.
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FEATURED EVENTS
The Chinese Cyber Challenge: How to Address the Growing Threat
On June 24, the Brent Scowcroft Center of the Atlantic Council will host a panel discussion on the most recent claims of Chinese cyber espionage and the implications of this threat for the US-China relationship and China's ties with its neighbors in Asia.
US-Iran Cultural Engagement: A Cost Effective Boon to US National Security
On June 27, the Atlantic Council’s Iran Task Force will launch a new issue brief by Ramin Asgard and Barbara Slavin entitled US-Iran Cultural Engagement: A Cost Effective Boon to US National Security, along with a public briefing on people-to-people exchanges with Iran.
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