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Council Highlights
Frederick Kempe at Davos
Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe spoke with the BBC's Nik Gowing about his experience at Davos this year, touching on the future of American power and divergent views of capitalism after the crisis.
Hagel, Scowcroft Appointed to Department of Energy Nuclear Commission
Atlantic Council Chairman Senator Chuck Hagel and International Advisory Board Chairman Brent Scowcroft were appointed by Energy Secretary Steven Chu to a new Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future.
The Future of Iran
Jonathan Paris, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center and adjunct fellow at the London-based Legatum Institute, co-authored an editorial in the Wall Street Journal with Nazenin Ansari entitled "The Future of Iran."
FEATURED ISSUE
NATO Steps up to the Plate
Afghanistan has eroded support for NATO in Washington. An alliance that has long enjoyed strong bipartisan support is now facing bipartisan skepticism.
A Senate hearing this fall made clear that many on Capitol Hill are asking what the value of the alliance is in the future if it cannot succeed in Afghanistan today.
General David McKiernan Speaks at Council's Commanders Series
November 18, 2008General David D. McKiernan, the Commanding General of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan and NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Commander, spoke tonight at the Atlantic Council as part of the Commanders Series organized by the Council's Program on International Security. McKiernan said he was "cautiously optimistic" about growing tripartite coordination between coalition forces, Afghan national forces, and Pakistanti forces in counter-insurgency efforts.
He also outlined a three-part formula for defining success in Afghanistan: a sense of security and freedom of movement for Afghan civilians, a trustworthy government without corruption, and the start of progress in developmental standards for the future. On the last point in particular, McKiernan said that human capital is the most lacking resource in Afghanistan after thirty years of war.
Watch Video:
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| C-SPAN (1 hour, 19 minutes) |
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Department of Defense (1 minute) |
Read Transcript
Participants:
- GEN David D. McKiernan – Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan; Commander, ISAF
- Frederick Kempe – President & CEO, Atlantic Council
Related Events:
- Global Intelligence Forum Hosts CIA Director
- Reforming NATO for the 21st Century
- Ashraf Ghani on Fixing Failed States
- Council Hosts Pakistan Experts
- Kai Eide Discusses Afghanistan
- Council Hosts General David Petraeus
- General Barry McCaffrey: Report from Afghanistan
Related Commentary on New Atlanticist Blog:
- Is it Too Late for Afghanistan? – James Joyner
- Covering Intelligence is Hard – James Joyner
- Every Major Terrorist Threat Has Ties to Pakistan – James Joyner
- Obama's Afghanistan Plan – James Joyner
- Stuck in Time: The Next President Needs a New World View – Derek Reveron
- Pakistan: No Money, No Energy, No Government? – James Joyner
- Grim Prospects in Afghanistan – Donald M. Snow
- Are We Losing in Afghanistan? – Donald M. Snow
- Focusing the Spy Glass on Pakistan's ISI – Shuja Nawaz
Related Report:
Media Coverage:
- Enlisting Tribes Against Militants in Afghanistan Carries Risks – Abubakar Siddique, RFE/RL
- U.S. commander in Afghanistan has reconciliation plan – David Morgan, Reuters
- US commander hopes Obama moves quickly on Afghanistan – Agence Presse France
- U.S. troops in eastern Afghanistan won't rest for winter – Julian Barnes, Los Angeles Times
- Tribal role urged in Afghanistan – Nick Spicer, Al Jazeera English
The Commanders Series is generously supported by Saab AB.
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FEATURED EVENT
Online Security Jam: Security and Defense Agenda

From February 4 through 9, Security and Defense Agenda will host its 2010 Security Jam in partnership with the Atlantic Council.
U.S. Force Posture in Europe: Assuring Allies in an Uncertain World

On Wednesday, February 10, the Atlantic Council's International Security Program will host a conference with senior Administration officials and U.S. and European experts to assess the alternative futures for U.S. force posture in Europe.
Pakistan: Counterinsurgency and Counterterrorism

Ikram Sehgal, Chairman of Pathfinder G4S (Pakistan’s largest private security firm), will join the South Asia Center of the Atlantic Council on Thursday, February 11, for a discussion on counterinsurgency and counterterrorism in Pakistan.
FEATURED INTERVIEW
General Stéphane Abrial on Allied Command Transformation

Sarwar Kashmeri, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's International Security Program, interviewed General Stéphane Abrial, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, for the New Atlanticist Podcast Series.




















