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Robert Diamond Named President and Deputy Chief Group Officer of Barclays PLC
Atlantic Council Board member Robert E. Diamond Jr. will succeed John Varley as President and Deputy Chief Group Officer of Barclays PLC, effective 1 October 2010.
Senator Hagel Interview: Hagel May Have Left Senate Behind, But Not His Candor About Politics
Atlantic Council chairman Chuck Hagel was featured in an article by Michael Coleman of The Washington Diplomat, providing insight Senator Hagel's post-Senate career, and opinions on Iraq, Afghanistan, and the upcoming elections.
Nawaz Offers Views on Changing Pakistani Perceptions of U.S.
Shuja Nawaz, Director of the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center, was interviewed on The Takeaway morning radio news program on the Pakistan flood situation. The discussion focused on the U.S. being the single largest donor of aid, and the potential for Pakistanis to shift their perceptions of America. Nawaz insists that the U.S. should stay the course with aid to Pakistan, but warns of the long-term effects of America's goodwill, stating that "changing image takes a long time."
Atlantic Council Board Member Tom Blair Releases Book "Poorer Richard's America"
In his new book "Poorer Richard's America: What Would Ben Say?", Atlantic Council Board member Tom Blair writes as Ben Franklin on a wide range of issues affecting America today: the national deficit, Wall Street, health care, and many others.
FEATURED ISSUE
Wars fundamentally change militaries. For example, the bloody and muddy stalemate of World War I led defeated Germany to invest in the innovative use of armor and firepower to break that stalemate. The U.S. experience in Vietnam led to the rise of the professional and all-volunteer force that is now fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Tony Blair: President of Europe?
James Joyner | July 02, 2009
Tony Blair is reportedly opening campaigning for the yet-to-be-created position of European President. Sweden and Spain are quietly trying to thwart him.
Ian Traynor for The Guardian:
Senior officials in Stockholm, which assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the EU today, said they feared a President Blair would be a divisive figure, triggering friction between small and large European countries, and added that José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Spanish prime minister, was even more strongly opposed to Blair securing the post and usurping Madrid's running of the union next year.
The decision to appoint a new sitting European president, for a maximum of five years, is to be taken before the end of the year if Ireland votes yes in October in a referendum on the Lisbon treaty streamlining the way the EU is run and also creating the new post.
Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish prime minister, made clear his aversion to Blair securing the plum post, without mentioning the former prime minister by name. "The small countries don't want a strong leader because they fear he will be run by the big [EU] countries," said Reinfeldt.
European governments had to decide whether the post ought to be turned into "a strong leader for Europe" or whether the president's role should be limited to chairing EU summits and "not putting the [European] commission president in the shadow," said the Swedish prime minister. It was clear he preferred the latter role, a lower profile and less influential function that would probably be less attractive to Blair.
The report goes on to note that Germany's Angela Merkel has similar reservations while France's Nicolas Sarkozy is a supporter of both Blair and a strong presidency.
On first blush, it seems quite odd that the Lisbon Treaty would be on course for unanimous ratification while several of the states ratifying it are opposed to one of its key provisions. The problem, however, is that offices have both express powers as well as implied powers and that the first occupant can create precedents that shape the latter.
Under a strict reading of the U.S. Constitution, the American president is clearly subordinate to the Congress. George Washington, however, greatly expanded upon the prerogatives of the office by asserting a doctrine of inherent powers. Because of his reputation and personal authority, he was able to permanently enlarge the office. Subsequent office holders, notably Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt, did the same during times of extreme national crisis. As a consequence, the president is not only the most powerful figure in the American political system but is widely considered to be the "leader of the free world."
A President Blair would undoubtedly be a strong force for asserting EU power over its member states. A less charismatic and well known figure would be far less likely to have the ability to do that.
James Joyner is managing editor of the Atlantic Council. AP Photo.
Comments
At the same time, Blair is a symbol of a national political culture that is too much of what the EU isn't-- not a Eurozone member, reluctant social charter supporter, poster-child of free wielding capital, etc. To add insult to injury, Blair is too much a symbol of an extremely divisive era in intra-EU (not to mention transatlantic relations).
It is also important to note that recent reports have stated that the French have been disappointed with Blair's rather lackluster performance as Quartet Special Envoy (despite forementioned charisma) and have switched their support to Felipe Gonzalez.
Something tells me that the political centers of gravity in Europe make the possibility of a Blair presidency rather unlikely.
To be honest I thought about this possibility once. I've been paying attention on how Blair handles politics and I would say he is a very strategic man. Blair rewards is the proof of that, as a politician I think Blair would handle the pressure...
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