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.
Michele Dunne Discusses US Credibility in Middle East in New York Times
August 24, 2012
On August 24, Michele Dunne, director of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, was part of a New York Times "Room for Debate" discussion on whether US support for Israel has hurt its credibility and influence in the Middle East. Her excerpt is available below
First, Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons or a breakthrough capability — and also any U.S. or Israeli strike that might set the program back — would have broader and more immediate implications for U.S. allies in the Gulf than for Israel itself. Concern about their stability and supply of petroleum to the global market is at least as important a consideration for and constraint on the United States as is Israel. Second, the Obama administration has lost influence over Israeli actions not because of declining American power in a broad sense, but rather as a result of a specific self-inflicted wound.
Upon entering office in 2009, President Obama decided to give Israel the cold shoulder in order to repair what he thought were damaged relations with Muslim-majority countries. Embarking on a peace initiative, Obama demanded that Israel freeze settlement construction in the Palestinian territories. Knowing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would resist, Obama should have visited the country and put his case before Israeli legislators and other citizens. But although he visited Riyadh, Cairo and Istanbul that year, he pointedly left Jerusalem off his itinerary. The rest is history: Netanyahu refused the settlement freeze, earning the plaudits not only of most Israelis but also of many in the U.S. Congress. Obama backed down, and eventually he dropped efforts at Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Thus an ill-considered effort to gain greater influence in the Middle East by distancing the United States from Israel left the president in a position in which Israelis neither love nor fear him. Arabs, to boot, are extremely disappointed in Obama and inclined not to take him seriously. If Obama wins a second term, he will have to try to rebuild his credibility in the Middle East. Meanwhile, whether or not to strike Iran, or to support Israel in doing so, is not a decision that the United States should back into simply because the Obama administration has mishandled Israel.
Read the rest of the debate on NYTimes.com
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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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