The Atlanticist

Maritime Shock and Awe Won't Fix Piracy

James Easaw — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:00:00 -0500

The rash of ships hijacked in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden has focused the international community’s efforts to put an end to the scourge of piracy off the Somali coast. But eradicating piracy once and for all will require more than tough talk, sending in a few warships, and establishing shipping lanes that commercial ships must transit through if they want protection.

Improving Our Maritime Vision

David Sagunsky — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:10:50 -0500

Pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia and the sea-borne infiltration of terrorists into Mumbai are graphic (and recent) reminders why maritime domain awareness — being aware of activity occurring on or under the water that has a direct impact on a country's safety and security — matters. Transatlantic cooperation has already succeeding in making the Mediterranean a safer place. Now it is time to direct our attention further afield.

Georgia in NATO — It Just Makes Sense

David Smith — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:59:38 -0500

NATO foreign ministers will meet in Brussels today to, in the words of the April 3 NATO Bucharest Summit Statement, “make a first assessment” on Georgia’s quest for membership in the alliance. In the aftermath of Russia’s August attack on Georgia, a Membership Action Plan (MAP) is not now politically possible.

State Capitalism on the Rise?

James OConnor — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:57:55 -0500

The rise in attractiveness of “State Capitalism” development models is cited as a potential consequence of the increasing economic power of Russia and particularly China in the latest report from the National Intelligence Council, Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World.

General James Jones: Seasoned Leader, Strategic Thinker, and Statesman

The Council — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:40:31 -0500

General James L. Jones, chairman of the Atlantic Council, was appointed this morning by President-elect Barack Obama as the 21st National Security Advisor.

Polls: Dealing with Russia, Predicting Mumbai Fallout

James Joyner — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:03:33 -0500

Our previous poll, "How should the U.S. and Europe address concerns over Russia?" drew surprisingly similar responses on both sides of the Atlantic, with solid majorities in both the U.S. and abroad preferring offering more integration in exchange for cooperation and only a third preferring a significantly harder line.

Obama's Foreign Policy Shift

James Joyner — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:24:11 -0500

We're about to see a great shift in resources from the military to other actors, David Sanger argues.

Mumbai Attacks Must Bring India and Pakistan Closer

Derek Reveron — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:05:06 -0500

As mourning of the Mumbai attack continues, one thing is certain—intelligence cooperation between India and the rest of the world must increase. This is not only due to the transnational nature of terrorism, but also because states increasingly rely on international cooperation to combat terrorism.

Mumbai Attacks Sophisticated but Likely Not al Qaeda

James Joyner — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 08:01:07 -0500

A previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahedeen has claimed responsibility for the horrific attacks in Mumbai. While these attacks came during a period when Western intelligence chiefs were "expecting an al Qaeda spectacular terrorist attack" and came just hours after the FBI warned that al Qaeda may be "targetting New York's subways and railroads," the best guess of terrorism experts is that the Mumbai attacks were the work of local groups.

Has Terrorism Lost its Sex Appeal?

Nicholas Siegel — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 06:52:21 -0500

A few years ago I sat at a friend’s kitchen table on a cool summer evening in Dublin, Ireland. I don’t visit there very often, so I inevitably wanted to catch up on Irish sports, the music community, as well as the political scene of a country that, for its size, is well adept at making world headlines.