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222. Conflicting Policy Presumptions about Cyber security: Cyber–Prophets, –Priests, –Detectives, and –Designers, and Strategies for a Cybered World
- Author:
- Chris Demchak
- Publication Date:
- 08-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- A spate of attacks from both state and nonstate actors have provoked other Western nations to join the United States in emphasizing cyber security as a national security priority. As noted by Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn last July, any peer state, proxy organization, or skilled group of close friends anywhere in the world with unfettered internet access is able to attack in milliseconds due to the global, open, and easy nature of the world's now huge telecommunications systems. The world of "cybered conflict" is one in which even the part-time foreign attacker can to an unprecedented degree flexibly choose the scale, proximity, and precision of any attempted attack. They can at their leisure aim at any state's military, government or commercial networks, or those of any of our allies, or associates.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Science and Technology, and Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- United States
223. The Iran Stalemate and the Need for Strategic Patience
- Author:
- Barbara Slavin
- Publication Date:
- 11-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- Seventeen months after disputed presidential elections, the Iranian government has forced opposition protestors off the streets but continues to face an unprecedented crisis of legitimacy that is undermining its capacity to implement effective domestic and foreign policies.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iran, and Middle East
224. Save NATO: Merge it with CSDP
- Author:
- Sarwar A. Kashmeri
- Publication Date:
- 11-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- General Brent Scowcroft, dean of the American foreign policy establishment, has proposed a deceptively simple test to determine whether NATO is still relevant. His test is a question: "What is NATO for? "
- Topic:
- Defense Policy and Reform
- Political Geography:
- United States, Europe, and North America
225. Missile Defense in NATO: A French Perspective
- Author:
- Bruno Gruselle
- Publication Date:
- 11-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- In France, missile defense comes with a long and complicated history. When the U.S. Congress passed the "National Missile Defense Act of 1999," which called for the development and deployment of a U.S. national missile defense system, Paris reacted negatively. At that time, France still considered missile defense to be both unnecessary and destabilizing. French policy makers still considered the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty and the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction to be the cornerstones of strategic stability. French thinkers viewed missile defense as jeopardizing both the doctrine and the Treaty, as well as risking a new arms race with Russia.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Nuclear Weapons
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, Europe, France, and North America
226. NATO Missile Defense: Is Europe Ready?
- Author:
- Edgar Buckley
- Publication Date:
- 11-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- No wonder everyone looks forward to a positive decision on making territorial missile defense a NATO task at the upcoming Lisbon Summit. Allies will breathe a collective sigh of relief for two reasons. First, proliferation of missile technology has exposed Europe to real future risks and threats, which can only be countered defensively through early preparation and deployments. Second, absent such a decision, the United States' Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) – to be deployed in Europe whatever the summit decides – is a fundamental challenge to NATO, detracting from its overall responsibility for collective defense and raising acutely uncomfortable issues, such as the prospect of U.S.-commanded defenses operating in parallel with Article 5 defense of NATO.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, Nuclear Weapons, Terrorism, and International Security
- Political Geography:
- Europe
227. Adapting the U.S.-EU Summit for a Globalized World
- Author:
- Annette Heuser and Frances G. Burwell
- Publication Date:
- 11-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- The U.S.-EU Summit has lost its moorings. The Obama administration's decision on January 31, 2010 to postpone the May 2010 U.S.-EU Summit was a tacit recognition that the Summit lacks clarity of purpose and strategic vision. Neither side had successfully articulated any particular reason to meet. While Obama's decision was largely based on domestic political calculus, the move prompted some deep soul-searching in Brussels. Confidence in Brussels about the new administration's commitment to the U.S.-EU Summit process, and to working with the EU in general, reached a low point when Anne-Marie Slaughter, the Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. State Department, said that the Summit should take place “only when necessary.”
- Topic:
- NATO, Globalization, and International Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- United States, Europe, and North America
228. Hitting the Reset Button on U.S.-Russia Cooperation
- Author:
- Stephan M. Minikes
- Publication Date:
- 12-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- For many years, I have been engaged in debate with other foreign policy practitioners over the question of whether the United States and Russia should work together. An improved U.S.-Russian relationship offers the prospect not only of improved cooperation on areas of mutual bilateral interest, but also enhanced cooperation within multilateral institutions such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) where I was the U.S. Ambassador between 2001 and 2005.
- Topic:
- Diplomacy, Economics, and Bilateral Relations
- Political Geography:
- Russia and North America
229. Central Europe and the Geopolitics of Energy
- Author:
- Franklin D. Kramer, John R. Lyman, and Mihaela Carstei
- Publication Date:
- 12-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- Energy security presents quintessential geopolitical challenges. In Central Europe, achieving energy security can be a critical element for a continent seeking to resolve vestigial Cold War complexities with Russia and toward meeting 21st century challenges including balanced economic development, energy diversity and climate change. Central Europe, utilizing both European Union support and Western European national assistance and enhanced by United States technical assistance, can take five key steps that will go far toward resolving energy security challenges and help to reframe the geopolitics of the continent.
- Topic:
- Security, Economics, Energy Policy, Oil, and Natural Resources
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, and Europe
230. Creating the Demand Curve for Cybersecurity
- Author:
- Melissa Hathaway
- Publication Date:
- 12-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- America's future economic and national security posture, enabled by the digital revolution, is at risk. If the Obama administration is serious about mitigating that risk by increasing the security of the nation's information and communications infrastructure, it should exercise every instrument of power at hand to move the United States toward a better place.
- Topic:
- Communications
- Political Geography:
- United States and America
231. New Transatlantic Compact for NATO
- Author:
- Kurt Volker
- Publication Date:
- 12-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, NATO stands at a crossroads. Will it reinvent itself yet again, to serve as the foundation for the security and defense of Europe and North America in a world of diverse, non-conventional threats, many of which come from outside of Europe? Will it return to a passive, geographically defined approach of protecting the territory of European Allies against armed attack? Will it merge these visions into a new hybrid? Will it retain the political will and resource commitments of its members, whether in Europe or North America?
- Topic:
- NATO, International Cooperation, and Reform
- Political Geography:
- Europe and North America
232. G20 Report: Stimulus and Regulation Compromise Needed
- Author:
- Robin Niblett, Alexei Monsarrat, and Aola Subacchi
- Publication Date:
- 03-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- What started last year as a growing international credit crunch and, by September, a global banking crisis has now spread into the real economy. International trade, investment and economic growth are all contracting. A drastic curtailment of credit, collapsing global demand and a loss of trade finance is having a devastating economic effect on both the developed and developing worlds, especially those economies that are heavily dependent on exports.
- Topic:
- Economics, Foreign Exchange, International Trade and Finance, and Financial Crisis
233. Restoring Georgia's Sovereignty in Abkhazia
- Author:
- David L. Phillips
- Publication Date:
- 07-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- This report evaluates the international community's response to the conflict in Abkhazia. It recommends a package of immediate measures to the Georgian and Abkhaz sides to prevent the escalation of violence. As part of a multi-year strategy, it also suggests steps that Georgians, Abkhaz, and international stakeholders can take to lay the ground for future negotiations. In addition, the report proposes a diplomatic initiative by the United States and the European Union (EU) that would restore Georgia's sovereignty, while preserving the interests of Abkhaz.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, International Cooperation, Sovereignty, and War
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Eastern Europe, Georgia, and Abkhazia
234. Enhancing Democracy Assistance
- Author:
- Lincoln A. Mitchell and David L. Phillips
- Publication Date:
- 01-2008
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- The Research Project on Enhancing Democracy Assistance is undertaken by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, the Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, and the Atlantic Council of the United States. This report recognizes that democracy assistance is essential to the promotion of US foreign policy and global interests, and offers political and technical recommendations in order to enhance democracy assistance.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Democratization, Development, Globalization, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- United States
235. A Marshall Plan for Energy, Water and Agriculture in Developing Countries
- Author:
- Richard L. Lawson and John R. Lyman
- Publication Date:
- 04-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- Today, hunger, poverty, and desperation remain prevalent throughout much of the developing world. If we are to live in a 21st century more prone to peace than violence, the developed countries must move expeditiously to address the developing countries' requirements for energy, water, and agricultural production. The availability, accessibility and affordability of energy, water and food supplies are vital to the economic development that is required to alleviate global poverty, to reduce global tensions, and to address global environmental degradation.
- Topic:
- Development, Energy Policy, Environment, Globalization, and Poverty
236. Corruption, Democracy, and Investment in Ukraine
- Author:
- Adrian Karatnycky and Jan Neutze
- Publication Date:
- 10-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- Ukraine is facing a considerable challenge from corruption, which our research showed is present in nearly all levels of government and politics, the judiciary, and business. It is the view of the Task Force that corruption has become so severe that it has the potential to threaten Ukraine's political and economic stability as well as the country's European Union membership aspirations. While Ukraine has made progress since the Orange Revolution in areas such as developing an independent media and a more active civil society, its political leaders have failed to fulfi ll the core promise of the Revolution by effectively addressing corruption. Instead, our research revealed that public suspicions about corruption at the highest reaches of political power are widespread in Ukraine.
- Topic:
- Corruption, Democratization, Government, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- Ukraine and Eastern Europe
237. Independent Commision on the Security Forces of Iraq
- Author:
- Jones James
- Publication Date:
- 09-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- Retired Marine General James Jones, Chairman of the Atlantic Council, chaired the Committee that produced this report assessing Iraq's national police force. The report's overall assessment said "the Iraqi armed forces - Army, Special Forces, Navy, and Air Force - are increasingly effective and are capable of assuming greater responsibility for the internal security of Iraq; and the Iraqi police are improving, but not at a rate sufficient to meet their essential security responsibilities. The Iraqi Security Forces will continue to rely on the Coalition to provide key enablers such as combat support (logistics, supply chain management, and maintenance), and training. The Commission assesses that in the next 12 to 18 months there will be continued improvement in their readiness and capability, but not the ability to operate independently. Evidence indicates that the ISF will not be able to progress enough in the near term to secure Iraqi borders against conventional military and external threats."
- Topic:
- Security, War, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Iraq and Middle East
238. U.S.-China Energy Security Cooperation Dialogue Report
- Publication Date:
- 06-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- The Atlantic Council of the United States and the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations organized the first "U.S.-China Energy Security Cooperation Dialogue," held in Beijing on 31 October-1 November 2006. Conference participants included foreign policy analysts and energy experts from the U.S. and Chinese governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and universities in both the United States and China. The agenda covered a broad spectrum of energy and energy-related geopolitical issues, including long-range forecasts for energy supply and demand, energy sources ranging from oil and gas to coal, nuclear and renewables.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Energy Policy, and International Cooperation
- Political Geography:
- United States, China, Beijing, and Asia
239. North Korean Relations: U.S. Policies, Laws Regulations
- Author:
- Kenneth Katzman
- Publication Date:
- 03-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- This compendium contains the text of major regulations, laws, and other documents governing U.S. interactions with North Korea. Also provided are the text of U.N. Resolutions, agreements, and other documents that represent major policy decisions in U.S. relations with North Korea. Accompanying each major document, law, or regulation is a brief analysis discussing the policy reflected by that document and major significance of the provisions of the law or regulation promulgated.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- United States, Asia, and North Korea
240. Law the Lone Superpower: Rebuilding a Transatlantic Consensus on International Law
- Author:
- Frances G. Burwell and William H. Taft IV
- Publication Date:
- 04-2007
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Atlantic Council
- Abstract:
- Throughout 2006, allegations of U.S. involvement in "renditions" of suspected terrorists from Europe to prisons in Afghanistan and elsewhere reverberated around European capitals. Charges that the United States had established secret prisons in some European countries raised the temperature even further. The European Parliament and the Council of Europe initiated investigations, while some European leaders called for the United States to close its detention facility in Guantanamo, describing the facility as contrary to international law.
- Topic:
- Terrorism and Torture
- Political Geography:
- Afghanistan, United States, and Europe