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A careful selection and summary of editorials, commentaries, and analyses from the world’s leading newspapers and magazines to help you stay on top of the latest debates and developments in the transatlantic agenda. See list of monitoring sources.
Readers can also see how the perspectives and priorities diverge in different regions.

Obama is no Atlanticist

The Obama presidency has left many in Europe disappointed. ++ The post-Bush euphoria has slowly given way to the sobering reality that Europe is not high on Obama’s list of priorities. ++ “The great struggles of the Cold War, which bound Europe and the United States, did not mark Obama, whose intellect and priorities were shaped by globalization.” ++ In order to become a more effective partner and avoid marginalization, Europe should work to forge unified positions on Afghanistan, Middle East Peace, China, Russia, and energy security.

Women Can Do It Better

Empowering women in Asia is not only a requirement for basic human rights but also an economic asset in recovery form the global recession. ++ It remains the best way to lower the illiteracy, malnutrition and child mortality rates in the long term. ++ A first report reveals that failing to do so costs Asia "roughly the equivalent to the GDP of Viet Nam" per year. ++ According to the Human Development Report, increasing the proportion of women in the workforce to 70 percent would boost annual GDP in India by 4.2 percent.

Better Late than Never: Time for Russia to Join NATO

The time has finally come to invite Russia to join NATO. ++ “Trans-Atlantic security needs have changed fundamentally in the last two decades. The East-West confrontation has ended, and Moscow now shares many interests with NATO.” ++ In this context, the inclusion of Russia in the organization would mark the “logical consummation” of a Euro-Atlantic security order of which NATO would remain the centerpiece. ++ This new Euro-Atlantic alliance could also help offset the strategic dynamics of “large Asian powers.”

Adding Teeth to Iran Sanctions

The Obama administration is currently working on new UN sanctions designed to cut off funding to Iranian nuclear and missile activities, as well as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s vast network of companies. ++ Chinese participation is a crucial component to any sanctions regime, yet so far, US overtures to Beijing to sign onto its sanctions campaign have been met with little success. ++ The Obama administration hopes to change this by offsetting Chinese dependence on Iranian oil with reserves from the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Obama Has Few Foreign Friends

Obama has been unable to form a personal bond with a foreign leader since assuming the Presidency. ++ A series of snubs have cooled Obama’s relationship with Pres. Sarkozy, Chancellor Merkel, and PM Brown. ++ “In this he is the opposite of George W. Bush, who was reviled among the foreign masses but who forged close ties with a host of leaders.” ++ Obama has been more concerned with his domestic agenda than with taking the time to make friends with foreign leaders. ++ This “coolness” on Obama’s part will cost him diplomatically.

The World Should Not Give Up on Somalia

Somalia is typically associated with war, displacement, terrorism, and piracy, but the country is not the failed state it’s portrayed as. ++ "Somalis are resilient and committed to peace, and sickened by the nihilistic violence of the extremists" ++ The international community needs to get rid of the notions that Somalia’s problems are insurmountable and that Somalia is irrelevant to the rest of the world. ++ Somalia needs resources and troop support from other countries in order to combat the extremism and piracy that plague the country.

Climate Change Leaves Europe Out in the Cold

The EU, despite its historical role as the leader on climate negotiations, lacked any concrete influence at the failed Copenhagen conference. ++ "If the US and China don’t play ball, where does that leave Europe?" ++ A frigid winter in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, the flagging global economy, and newly revealed errors in climate research have contributed to a wave of climate skepticism that has put climate protection on the back burner. ++ But this is not the time to be timid, European leadership can reverse this trend.

Is Europe Better Safe than Sorry?

The pacification of Europe, the great geo-political feat of the 20th century, has left the continent neutered and incapable of projecting sufficient hard power. ++ A risk-averse Europe that relies too heavily on soft power as a means of influence will find it difficult to carve out a niche for itself on the global stage. ++ China, India, and Brazil ''do not take Europe seriously, at least not in the security sense,'' said Marcel de Haas from the Netherlands Institute on International relations. ++ ''Soft power and risk aversion does not interest them."

France Cozies Up to Russia

Last Monday, Head of State Sarkozy hosted Russian President Medvedev in order to seal the biggest arms sale ever from a NATO country to Russia. ++ In return, France increases its dependence on Gazprom pipelines, undermining all prior American and European efforts to free themselves from the rule of Russian Gas. ++ Washington is targeted as well: "Paris is a major player on the international scene and France is determined to carve out a foreign policy niche for itself with or without the active cooperation of Washington."

Helping Greece: Reason Over Wrath

The Greek deficit revealed two major flaws in the European integration machine: firstly the sheer absence of a budget deficit watchdog and secondly the lack of either support or sanction if one member state eventually goes bankrupt. ++ Germany, having sacrificed much to the Euro's implementation, is right to be angry. ++ But rationality should overcome wrath, for the cost of inaction might be higher than the cost of solidarity. ++ This is time to explore all the possibilities offered by the Lisbon treaty to help each other today, and plan for tomorrow.