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We asked you "Which Topics Should atlantic-community.org Focus on in 2012?" and received some clear guidance on what to make our priorities this year. Thank you to all those who shared their views, helping us shape the Atlantic Community agenda.

Throughout the year the editorial team will be soliciting articles from leading experts on the top 5 issues you have chosen; Iran & the Middle East, Russia, "China in the Global Order", "Europe after America", and "Europe Beyond the Brink". In response to this result we are happy to announce that our first "mini theme week", starting tomorrow, will focus on the Iranian problem and policy solutions for the transatlantic partners.

We will also be looking to all our members to contribute articles and comments to these debates as well. In addition to the "Your Ideas, Your NATO" competition, these articles will form the backbone of our upcoming Atlantic Memos and shape Atlantic Community's recommendations to decision-makers.

Each voter could choose up to five issues and the top themes are those which the majority of you thought we should prioritise in 2012. A number of your comments also emphasized that Atlantic Community should always be prepared for the unknowns in international politics.

The results of the poll are as follows:

For a full reference of the original option briefing, please look at the poll article.

The results demonstrate a broad consensus that Iran & the Middle East should be our primary focus in 2012. Perhaps swayed by the events of recent weeks, over two-thirds of you (68%) thought that the transatlantic response to Iran's nuclear program and developing situation in the Gulf would be a key issue this year. 

Nearly half of you argued that Russia was of primary importance, appearing in second place with 48% of the vote, more so than China, which received 43.8% of support. The complexity of issues surrounding Russia will be a fruitful area for discussion, and the election in March will bring an added dimension to debates surrounding nuclear non-proliferation, building a defense partnership with Russia, and better understanding their role amongst the BRIC states.

The internal dimension of the transatlantic partnership also sparked your interest and both the political and defense questions that hang over the future of Europe featured in the top five positions. Comments suggested that the division between political and defense issues suggested in "Europe Beyond the Brink" and "Europe after America" is a useful distinction to make and would enable both members and experts to draw a clear analytical approach to this troubled continent.

Atlantic Community is built on your ideas and we hope these topics will encourage your policy suggestions so we can create strong recommendations in this year's Atlantic Memos. We look forward to a busy, exciting, and productive year!

Written on behalf of the editorial team by Mathew Shearman.